The Good Book Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.0

The Good Book Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 4, 2022

1997’s “The Good Book” presents a dystopian vision of a future where humankind is controlled by the internet, with a Big Brother-like organization keeping close tabs on the population. In 2022, this isn’t such a far-fetched vision of reality, but director/co-writer Matthew Giaquinto is making a shot- on-video endeavor, limiting the reach of his messages on media control and isolation. And he’s trying to make something of a horror film with “The Good Book,” which dabbles in religion and ruin, hoping to provide a slightly more intellectual viewing experience while still tending to B-movie nonsense.

Cyrus (Bryan Campbell) is a government employee, working as a repair tech, making sure internet connections are secure for people electing to remain in their homes. The rest of the world is pushed out into the wasteland, turned into zombie-like creatures Cyrus hopes to avoid. Infiltrating the young man’s mind is the presence of a God-like being (Barry Gerdsen), who’s looking to disconnect humanity, trusting in Cyrus to release his “Satan Bug” virus and destroy society, leaving him to question his reality.

“The Good Book” doesn’t have the budget to imagine a futureworld of societal fracture, leaving Giaquinto to work with what he has, which means most of the action takes place in small rooms and garages, giving “Mad Max”-ian touches a student project vibe. The writing hopes to be the main appeal of the film, presenting a crisis of faith for Cyrus, who’s dealing with visitations from a holy man he doesn’t recognize, while his government employers are losing patience with his expanding consciousness, tasked with bringing him down. Chases are limited in visual power, with much lost to crummy camerawork, and suspense is limited to a few scenes at best, with Giaquinto stopping “The Good Book” in full to showcase scenes from an erotic feature treasured by the population.

The Good Book Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.90:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The Good Book" deals with a shot-on-video production, and one that hopes to register with a bit more cinematic heft, offering a wider aspect ratio than typical a SOV event. Plenty of filtering has been employed to combat the video-y look of the feature, which eliminates all potential detail, leaving only a basic appreciation of objects and characters. Color is also limited, offering a muddier understanding of hues, and blacks routinely solidify. Source is in decent condition for this type of endeavor.

The Good Book Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD mix provides an aged understanding of dialogue exchanges, which are also limited by production equipment and technical abilities. Music isn't crisp, but the synth sound of "The Good Book" is appreciable, along with soundtrack selections.

The Good Book Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director/co-writer Matthew Giaquinto and producer/co-writer/actor Barry Gerdsen.

• Making Of (53:10, HD) is hosted by director/co-writer Matthew Giaquinto and producer/co-writer/actor Barry Gerdsen, who walk through the production process on "The Good Book," periodically joined by members of the cast and crew, who pop in via video conferencing.

• Isolated Music Cues (19:18, HD) opens with an interview with composer Chris Paine, who's joined by director/co-writer Matthew Giaquinto and producer/co-writer/actor Barry Gerdsen, discussing his work on the movie. Music selections from "The Good Book" are also presented here.

• BTS Photos (7:44) collect images from the making of "The Good Book."

• "Vampire Girlfriend Roommates Part 5" (3:05, SD) is the full film-within-a-film contribution to the picture.

• Short Films (SD) include 1995's "The Day I Met My Mother" (11:47, which also includes commentary by Matthew Giaquinto and Barry Gerdsen), 2002's "Finding Destiny" (2:16), and 2002's "Bad Feelings" (2:12).

• "The Between Time" (3:43, HD) is a discussion of an animated short with Mike Cuales, who created the promotional clip for Barry Gerdsen. The short is also presented.

• And a Proof-of-Concept Trailer (2:04, SD) is included.

The Good Book Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Good Book" is ambitious, which is refreshing, trying to mount a more stimulating level of paranoia and unreality, leading to a pressurized conclusion. However, Giaquinto's execution leaves much to be desired, keeping the movie sluggish, fighting amateur performances and severe filmmaking limitations.