Strange
Blood (2015/XLrator DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C- Film: D
Fear
the Cure.
Chad
Michael Ward's feature debut Strange Blood (2015) is your
typical 'Mad Scientist' story that is decently produced but at times
horribly acted. The plot is pretty simple: when
a brilliant but obsessive scientist (played by newcomer Robert
Brettenaugh) goes to extremes to develop a universal cure for all
diseases by creating a breathing fleshy organism that is hooked up to
an odd machine in his lab.
Aided
by his pretty Assistant (Alexandra Bard), the Scientist finds himself
attacked by the organism that begins to transform him into a
bloodthirsty madman. Time is running out, and he must find a way to
stop the monster that is growing within and prevent the rest of the
world from falling victim to disease.
The
film stars Robert Brettenaugh and Alexandra Bard as the two leads,
both of which feel like they are acting more in a play than a film
for most of the time. Bard starts as not taking the experiment too
seriously and begins to primarily videotape the sessions, which the
filmmakers use as a plot device to push the story through the first
act. Her performance feels a little jumbled, sometimes she is goofy
and othertimes more serious. Brettenaugh is a fairly new actor and
does a decent job at his role, however I can't help but feel that the
role would have been more beneficial with an older actor.
The
film is presented in standard definition DVD with a 1.78 X 1
widescreen anamorphic aspect ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1
track. Nothing too astounding, though fine for an independent film
of this caliber.
Nothing
fancy in the way of the extras. Long story short, if you enjoy indie
mad scientists flicks that are highly influenced by Cronenberg then
you might want to give this one a go. If not, it's your run of the
mill horror flick.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
