FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED







Alien Outbreak
UK certificate 18
81 mins



Genre : Sci-Fi/Horror

Contents Advisory : Strong Gore/Violence/Suicide References

Directed by : Neil Rowe

Starring : Katherine Drake/Ritchie Crane/Philip Alexander Baker

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In a small rural community, local police officers Zoe and Patrick begin their shift as normal but soon, strange events unfold. Residents begin behaving erratically, and suicidal panic spreads amongst the township they are trying to protect. Zoe and Patrick realise alien machines are taking hold, cutting their small group of survivors off from the outside world. Can the determined humans band together to save their community, and all mankind, from extinction?

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Not as bad as some critics have made out...The performances from unknown actors were fine, and are complimented by decent enough Special and Visual effects.
However it could have benefited from a larger budget as it is a tad average storyline, edting and sound values. That said the musical score was in keeping with the effects and script.
One for Sci-fi addicts

5/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED




Island Zero
UK certificate 15
102 mins



Genre : Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Contents Advisory : Strong Gore

Directed by : Josh Gerritsen

Starring : Laila Robins/Adam Wade McLaughlin/Teri Reeves

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A fishing community on a remote Maine island finds itself suddenly cut off from the rest of the world after the ferry stops coming. When people start to vanish, the terrified survivors realize that someone - or something - is hunting them.

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A good idea somewhat hampered by a low budget.
The performances where fine as was the cinematography, but it has got to be said storyline would have benefited from better visual effects.
So all in all not a bad effort if a tad average.

5.5/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED






Deep Blue Sea 3
UK certificate 15
96 mins



Genre : Action/Horror/Sci-Fi

Contents Advisory : Strong Language/Threat/Gore

Directed by : John Pogue

Starring : Tania Raymonde/Nathanie Buzolic/Emerson Brooks

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Dr. Emma Collins and her team are spending their third summer on the island of Little Happy studying the effect of climate change on the great white sharks who come to the nearby nursery every year to give birth. Along with the last two inhabitants of this former fishing village, their peaceful life is disrupted when a "scientific" team led by her ex-boyfriend and marine biologist Richard show up looking for three bull sharks who we soon learn aren't just any bull sharks.

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Better than the second in the franchise and entertaining enough, but otherwise a tad average.
Cinematography was good particularity the under water scenes and is complimented by decent enough special effects.
All in all a bit tame..

5/10






Radioactive
UK certificate 12
105 mins



Genre : Biography/Drama/Romance

Contents Advisory : Upsetting Scenes/Moderate Injury Detail/Language/Sex

Directed by : Marjane Satrapi

Starring : Rosamund Pike/Yvette Feuer/Mirjam Novak

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Tells the story of Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie and her extraordinary scientific discoveries — through the prism of her marriage to husband Pierre — and the seismic and transformative effects their discovery of radium had on the 20th century.

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This film was a disappointment because of a rather drab story telling of Curie and her achiements.
The performances were fine considering the average script.
One I think for die hard Drama fans..

6/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED




Mortal
UK certificate 15
100 mins



Genre : Action/Adventure/Fantasy

Contents Advisory : Brief Strong Violence

Directed by : André Øvredal

Starring : Nat Wolff/Priyanka Bose/Iben Akerlie

Special Note : Norwegian Language film with English sub-titles...Some Dialogue in English

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While hiding in the wilderness of western Norway, Eric accidentally kills a teenager in an inexplicable way and is subsequently arrested. Before being interrogated, he meets Christine, a young psychologist trying to figure out what really happened. She believes Eric and feels sympathy with him. Soon the American embassy shows up wanting Eric extradited, but he manages to flee with Christine. On the run, with both Norwegian and American authorities after him, Eric finally discovers who, or what, he really is.

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This movie is not like the Marvel Studious superheros...It is a story well told and based on ancient Norwegian mythology. The performances were fine as was the storyline and cinematography .
The special and visual effects are, well though out, but to a budget.
All in all an interesting slow burn saga.

6.5/10






Solitary
UK certificate 15
90 mins



Genre : Sci-Fi

Contents Advisory : Strong Violence/Threat

Directed by : Luke Armstrong

Starring : Johnny Sachon/Lottie Tolhurst/Michael Condron

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A man wakes up inside a room to discover he's a prisoner sent into space to form Earth's first colony, and worse - his cell mate Alana is hell bent on destroying everything

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A b grade movie on a tight budget will not suit everyone.
The performances were ok considering the mediocre script, but the visuals were fine.
One I think for die hard Sci-Fi fans

5.5/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED





Backdraft 2
UK certificate 15
97 mins



Genre : Action/Crime/Drama/Thriller

Contents Advisory : Strong Language/Violence

Directed by : Gonzalo López-Gallego

Starring : Joe Anderson/William Baldwin/Donald Sutherland

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Years after the original Backdraft, Sean, son of the late Steve "Bull" McCaffrey, is assigned to investigate a deadly fire only to realize it is something much more sinister.

