6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When a beautiful and ambitious archaeologist unearths a mysterious key beneath the streets of modern-day New York City, the Templar Knights of Christ send a modern-day warrior, trained in the ancient arts, to retrieve it before unspeakable evil is unleashed on the world by the Minion, a demonic servant of The Antichrist.
Starring: Dolph Lundgren, David Nerman, Allen Altman, Don Francks, Roc LaFortuneHorror | 100% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
1998’s “The Minion” attempts to cash-in on millennium fever, imagining a futureworld of 1999, where global temperatures are rising, unrest is taking over the world, and the countdown to the year 2000 begins. It’s a tight timetable for the picture, which hopes to communicate an apocalyptic scenario a year before such an event is about to take place, but thinking ahead is not one of the feature’s strengths. In fact, there are no strengths in “The Minion,” with pits Dolph Lundgren against Wendigo, an evil force who’s been locked up for centuries, itching to be released and bring utter destruction to Earth. While it sounds like a proper DTV romp, director Jean-Marc Piche doesn’t have a vision for such low-budget combat, in charge of detailing a laborious script by Matt Roe and Ripley Highsmith, which drags along the ground, carrying heavy amounts of exposition, leaving little time to focus on the most important part of the package: Lundgren fighting monsters with a spiked glove. Such diversions are few and far between in this dud, which promises the end of the world, but doesn’t have a plan to get there.
Billed as a "New 2K master," "The Minion" arrives with an AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Clarity is satisfactory throughout the viewing experience, with cinematographic limits reached (the production has some trouble with focus issues). Cityscapes are dimensional and interiors provide detail on set decoration. Costuming is adequate, mixing glossier period wear with heavier religious outfits. Hues comes through acceptably, securing mood lighting that ranges from police blues to a more yellow-ish push for the nuclear waste site. Clothing is varied, along with light sources. Delineation is suitable, grain is a tad blocky at times. Source is in fine shape, without pronounced damage.
"The Minion" wasn't made with cinematic refinement in mind, leaving the 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix kneecapped from the start, but the listening experience is underwhelming here. While stillness permits some clarity to dialogue exchanges, the track often deals with action, and such activity encourages a level of competition as elements battle for sonic control. Scoring is dialed up too high, frequently overwhelming performances, which also have a tendency to disappear when the actors speak in hushed tones. Lines are lost here and there. Sound effects lack punch, keeping gunfire and glass smashing muted, unable to provide much of a jolt. Atmospherics are clouded too, sounding more like white noise instead of defined environments.
Adding to the to-do list of topics to cover in "The Minion," Roe and Highsmith eventually bring Lukas and Karen to the Native American reservation she once called home, which is neighboring a toxic waste storage facility. The ominous building is home to an ecological nightmare (and provides a fine resting spot for the magic key), presenting the writing with another cause to follow, as Karen's community is powerless to such development, giving in the poisoning of the land. As with a few other subplots, there's a topic suited for its own film, but the production chooses to mash the message in with the rest, confusing the tone of the feature, which often registers as grim when it isn't trying to be cartoonish. Piche occasionally comes up for air in "The Minion," which has a few chase sequences, shoot-outs (with John Woo flavoring), and a climatic swordfight to provide excitement (forget about the spiked gloved that's carefully introduced in the opening act, as the weapon is hilariously lost soon after), but nothing is sustained or developed. The prime draw for the effort is often put on the backburner, keeping the endeavor mostly about explaining everything instead of establishing a starting line and commencing a heated race to prevent the end of life as we know it.
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