Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

The Skulls III Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 10, 2022

This Mill Creek Blu-ray release of 'The Skulls III' is currently only available as part of a three-film bundle with 'The Skulls' and 'The Skulls II.'

The original film in the franchise may have enjoyed a little bit of dramatic novelty, but whatever little bit of wind it had its back certainly didn't seem to predicate that a franchise would be born from it. Perhaps, though, that not one but two follow-ups emerged shows the viability more of the direct-to-video marketplace to sustain a franchise that never had a whole lot going for it to begin with than it does the original film itself. But here is the third and, more than likely (it's been going on two decades now), final entry into the Skulls family of films. This one has nothing to do with the others, not directly, anyway, but at least it aims to shake things up from the rote formula that dogged the second film from its start to its finish.

Taylor Brooks (Clare Kramer) is hoping that this year is finally the year that a girl is “tapped” by the Skulls – the elite and very secretive collegiate organization that offers deeply exclusive membership and offers an incredible opportunity for those initiated to gain power, wealth, fame, and sex. In return they must pledge their allegiance to the organization. Membership certainly has its perks, and they follow the inductee for a lifetime. Her brother Sam was once a member of this exclusive organization. His life was ruined, and now her father Martin Brooks (Karl Pruner), also a Skull and now a member of congress, has distanced himself from her. She yearns her father’s attention.

She digs deep into gender equality law and approaches the dean to demand a meeting to discuss the organization’s discrimination against women. Her hard work pays off. The dean, who is a Skull himself, agrees that, based on her findings, she will be tapped and granted the opportunity to become a Skull. She passes through the initiation and overcomes overt sexism as she proves herself well worthy of the organization. However, she comes to realize that with the perks comes a world that is darker than she dreamed and more dangerous than she could have ever realized.

At least the gender-bending approach brings some fresh life to the franchise, which was much needed after the lackluster second entry. Here, the dynamics are similar but the injection of a battle of the sexes allows the film to find a further reach into the depth of the organization and the psyche of its members. Clare Kramer is very good as the determined female legacy who bucks the system, and even if the film's second half pushes through a more routine narrative structure, the differences in the setup at least render the end product more interesting than had it simply regurgitated formula without even attempting to find a new angle of approach.

The Skulls III Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As was the case with The Skulls' and 'The Skulls II, the image looks acceptable at a very quick glance but even the slightest scrutiny reveals a major flaw: severe compression artifacts. That is no surprise considering that the film shares disc space with two others, and much like the others the impact ranges from "bad" to "horrific." The picture is watchable, at least, and smaller monitors or larger distances will negate the problem's obviousness, but anyone watching at optimal distance on a large screen will be sorely distracted and disappointed. The picture is not in a horrible state otherwise. Details are decent enough with close-ups revealing adequate textural depth. Basic environmental elements hold steady, too, but even at its best the image barely scrapes by as superior to an upscaled DVD. Colors are lackluster. Even as the movie is fairly dark there's a sense of depressed colors at play that leave the picture severely wanting for even a spark of vitality. Skin tones are red-pushed and pasty while blacks are less than stellar. Take away the compression and the movie still wouldn't look good but would at least pass muster. As it is, it's a fair disappointment that could have been avoided with more breathing room and better compression work.

The Skulls III Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The film arrives on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is at least a little more well-rounded than that of its predecessor, making efforts to bring sound into the back channels and offer that wider, more enveloping dynamic. Certainly, clarity is still wanting but the effort is laudable and not entirely fruitless. Still, there is no sense of perfectly immersive detail or finely tuned audio delight. Musical definition lacks full fidelity but attempts to find a wide posture with some back wrap. A few scattered action type effects effectively present with adequate depth and detail. Dialogue drives most of the film, and it plays from a strict front-center position for the duration.

The Skulls III Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As it ships as part of the above linked Mill Creek three pack, no supplements are included. Further, no DVD or digital copies are included.

The Skulls III Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is not great example of spinoff moviemaking, but as far as DTV films go it's not half bad, especially since it takes the opportunity to put a new spin on the old Skulls story. Too bad the presentation is hindered by borderline bad video, forgettable 5.1 lossless audio, and no extras. Skip it.