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Not as good as the original 1991 movie starring Kurt Russell, but nonetheless engaging enough.
What lets it down is an uneven script and direction both of which could have been better.
The special and visual effects are good as is the musical score...
All in all not a bad effort.

6/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED




The Hunt
UK certificate 15
86 mins



Genre : Action/Horror/Thriller

Contents Advisory : Strong Bloody Violence/Gory Images/Language

Directed by : Craig Zobel

Starring : Betty Gilpin/Hilary Swank/Ike Barinholtz

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Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are—or how they got there. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, ruthless elitists gather at a remote location to hunt humans for sport. But their master plan is about to be derailed when one of the hunted turns the tables on her pursuers.

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I must admit this film was better than I had expected...with lashes of dark humor and bloody violence.
Top performances by the principles complimenting a good storline and script.
The special and visual effects were excellent to.

7/10






Blizzard of Souls aka The Rifleman
UK certificate 15
104 mins



Genre : Drama/History/War

Contents Advisory : Strong Violence/Injury Detail

Directed by : Dzintars Dreibergs

Starring : Oto Brantevics/Raimonds Celms/Martins Vilsons

Special note : A Latvian Production with Dubbed or Sub-titles in a choice of Languages.

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The love story of sixteen-year-old Arturs is interrupted by the First World War. After losing his mother and his home, he finds some consolation in joining the army, because this is the first time national battalions are allowed in the Russian Empire. But war is nothing like Arturs imagined – no glory, no fairness. It is brutal and painful. Arturs is now completely alone as war takes the lives of his father and brother. Also, no progress is made in the promised quick resolution of the war and timely return home. Within the notion that only he alone cares about returning home and that his homeland is just a playground for other nations, Arturs finds strength for the final battle and eventually returns home to start everything from scratch, just like his newly born country.

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A surprisingly good movie of the creation of the Latvian state from the aftermath of World War 1.
The battle scenes are well choreographed with excellent special effects.
All this is complemented by top draw cinematography and musical score.
My copy of the DVD came with Dubbed English which was fine, noting however that the music sometimes over powered the dialogue.
Drama,War fans should like this film, oh there is some romance as well.

8/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED






The Dare
UK certificate 18
93 mins



Genre : Horror/Mystery/Thriller

Contents Advisory : Strong Sadistic Violence/Gore

Directed by : Giles Alderson

Starring : Bart Edwards/Richard Brake/Richard Short

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A rare family night for Jay takes a brutal twist when he awakens in a basement with three other prisoners. As their vengeful captor runs riot, Jay engages in a twisted battle to solve the puzzle to his past and save his family's future.

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A good horror movie with ok performances and Special effects.
Not as good as Saw, but a worthy effort in the genre.

6/10





Infestation
UK certificate 15
78 mins



Genre : Sci-Fi

Contents Advisory : Strong Threat

Directed by : Tomas Galang/Domonic Smith

Starring : Laura Altman/Bi Anca/Ellease Aponte

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A woman, long-fascinated with the idea of extraterrestrial life, stumbles across a worldwide phenomenon of alien communication. Her discovery suggests the imminent threat of a deadly invasion, designed to infect the unsuspecting population of Earth.

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An average movie in all departments, and is the kind of film you could see in the SyFi channel.
Only for insomniacs....

4/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED






Ava
UK certificate 15
96 mins



Genre : Action/Crime/Drama/Thriller

Contents Advisory : Strong Language/Violence

Directed by : Tate Taylor

Starring : Jessica Chastain/John Malkovich/Common

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A black ops assassin is forced to fight for her own survival after a job goes dangerously wrong.

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This film got some bad reviews but I was entertained with solid acting and good fight choreography.
Yes the action was good with quality visual and special effects...The only downside was the script which was a bit to cliched for my taste.

6.5/10






Sputnik
UK certificate 15
114 mins



Genre : Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Contents Advisory : Strong Bloody Violence/Horror/Gore

Directed by : Egor Abramenko

Starring : Oksana Akinshina/Fedor Bondarchuk/Pyotr Fyodorov

Special Note : Sputnik is a Russian Language film with sub-titles (English in my case)

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At the height of the Cold War, a Soviet spacecraft crash lands after a mission gone awry, leaving the commander as its only survivor. After a renowned Russian psychologist is brought in to evaluate the commander’s mental state, it becomes clear that something dangerous may have come back to Earth with him…

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An excellent and refreshing slant on Sci-Fi horror.
The acting was top notch and is complimented by a decent soryline.
Visual and special effects were good to.
One for Sci-Fi fans me thinks.

7/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED




I Spit On Your Grave : Deja-Vu
UK certificate 18
142 mins



Genre : Horror/Thriller

Contents Advisory : Sexual Violence/Sadistic Violence/Gore/Very Strong Language/Nudity

Directed by : Meir Zarchi

Starring : Camille Keaton/Jamie Bernadette/Maria Olsen

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Following her rape, Jennifer Hills wrote a bestselling account of her ordeal and of the controversial trial in which she was accused of taking the law into her own hands and brutally killing her assailants. In the small town where the rape and revenge took place, the relatives of the four rapists she killed are furious that the court declared her not guilty and resolve to take justice into their own hands.

