Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

The Annihilators Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 22, 2019

Charles E. Sellier Jr.'s " The Annihilators" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interviews with actor Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs and director David O'Malley; and comparison piece. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Rollers

One of the main reasons I enjoy a lot of genre films from the ‘80s is the fact that they usually take atmosphere very seriously. This is the main draw for me -- if the atmosphere is special the bad in these films becomes very attractive. And if the man behind the camera has a genuine appreciation of beauty, some of these films can deliver pure magic. Also, the ‘80s were the last decade where the studios worked with composers that went to work to deliver quality soundtracks that gave films a large part of their identity. By the early ‘90s this practice was pretty much extinct because advancements in digital technology made the ‘old-fashioned’ soundtracks from previous decades pointless, which meant that with a few minor exceptions the films that emerged in the ‘90s did not have the right ingredients to cook up the same quality atmosphere that their predecessors did.

The Annihilators comes from the ‘80s but it is one of those rare genre films where the bad never becomes attractive -- it simply remains bad for the duration of the entire film. There is a very simple reason why, and I will highlight it at the bottom of this article.

The plot of the film is very simple. In Vietnam, a group of war buddies go on a dangerous mission at the end of which one of them becomes paralyzed from the waist down. However, they are all lucky to leave the jungle alive and after landing in the U.S. successfully return to civilian life. Some years later, in Atlanta the paralyzed vet (Dennis Redfield), who now operates a small deli, gets killed by the uncharacteristically vile members of a local gang named The Rollers that is flooding the streets with cheap heroin. When news about his tragic death reaches the leader of the group, Bill Eckert (Christopher Stone), he contacts his old buddies and tells them that they have to get together and wipe out The Rollers because it is the right thing to do. Shortly after, Garrett (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), Ray (Gerrit Graham), Woody (Lou Reed) and Bill meet in Atlanta and begin working on a strategy that would allow them to get the job done. Quite predictably, however, they quickly realize that they are no longer as sharp as they were in the jungles of Vietnam and, more importantly, The Rollers are more than a bunch of amateurs running around and causing trouble in the neighborhood where their dead comrade was killed.

The main issue with this film is the inability of its director, Charles E. Seller Jr., to shoot enough quality footage with the small budget that he had to operate with. It really is this simple. Virtually everything in the film looks and feels like the product of a compromise of some sort which the director and the actors had to accept because under the circumstances it was the best that they could do together. Plenty of the dialog, for instance, is so rough that large sequences look like rehearsals where different actors are trying and failing to get comfortable with their lines. The shootouts where the gangsters and the vets clash are just as disappointing because they literally unload round after round of bullets at each other and only occasionally someone notices them. The whole thing simply looks very low-budget and bad, the kind of amateurish filmmaking that is awfully difficult to endure, let alone enjoy.

The soundtrack is puzzling as well. The main theme -- which is also used as background music on the main menu of the Blu-ray release -- has a very claustrophobic quality that is very much at odds with the rest of the music that is heard throughout the film. The soundtrack was created by Bob Sims, who also scored the equally cheesy action film Eliminators.

The Annihilators Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charles Seller Jr.'s The Annihilators arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very healthy new 2K remaster. The only area where I think there is room for meaningful improvements is density, which in some darker shots could be better (see screencapture #8). But even there the quality of the visuals is still very high. In fact, one of the great strengths of this remaster is the wide range of nuances that it supports. Also, the color grading job is very convincing and as a result the film actually looks surprisingly lush. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, and other conventional age-related imperfections have been carefully removed. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Annihilators Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. The audio is very clean, stable, and nicely balanced. Dynamic intensity is good as well, though it is not difficult to tell that the film was done with a small budget because certain transitions are feel a bit abrupt. The music from the soundtrack sounds great.

The Annihilators Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Annihilators. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• The New Heat on the Street - in this new video interview, actor Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs (Garrett) remembers how he became involved with The Annihilators and his work with other cast and crew members during the shooting process. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

• In Search of Charles E. Sellier Jr. - in this new video interview, director David O'Malley remembers his work with Charles E. Sellier Jr. and discusses his working methods and stylistic preferences. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Comparison - a comparison between the censored and uncensored UK releases of the film. (2 min, 1080p-).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

The Annihilators Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was bored to tears with The Annihilators and could not wait to see its final credits appear on my screen. It is a genuinely amateurish effort that does not have even a whiff of the exotic retro atmosphere that these types of films need to be attractive. This recent release from Kino Lorber is sourced from a very healthy new 2K remaster, so if you enjoy the film consider picking up a copy for your collection. Otherwise, RENT IT.