6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
After a mysterious girl emerges as the sole survivor of a bloody raid on the research facility behind the top-secret Witch Program, she is rescued by a couple who understands the grave danger the girl now faces. However, as the assassins tasked with locating and silencing the girl move ever closer, the lives of all three fall under increasingly great peril.
Starring: Kim Da-mi, Jo Min-soo, Jin Goo, Lee Jong-Suk, CynthiaForeign | 100% |
Action | 30% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Korean: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
It's probably going to be unavoidably hilarious to those with jaded senses of humor, especially about the movie business (ahem), that this film is called The Witch 2: The Other One, since some wags might have termed the film which gave (unholy?) birth to this one, The Witch: Subversion, could have itself been called The Witch: The Other One, since it appeared in the wake of the probably overall better remembered The Witch. As I mentioned in our The Witch: Subversion Blu-ray review, that film was actually released in some markets with Part One stuffed in there after The Witch, which (no homonym pun intended) obviously indicated a follow up might be in order. As I also mentioned in the review of the first entry in this apparently nascent franchise, the fact that the first outing ran well over two hours might itself indicate that The Witch has an almost insanely Byzantine plot and a surplus of characters, something this second outing also features, for better or worse.
The Witch 2: The Other One is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Despite a glut of logos dotting the end of the closing credits roll, I didn't see any for cameras, and much as with the first film in this series, I haven't been able to uncover any authoritative information on the technical aspects of the shoot or the resolution of the DI. One way or the other, this is another very striking presentation that is very much in line with the first film, though this second outing tends to grade things in yellow quite frequently, along with those cobalt blues which were so much a part of the first film. Other moments have a pronounced greenish tint, but through all of these stylistic choices, detail levels remain remarkably intact. A number of "dark and stormy night" sequences, or at least dark and foggy or misty resolve very nicely, without any compression artifacts that I noticed. There are some passing deficits in shadow definition in some of the darkest material.
The Witch 2: The Other One follows Well Go USA's tradition of offering both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 options in the original language (in this case Korean) and an English dub. I toggled between the two surround tracks while watching and noticed no discernable differences in general amplitude or overall mix, other than the obvious differences in voice work. I'd still recommend sticking with the Korean track if you don't mind reading subtitles, and the good news is some of the interplay between the two bounty hunter types is actually in English anyway. The sound design here is arguably even more impressive than the excellent sonic qualities of the first film, and there are both rumbly low frequency effects and some possibly painful high frequency tones that indicate what might be auditory hallucinations being experienced by Ark 1. A number of fight scenes, both hand to hand and of course featuring guns, also provide some really impressive surround activity. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
It's kind of ironically amusing that so much of the subtext of this nascent franchise has to do with twins, since this second outing is in many ways more or less identical to the first. If you are a fan of The Witch: Subversion, my hunch is you'll enjoy this film, despite what I personally feel is its over length and over reliance on way too many subplots and characters. Technical merits are first rate for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
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