7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When Jess sets sail on a yacht with a group of friends, she cannot shake the feeling that there is something wrong. Her suspicions are realized when the yacht hits a storm in the Bermuda Triangle and the group is forced to board a passing ocean liner to get to safety. The ship appears deserted, but Jess is convinced she's been on board before. They soon realize they are not alone... Someone is intent on hunting them down, one by one.
Starring: Melissa George, Liam Hemsworth, Emma Lung, Rachael Carpani, Michael DormanHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 35% |
Mystery | 30% |
Psychological thriller | 24% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
One of the difficult aspects of writing a review is listening to that little voice in the back of your head that constantly whispers “don’t spoil this for the readers”. We always do our best to heed the warning and provide as little detail as possible (when warranted), but sometimes we stumble across a film that almost can’t be discussed without revealing too much. Such is the case with Triangle, the latest film by 40-year-old writer/director Christopher Smith (his prior directorial effort was the deliciously wicked Severence). Combining elements of Memento, Ghost Ship, and every film in the last year starring a villain wearing a burlap sack, the production takes a mind-bending trip down nightmare alley, while revealing one clever twist after another. It certainly isn’t the best thing since sliced bread, but once you dig into the heart of the story and begin the twisted journey through a mysterious ocean liner, you’ll find it easier to shrug off potential plot-holes as mere casualties of creativity and simply appreciate the experience for what it is.
Salvation or doom? Only time will tell...
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 25Mbps), Triangle sails onto Blu-ray with a strong visual presentation. Fine object detail remains consistently high throughout the majority of the feature despite the use of multiple camera angles across various environments. From the intricacies of the glistening water as the crew sets out across the open sea, to the dreary interior of the Aeolus ocean liner, every texture shines through with wonderful depth and clarity while still retaining the stylistic intentions of cinematographer Robert Humphreys. Colors aren't always vibrant or well-saturated, but they incorporate every element of the intended palette and never appear washed out or garish. For an example of the color spectrum at its finest, take a peek at the screenshot of the blue ocean against the bright horizon. In between shiny reflections on the ocean surface you'll discover how deep the blue shades manage to descend. Regarding black levels and contrast, I'm happy to report the same level of strength as other aspects of the transfer. Given the potential for ambiguous black levels within the interior shots of the ocean liner, I halfway expected contrast to suffer as soon as we left the comfort of the sun-drenched exterior. Thankfully, shadow detail never skipped a beat, and contrast rarely dipped below ideal levels. I wish I could tell you everything is peachy with the visual presentation, but there's one glaring flaw that held it back from reaching its full potential. I know it's become the norm to include CGI effects in low-budget productions, but sometimes I wish they'd sacrifice a shred of that "epic" feel and settle on effects that seem more realistic. In the case of Triangle, there are several scenes where the use of CGI is glaringly obvious, and detracts from the overall experience. This clearly isn't the fault of the transfer, but remains a factor in my assessment of the visual presentation. If you remove the shoddy CGI from the equation, I'd give this a solid 4.5/5.
It's a good thing I didn't use my entire packet of gold stars on the visual presentation, since the audio track raised the bar even higher. If there's one key element that sets marginal suspense films apart from exceptional ones, it's the clever use of sound design. Beginning with the title sequence, the film slowly builds a sense of dread through an ominous score that interplays with innocent dancing vocals of children. The effect is truly eerie, and serves as the main theme music at other key moments in the film. Moving along to use of surround separation, my jaw nearly dropped at the robust incorporation of the entire surround field, which places viewers directly in the middle of a mind-bending thrill ride. From the crushing waves capsizing the yacht, to the subtle creak of steam pipes in the bowels of the immense ocean liner, every effect is reproduced with amazing clarity and precision. I'm not typically creeped out by low-budget suspense films, but there was one scene toward the end of Triangle where Jess is being pursued through the corridors of the ship, and I caught myself glancing at the door toward the back of my theater when I thought I heard a loud sound come from that direction. It turned out to be one of many effects emanating from the rear sound stage of the audio track, but it's those moments when you know this is more than simply an average audio presentation.
The only supplement aside from a collection of standard definition trailers for other films in the First Look library is a six minute collection of standard definition interview clips with writer/director Christopher Smith, the main cast, and two producers. The discussions focus mainly on the story of Triangle, but also include several anecdotes regarding the on-set experience.
Triangle is the type of film you can't get out of your head. The acting isn't the greatest, the plot delves into territory that requires a stretch of the imagination, and the special effects are occasionally weak, but once you find yourself thoroughly engrossed in the complex twists and turns, those minor quibbles seem unimportant. Do yourself a favor and get lost in Triangle.
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