The
Belko Experiment (2017/Orion/MGM/Fox Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B Film: B
James
Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, Slither) penned this new
horror/thriller, The Belko Experiment (2017), a high octane
exploration of the corporate machine turned evil. The film is a
mixture of The Most Dangerous Game, the Saw, Cabin
in the Woods, Battle Royale, and The Purge films,
set against an office-type setting (though I wouldn't really compare
it to Office Space as other reviewers have.) If you're into
films with ''survival of the fittest'' themes, then this is one you
won't want to miss.
Despite
not being the most original concept, The Belko Experiment
still manages to stand on its own two feet, thanks in part to its
great cast which include John Gallagher Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane),
Tony Goldwyn (Scandal), Adria Arjona (True Detective),
John C. McGinley (Stan Against Evil), Melonie Diaz (Fruitvale
Station), Josh Brener (Silicon Valley), Sean Gunn
(Ordinary World) and Michael Rooker (Guardians of the
Galaxy). Directed by Greg McLean (Wolf Creek), the film
is pretty impressive considering its modest budget and stands the
chance of becoming a cult favorite, however it didn't make many waves
in the box office and opened to lukewarm reviews.
It's
just another day at the offices of Belko Corp. located in the foreign
country of Columbia (though many of the employees are very
American)... until a coarse announcement over the loud speaker
becomes a horrific game of survival when 80 employees are threatened
with their lives. Chipped with tracking devices and essentially
''owned'' by the corporation, the lives of these Employees are
suddenly meaningless as they are picked off one by one in horrific
ways. Who will survive?
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1
(original aspect ratio 2.39:1) and an English DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) lossless 5.1 track, the disc pushes the boundaries of image
clarity for the aging format. Much of the film has a sterile tone
for the office sequences with the stark reds of blood and gore in
contrast to these other bright colors. Skin details are fine with
minimal noise on the print. Overall, a nice presentation from Fox!
No
digital UV copy, which is very odd.
Special
Features:
Rules
of the Game: The Secrets Behind The Belko Experiment
Lee
Hardcastle's Survival Tips
Deleted
Scenes
Gallery
I'm
disappointed that Gunn didn't do a commentary track on this release
as I always find his commentaries to be pretty insightful.
Nevertheless, this is a good representation of the film on disc and,
while not perfect, I thought the film was fun.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
