Cover coming soon |
6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A ragtag group of adventurers, including a former Nazi, is led by a half-maddened grizzled treasure hunter who wants a second chance to find the mythical treasure of the Amazon, after his first mission went terrible wrong.
Starring: Stuart Whitman, Donald Pleasence, Bradford Dillman, Sonia Infante, John Ireland (I)Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (320 kbps)
BDInfo verified. 2nd track is the "lossy" track.
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Prolific director Rene Cardona Jr. elects to claim part of the jungle adventure gold rush of the early 1980s with “Treasure of the Amazon,” one of three movies he made in 1985. Cardona Jr. is not one to offer hospital corners on his pictures, and this messiness extends to “Treasure of the Amazon,” which attempts to create three distinct plotlines about outsiders in the deep jungle hunting for gold and diamonds, tracking separate games of survival as the teams are hit from all sides by danger. The feature isn’t a good example of multi-character storytelling, but it does remain on the move, with Cardona Jr. interested in exploitation elements to hold attention, working to give his jungle event some cheap thrills.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a 4K scan of the original 35mm negatives. The viewing experience is bright and inviting, taking in the jungle locations with excellent dimension for open spaces, while tighter shots in caves, villages, and boats also capture detail around the actors. Textured facial surfaces are common, enjoying the grizzled and primped appearance of the cast, and costuming is fibrous. Colors are appreciable, with dense greenery throughout. Tribal makeup additions handle with authority, and clothing retains some primary power. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is fine and film-like. Source is in good condition, with some light scratches.
Vinegar Syndrome notes at the beginning of the movie that "Treasure of the Amazon" had no sound elements to work with, forcing the company to use a tape source for the 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix. This "less than ideal" situation results in a difficult listening experience at times, with stretches of muddiness and tininess. Intelligibility isn't completely wiped away, but the general unevenness of the track is persistent, leading to weak dialogue exchanges and scoring cues.
Insects attack, leeches are collected, and naked natives are everywhere. "Treasure of the Amazon" pays attention to exploitation interests to keep the whole effort engrossing, which helps to ignore a lot of the production's sloppiness, including a few actors who seem intoxicated while stumbling through their lines. It's nonsense, but diverting enough, with Cardona Jr. offering a lurid examination of greed and Amazonian hostilities while laboring to find a movie somewhere in all the feature's randomness.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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