6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
A nerve-racking chase to recover flasks of a lethal virus which were stolen from a government lab by a deranged and dangerous scientist.
Starring: George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews, John Larkin (VI)Thriller | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
1965’s “The Satan Bug” is director John Sturges’s follow-up to “The Great Escape,” moving from the punishment of World War II to, well, the end of the world. A bio-terror production adapted by James Clavell and Edward Anhalt (from the novel by Ian Stuart), “The Satan Bug” digs into a secret world of deadly viruses and hidden government installations to find a cinematic level of suspense. While poky at times, the picture is successful with an epic tale of investigation and terrifying discovery, with Sturges generating a coolly unnerving doomsday atmosphere that provides adequate motivation for the characters.
The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation does have the benefit of color, with the visual design of "The Satan Bug" favoring bold primaries and stylish lighting. Hues look stable and expressive, capturing period style and exterior greenery. Skintones look accurate. Detail is competing with slightly softer cinematography, but the basics are cared for, finding it easy to survey facial responses and study the widescreen space, with distances protected. Delineation isn't a problem, finding blacks adequately communicative. Source is in fine shape, with some speckling, minor scratches, and a few brief points of damage detected.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is problematic, requiring a boost in volume to help bring it to normal standards. Even there, definition is hard to come by, with the listening experience muffled to a certain degree, finding dialogue exchanges lacking crisp delivery, with fuzzy extremes in dramatic range. Intelligibility isn't a major problem, but it's periodically difficult to hear the characters. While scoring is lively, it's never profound, missing sharp instrumentation. Atmospherics are also lacking in freshness. Hiss and pops are prominent throughout the track.
"The Satan Bug" carries its production period proudly, making it visually interesting, while performances are solid, with heavy doses of unease to accompany what becomes a ticking clock scenario. The screenplay slows to regroup one too many times, making sure the viewer is as informed as the characters, but unnecessary pit stops fail to derail "The Satan Bug," which remains an entertaining bio-weapon chiller.
1977
2012
End of the World / Survival
1962
Fox Studio Classics
1966
1969
1959
1973
2014
2008
1974
Fox Studio Classics
1961
1966-1967
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1967
1966
Warner Archive Collection
1953
1968
1979
1979
2017
1997