4.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A couple on a romantic getaway find themselves stranded at sea when a tropical storm sweeps away their villa. In order to survive, they are forced to fight the elements, while sharks circle below.
Starring: Alicia Silverstone, James Tupper, Deirdre O'Connell, Jennifer Mudge, Danny Chung (II)Horror | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
It's maybe just a little sad or hilarious, depending on your point of view, that The Requin utilizes key art that so clearly identifies the film as a Jaws wannabe. There is a marauding shark (and/or sharks) at play in The Requin, a film whose very (relatively unutilized) term refers to a family of sharks with the official name of Carcharhinidae, but it takes a good, long while for it and/or them to actually enter into the story. Instead, the marketing mavens behind promoting this film might have just as easily co-opted key art from The Impossible, the 2012 opus with Naomi Watts which depicted the horrifying after effects of a tsunami, since the story here follows somewhat the same storm tossed seas, with a couple finding themselves stranded in the ocean after their overwater bungalow drifts into open waters after a violent squall.
The Requin is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. There's no real technical data of any kind offered on "usual suspect" sites like IMDb, but I was able to find this rather interesting interview with the film's director of photography Matt S. Bell, who discloses both the camera (Arri Alexa Mini) as well as lens information and other salient data points (I highly recommend the interview for those interested in this sort of background information). Unfortunately, Bell's mention of a very short pre-production and production time may help to explain why some of the VFX in this film are not exactly fantastic looking. A lot of the presentation has a "green screen softness" to it in terms of backgrounds, and some of the compositing just struck me as unbelievably fake looking (a quick perusal of some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review may help to show this situation). In actual practical moments, as in a kind of quasi-montage early in the film that sees Jaelyn and Kyle pre-storm out and about cavorting, look great and feature a nicely robust palette and typically excellent detail levels. So much of the later part of the film is VFX laden, though, that the whole thing comes of as unavoidably artificial looking, which obviously detracts from any visceral feeling of immediate danger. Even some of the supposed "non showy" water effects which purportedly offer only a vista of open seas look like they were done in some elementary video version of Photoshop. There are a few passing moments of banding in some of the underwater material that takes place in the latter part of the film in particular.
The Requin features a generally nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The storm sequence offers probably the showiest surround activity, with some nice panning effects as winds and torrential rainfall buffet the pair's bungalow. A lot of the later part of the film typically has the wash of background water sounds spilling through the side and rear channels. Composer Jean-Paul Wall forsakes the famous half step motif that made John Williams' score for Jaws so memorable in favor of long, languid minor ninths that spread quite nicely through the surround channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
The Requin may provide some interest for Silverstone fans in particular, since she is front and center the entire way through this film. That said, I'm not sure she comes off as completely believable in some scenes, though it's undeniably fun to see her attack a CGI shark with what amounts to a weed whacker late in the film (it's actually the propeller blades of a boat motor). There's an almost gruesome and graphic element that recurs throughout the film (there are a number of pretty hideous foot and/or leg injuries depicted), and it seems like a tonal disconnect to see survivor Jaelyn cheery as all get out as the film comes to a close, at least when considering what she's just been through. Technical merits are generally fine, though video encounters a few hurdles along the way, for those who may be considering making a purchase.
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