6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
The Kola Superdeep Borehole is the most large-scale secret object of the country. In 1984, inexplicable sounds like the screams of many voices were recorded at a depth of more than 12 kilometers. In the wake of these events the object was closed. A small research team went down below the surface to find out what secret the world’s deepest borehole was hiding. What they have found turned out to be the greatest threat in history. And the future of humanity is in their hands.
Starring: Artyom Tsukanov, Milena Radulovic, Nikita DyuvbanovThriller | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Horror | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.66:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Attempting to fuse the most memorable parts of The Thing, Event Horizon, and maybe even The Descent, first-time writer/director Arseny Syuhin's The Superdeep delivers pretty great practical effects... but otherwise fails miserably in a way that's hard to put into words. After all, what good is gooey gore when it's saddled with a non-sensical story and a broken script? And not in the "so bad it's good" way, either: The Superdeep feels like it was run through a English-to-Russian translator -- and then back again, maybe more than once -- before the final draft was stamped.
It's a decent enough premise and, with the right approach, could have made for an enjoyable trek through familiar cinematic territory (and admittedly, injecting some supernatural lore into real-world events can be pretty fun in the right context). But nope, The Superdeep falls flat on its face from the first scene onward, as patches of its scattershot story are spelled out ad nauseum with extremely forced narration that, like much of its dialogue, just doesn't sound like how actual humans talk. Quite literally speaking of which, now's a good time to note that The Superdeep is a purely Russian production with almost all English dialogue, save for the background signage and a couple of local news clips. Some of its characters attempt a decent Russian accent, some not-so-decent, and some not at all. (At first I thought RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray -- which actually lists the disc language as "English, Russian" -- had two separate audio tracks and I had mistakenly chosen an English dub.) But according to all sources -- and of course, the fact that most of the mouth movements match perfectly with that English dialogue -- it apparently really is supposed to sound that way. Trust me: when I say the dialogue is broken, it's to the point that The Superdeep's story is almost impossible to follow from a base-level plot standpoint. And this should, by all accounts, be a simple movie to follow.
A big ol' olive branch should be extended to the SFX team, though: even if you don't care about The Superdeep's plot (and believe me, you
won't), some of its practical makeup and creature effects are outstanding, enough to make you wish they showed up in a better
movie. As it stands, The Superdeep feels like one of those school group projects where one kid clearly did all the work. But enough with
the dead horse: RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray at least provides solid A/V support and a featurette that focuses on the only interesting part of this
otherwise weak import.
Framed at a rather odd 2.66:1 aspect ratio (which is supposed to add to the claustrophobia, but really just interferes with most of its vertical compositions), The Superdeep nonetheless looks very good on RLK Entertainment's Blu-ray. Although this fusion of live action, CGI elements, and impressive practical effects does show a few seams, it's a mostly well-integrated picture that sports decent fine detail, deep black levels, and well-saturated colors. As expected, much of it takes place deep underground with moody lighting and, within those boundaries, it offers a suitably dark atmosphere that doesn't suffer from obvious compression issues or other digital defects. And while The Superdeep doesn't leave a massive visual impression besides for its practical effects, it nonetheless plays well on the small screen.
Note to videophiles: a limited edition 4K Mediabook was also released in Germany last year by Koch Media.
Despite my strong reservations about The Superdeep's goofy dialogue, this DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix packs quite the sonic punch and establishes a heavy, occasionally unsettling atmosphere. Conversations are usually front-and-center save for those in larger, cavernous interiors, with nice prioritization in group settings. (With that said, a few lines have obviously been overdubbed, but it's not clear if this was due to recording issues or other reasons.) Of course, the real standout here is surround activity that arrives in the form of ominous background noise and the original score, both of which work in tandem to reasonably envelop even the most modest home theater setups. It's a fine effort, all things considered, with the only possible room for improvement being a full-blown Atmos mix.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature and the lone extra (which, unlike the film, is entirely in Russian). They actually sit inside the 2.66:1 frame, which is great for projector owners.
This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with deceptively cool cover art, an embossed foil slipcover, and a promotional insert. Bonus features are minimal and only cover the effects, which is probably a good thing.
Arseny Syuhin's The Superdeep is framed around a looming supernatural mystery, but the version we've gotten for home video via RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray is the real head-scratcher. Why the broken English dialogue? Does a top-secret Russian-language track exist? Was it cut from a longer version? Like its confusing story, these questions may never be answered... but hey, the creature effects are outstanding and, for tolerant sci-fi horror fans, that might be enough. They'll be mostly pleased with this Blu-ray, which serves up solid A/V specs and a short featurette about the film's most (only?) memorable element. Try before you buy, unless its low price proves to be too tempting.
(Still not reliable for this title)
2001
2004
2000
2013
2012
Спутник
2020
1964
Mind Ripper / The Outpost
1995
1958
Collector's Edition
1998
2014
1988
1959
1998
Warner Archive Collection
1951
2003
1957
2024
[•REC]⁴: Apocalypse / [•REC]⁴: Apocalipsis
2014
1997