5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
Set in a 19th century village, a young man studying under a local doctor joins a team of hunters on the trail of a wolf-like creature.
Starring: Ed Quinn, Stephen Rea, Steven Bauer, Nia Peeples, Guy WilsonHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 45% |
Action | 34% |
Fantasy | 19% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
BD-Live
D-Box
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There's a very good reason most direct-to-video movies go direct to video: they fall short. Budget, production values, script, performances, visual effects, studio support... whatever the case, DTV films are greenlit on a dime, shot on a dime and released with the meager comfort of at least earning a small profit thanks to the curious thrill seekers who scour Netflix and their local Redbox kiosks in the hopes of finding that hidden rainy Friday night gem. Horror junkies are particularly familiar with the DTV circuit and cycle, as well as the sharp sting of disappointment. Which brings us to Bats director Louis Morneau's Werewolf: The Beast Among Us, an admittedly watchable but ultimately silly, cash-strapped, identity-challenged reset/non-sequel/reboot to Joe Johnston's poorly received 2010 Wolfman remake. And you know you're in trouble when "watchable" is the highest compliment a film is paid.
On the hunt for things that go bump in the night...
Valid criticism comes easy when evaluating Werewolf's 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation -- colors are rather lifeless, skintones are chilly, black levels are sometimes muted, noise spikes, shimmering creeps in, and minor artifacting, easy to overlook as each instance may be, makes its presence known -- but don't be so quick to judge. Aside from a few small compression/encoding mishaps, Werewolf: The Beast Among Us looks exactly as Morneau and DP Philip Robertson intended, hyper-polished digital sheen and all. Detail is excellent, revealing every nick, scratch and inch of the crumbling Romanian locales and budget production design (whether or not that's a good thing I leave to you), and fine textures are crisp and nicely resolved. Delineation is on point too (slight crush notwithstanding), as is saturation and contrast. Better still, the encode itself is reasonably sound, without any serious compression issues or errant anomalies. It may not sport the cinematic wares or grain-n-grit that would bolster its horror cred, but The Beast Among Us fares well in high definition.
No one will confuse Werewolf's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track for a blockbuster sonic experience, but Universal's lossless mix delivers a technically faultless presentation of the film's at-times flat and uneventful sound design. Dialogue is clean, clear and smartly prioritized, aggressive effects are suitably vicious and disconcerting, and dynamics are decidedly decent, canned though some of the predictably dark, sinister ambience may be. LFE output is strong and assertive, rear speaker activity flourishes (at least when the action erupts), and the soundfield features a number of fun directional flourishes. "Immersive" is probably too generous a word, but "engaging" will do, so long as you're willing to accept volume and bombast in place of nuance and prowess. All things considered, The Beast Among Us sounds as good as it looks... take that as you will.
As direct-to-video reboots of classic Universal horror icons go (or don't go), Werewolf: The Beast Among Us is a near-serviceable shot at DTV greatness that fails to amount to anything great. Or good. Or memorable. Or anything of the sort. It's a quick-hit, one-note blood and guts bore with one too many cringe-worthy performances. Universal's Blu-ray release is far more satisfying, though, with a faithful AV presentation and a decent selection of extras (even if the Unrated version of the film amounts to a whopping 18 seconds of additional/alternate footage).
2005
Collector's Edition
1998
1989
Collector's Edition
1995
2016
Collector's Edition
2005
2012
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2012
Unrated
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2016
Collector's Edition | + Theatrical Cut on BD
2004
plus Unrated Cut on Standard Blu-ray
2003
Unrated
2007
Collector's Edition
1990
Wes Craven Presents - Dracula II: Ascension
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