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Oh dear, easily the worst outing in the franchise, overly long, below average performances and script.
The special effects were ok but the cinematography cou;d have been a lot better.
All in all a big disappointment.

3/10






Rogue
UK certificate 15
103 mins



Genre : Action

Contents Advisory : Strong Bloody Violence/Language

Directed by : M.J. Bassett

Starring : Megan Fox/Philip Winchester/Greg Kriek

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Battle-hardened O’Hara leads a lively mercenary team of soldiers on a daring mission: rescue hostages from their captors in remote Africa. But as the mission goes awry and the team is stranded, O’Hara’s squad must face a bloody, brutal encounter with a gang of rebels.

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A decent enough movie, but Meagan fox as a mercenary, in my view does not work.
The CGI is average as is the script, but putting that aside I was entertained.
What there was of the action scenes were well enough choreographed.

5.5/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED




Unhinged
UK certificate 15
90 mins



Genre : Action/Thriller

Contents Advisory : Strong Threat/Strong Violence/Language/Bloody Images

Directed by : Derrick Borte

Starring : Russell Crowe/Caren Pistorius/Gabriel Bateman

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A divorced mother honks impatiently at a deranged middle-aged stranger at a red light while running late on her way to work. His road rage escalates to horrifyingly psychotic proportions as he becomes single-mindedly determined to teach her a deadly lesson for provoking him.

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Crowe puts in a powerhouse performance as the nasty menacing lunatic adding mightily to the tension of the storyline. Sound design helps to.
Brutal scenes yes, but it does show you what happens when road rage gets out of hand.
Performances generally were ok as were the special effects which to my mind top draw.
ohh.... Crowe put on some weight for the part.

7.5/10



Song from the film







Tremors : Shrieker Island
UK certificate 15
103 mins



Genre : Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

Contents Advisory : Strong Threat/Horror/Bloody Images

Directed by : Don Michael Paul

Starring : Michael Gross/Jon Heder/Richard Brake

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Graboids are illegally taken to a new island resort by a rich playboy as a dangerous form of trophy hunting, and Burt Gummer steps up to save the day.

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An ordinary film in the Tremors franchise with average special and visual effects.
Performances overall were ok and the musical score in keeping with the storyline.
One for Tremors fans me thinks.

6/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED





2067 aka Chronicle : 2067
UK certificate 15
115 mins



Genre : Sci-Fi

Contents Advisory : Strong Language/Suicide Scenes

Directed by : Seth Larney

Starring : Kodi Smit-McPhee/Ryan Kwanten/Sana'a Shaik

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A lowly utility worker is called to the future by a mysterious radio signal, he must leave his dying wife to embark on a journey that will force him to face his deepest fears in an attempt to change the fabric of reality and save humankind from its greatest environmental crisis yet.

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I was a tad disappointed with this film as the princible actor, Kodi Smit-McPhee is quite simply ineffective as Ethan Whyte the main charactor. That said the visual effects were decent enough as was
the musical score.
Maybe Sci-fi Fans will like it.

5.5/10







Underwater
Netherlands certificate 16+
91 mins



Genre : Action/Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Contents Advisory : Strong Violence/Bloody Images/Language

Directed by : William Eubank

Starring : Kristen Stewart/Vincent Cassel/Mamoudou Athie

Special Note : The film is an American production with first European DVD release in the Netherlands & France. Available from Amazon.

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After an earthquake destroys their underwater station, six researchers must navigate two miles along the dangerous, unknown depths of the ocean floor to make it to safety in a race against time.

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A good enough movie which kept me entertained...The performances were fine as were the special & visual effects. The Film however lacks originality but I thick that is nit picking.

6.5/10

FILMS ON DVD REVIEWED






The New Mutants
UK certificate 15
91 mins



Genre : Action/Horror/Sci-Fi

Contents Advisory : Strong Threat/Bloody Images/Abuse References

Directed by : Josh Boone

Starring : Maisie Williams/Anya Taylor-Joy/Charlie Heaton

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Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.

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I was some what disappointed with this film, in the X-Men franchise, as it was sparse on action and rather boring. On the up side the special and visual effects were good.
One for the fans of the X-Men series.

6/10






The Blackout : Invasion of Earth
UK certificate 15
122 mins



Genre : Action/Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Contents Advisory : Strong Bloody Violence/Language

Directed by : Egor Baranov/Nathalia Hencker

Starring : Aleksey Chadov/Pyotr Fyodorov/Svetlana Ivanova

Special Note : This is a Russian production with either Dubbed voice over or sub-titles.
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Contact between most towns on Earth has been severed. A small ring-like area in Eastern Europe still has electricity, and maybe even life is being reported from space. What military forces find outside the ring is shocking.

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Good sci-fi action and fight scenes nicely choreographed. The special and visual effects were top draw as was the cinematography . The only downside was the dubbing, a tad wooden in delivery.

7/10