The Skulls Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

The Skulls Blu-ray Movie Review

This Mill Creek Blu-ray release of 'The Skulls' is currently only available as part of a three-film bundle with 'The Skulls II' and 'The Skulls III.' Please note that the film was released through Universal Studios in in April 2018 with superior video and three supplements that are not included in this set.

The Skulls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Well, The Skulls is the best looking of the three films that Mill Creek has packed onto a single Blu-ray disc. It's also the best film of the trio, which is at least a sign of some semblance of prioritization, but even as "the best looking" this is still a long way away from an excellent Blu-ray. It compares somewhat favorably with the Universal disc but its shortcomings, particularly in the compression arena, quickly become evident. While the macroblocking is nowhere near so severe here as it is with The Skulls II and The Skulls III, there is no mistaking that it is a regularly occurring phenomena accompanying the film. Backgrounds have a tendency to go chunky and inorganic, but at the same time the picture can often hold fairly steady where the net effect is minimized or barely seen at all. At its best, this is a decently filmic presentation. Grain swarms but not so heavy even in low light scenes, yielding a rather pleasant (again at best) viewing experience. Details are not out of this world, but the image manages to offer a good, stable baseline set of textures for faces, clothes, and various environments around campus, whether living spaces or the spartan Skulls home base area. Colors are very flat and drab. This is not the most vividly colorful film ever made, anyway, but the palette appears severely depressed. There's next to no vividness at play and very little in the way of even moderately intense colors; even the brightest scenes tend to push fairly flat and drab. Balck levels hold up well enough. Skin tones look pasty and warm. There are quite a few spots and speckles on display; the print is in no way clean. This is a watchable image but videophiles will be dreaming of something far better.

The Skulls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mill Creek brings The Skulls to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is decidedly front heavy with little in the way of dynamic immersion beyond the front side stretch. Front speaker yield is at least prominent and enjoyable, with a nice sense of spacing and spread that allows music to find breathing room and various environmental effects to hold serve for baseline engagement. Listeners will not find any real low-end intensity; the subwoofer remains virtually unused here, but there's enough inherent depth to music and core effects to give the track at least a modest feel for weight. When music is not powering along the front, the track is primarily dominated by dialogue, which is suitably clear and detailed and nicely prioritized as well. This is a fairly mundane listen, but it serves the movie well enough.

The Skulls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Mill Creek Blu-ray release of The Skulls includes no supplemental content. The old Universal disc contained an audio commentary track, several deleted scenes, and a making-of featurette.

The Skulls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Skulls is a movie that is not without merit, but its merit largely exists within an un(der)explored center. A good idea, an interesting world of some complexity and storytelling novelty (and some real-world parallels) disintegrates into a type-based Thriller that eschews creativity. Cohen directs safely and the stars, talented as they may be, can't carry material that's fundamentally limited in dramatic reach. Mill Creek's featureless Blu-ray looks and sounds passably good, but this is a far cry from perfection. It is the best looking of the three Skulls films released by Mill Creek. For fans just looking for a bargain copy of this film; this is the way to go. As part of the three-film bundle, it costs far less than buying this film alone through Universal.