Martyrs
(2015/Anchor Bay Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: C- Film: C-
The
original 2008 french film version of Matryrs, directed by
Pascal Laugier of the same name, gave me the willies... and that
doesn't happen too often with me. Pushing the boundaries of human
pain tolerance, Martyrs is now one of many foreign films to be
remade here in America and as it stresses to recreate a lot of the
beats from the original, still doesn't hold up to the intensity or
ferocity of the original and feels at times very flat.
Unlike
the American remake of Let The Right One In, the Matt Reeves'
remake Let Me In, which expands upon some thoughts from its
foreign counterpart, here we get a slice and dice gore film but
nothing more. This remake is directed by Kevin Goetz and Michael
Goetz (Scenic Route). Despite its artistic sensibilities, the
original Martyrs is not a film for everyone which is the main
thing it shares in common with its remake.
Ten-year-old
Lucie (Trojan Bellisario) flees from the isolated warehouse where she
has been held prisoner. Deeply traumatized, she is plagued by awful
night terrors at the orphanage that takes her in. Her only comfort
comes from Anna (Bailey Noble), a girl her own age. Nearly a decade
later and still haunted by demons, Lucie finally tracks down the
family that tortured her. As she and Anna move closer to the
agonizing truth, they find themselves trapped in a nightmare - if
they cannot escape, a martyr's fate awaits them.
Presented
in 1080p high definition video with a widescreen presentation of
2.40:1 and a sharp sounding, lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, the
film looks and sound great on Blu-ray disc; each shot is full of
detail and texture, pushing the boundaries of the format. The film
is not rated with a running time of 86 minutes.
No
digital copy and the only extra is an EPK... Martyrs: First Look.
One
factor that made the original feel scarier to me too was the fact
that it was foreign. The change in language gave you a sense that
you were an alien in another country watching these despicable
crimes. Here, I felt more like I was watching a bad Eli Roth film
than I did an cult hit.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
