The Widow Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

The Widow Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 31, 2021

“The Widow” is a Russian film from director Ivan Minin, who oversees a dark journey into the thick of a Saint Petersburg forest, tracking the panic of a search and rescue team and their encounter with a dangerous spirit known as the “Lame Widow.” The screenplay tries to summon a spooky mood for the picture, but it’s pulling from a lot of different movies to do so, with “The Blair Witch Project” clearly an influence on the endeavor. It’s difficult for a genre feature to emerge with complete originality, but “The Widow” isn’t even trying at times, once again presenting a group of hapless victims who find themselves in deep in the middle of nowhere, fighting a force they don’t understand. Minin isn’t exactly making something special here, mostly concerned with creating any sort of fear factor.

“The Widow” is a strange feature, with the screenplay using the guise of reality for a “reconstruction” of true events involving Russian professionals embarking on a mission to save lives during an emergency. Viktoria is the leader, taking her team into the woods for what’s initially considered to be a simple search, but “The Widow,” after introductions, quickly sheds its verite aesthetic, becoming a routine ghost story, with the unit coming into contact with evidence of the Lame Widow. As these things tend to go, there’s no way out for the team, who can’t escape the woods, quickly turning focus into panic. The viewing experience is that simple, providing routine scenes of hysterical characters sensing something going bump in the night. It’s a surprisingly uneventful endeavor.

The Widow Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation is dealing with a very chaotic film at times, with lighting sources limited, dealing mostly with darkness. Detail is good with facial surfaces and forest dimension. Colors aren't pronounced, but rescue gear offers bright primaries and red flares are distinct. Greenery is natural, along with skintones. Delineation is periodically lost to solidification, and little moments of posterization are present, along with mild banding.

The Widow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix provides an active listening experience, with scoring cues pronounced, using the surround space to provide a circular event. Atmospherics as well, with crackly sounds of forest movement and character position. Dialogue exchanges are crisp, handling emotional surges well. Low-end delivers some punch with musical offerings.

The Widow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Trailer (2:43, HD) is included.

The Widow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Widow" is best suited for those who aren't in a demanding mood, with the horror here mild at best, mostly regulated to cheap shocks and screamy performances, captured with shaky cam for maximum disorientation. And if you're a "Blair Witch" fan, this is a way to check out the franchise's influence in Russia.