5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
40 years after the first haunting at Eel Marsh House, a group of children evacuated from WWII London arrive, awakening the house's darkest inhabitant.
Starring: Helen McCrory, Jeremy Irvine, Adrian Rawlins, Oaklee Pendergast, Ned DennehyHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 43% |
Supernatural | 33% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
That famous British maxim states keep calm and carry on, an attitude which would seem to negate one of the key ingredients for any successful ghost story, namely incipient hysteria on the part of those witnessing the existence of a spectral entity. That stiff upper lip that seems to typify the English (or at least our perception of the English) may be one reason why The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death struggles at times to achieve a suitable spookiness. The film certainly delivers several moments of spiking adrenaline courtesy of hoary techniques like jump cuts augmented by hyperbolic low frequency booms accompanying the visuals on the soundtrack, and it is a rather creepily sumptuous outing from a production design standpoint, but there’s a certain languidness to this “not really a sequel” that keeps the film from ever registering as strongly as it might have. Perhaps the biggest single issue confronting The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is in fact its supposed progenitor, The Woman in Black, for that film “solved” the mystery of who exactly the titular wraith actually was, meaning that this film has to meander through the swamps surrounding Eel Marsh House rather discursively at times, as if to not spoil a surprise that indeed has already been revealed.
The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Shot digitally with the Arri Alexa, the film exploits huge variances in lighting conditions and the general overall color space. As should be expected, many of the interior sequences set in the dim confines of Eel Marsh House are deliberately dark to the point of obfuscating things like, well, the woman in black. That said, shadow detail is generally quite commendable given realistic expectations. Director Tom Harper and cinematographer George Steel delight in thrusting these sometimes hard to see scenes up against breathtaking outdoor vistas of the barren but still scenic fields surrounding the house. Both interior and exterior scenes have been subject to at times severe color grading, with some moments looking virtually desaturated (see screenshot 14). Even scenes with relatively more "accurate" looking color are often tweaked toward a blue, slate gray or even yellow side of the spectrum, as can easily be seen by perusing the screencaptures accompanying this review. Despite these at times abrupt changes, this transfer retains a homogeneous and organic appearance, with detail and fine detail popping quite nicely when lighting conditions permit. Despite the overall darkness of the film, there are no issues with noise. Clarity and sharpness are generally first rate, though some of the CGI is a bit on the soft side (see screenshot 5).
The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix suffices as a sonic checklist of sorts of everything horror films currently employ to up anxiety levels—sometimes subliminally—in viewers (and/or listeners). As such, it's not a particularly innovative piece, but it provides ample immersion with a glut of well placed ambient environmental effects and other sound effects that emanate from discrete channels with great regularity. The moody score also is splayed widely throughout the surrounds. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented. There's typically bombastic LFE accompanying some jump cuts, obviously intended to provoke startle responses. Fidelity is top notch and dynamic range is extremely wide.
The major problem with The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is that titular entity herself: her story was already detailed in the first film, and so this follow up has the odd task of trying to create suspense where a resolution has already been offered. This is a near miss, though, for a lot of the film is resolutely creepy, and if some of the scares are on the cheap side, that still doesn't completely discount a rather elegant physical production and some good performances. Horror fans who have set their expectation bars at appropriate levels may find enough here to warrant checking out. One way or the other, technical merits are generally first rate for those considering a purchase.
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