Antibodies
(2005/Dark Sky Films 2-Disc Special Edition/DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Film: C+ Film: C+
After a
promising opening with the wild escape of a wanted, mad serial killer, Christian
Alvart’s Antibodies (2005) goes from
being potentially interesting and original to just another formula serial
killer film, though the killer here (Gabriel Engel in a convincing performance)
will only speak to one investigator (Wotan Wilke Mohring) who you know has been
set up as soon as we hear this request.
When Hannibal Lecter is referenced by name by the killer, the bottom
falls out.
That’s a
shame, because this could have been a fine thriller, but it never recovers as
the killer too-easily annoys and gets inside the head of the investigator to
the point that he commits adultery to alleviate the killer’s words from
haunting him “inside his head” and even that does not work. The killer targets children and the
child-in-jeopardy angle is as bad as anything here, not that there are not
child killers, but seems instead to be another of many ploys that Alvart tries
in his attempt to outdo other such films and makes just another imitator.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image has some softness in parts, but is a
fine transfer for the format and Hagen Bogdanski’s cinematography is often
impressive in its compositions and tries to distinguish itself from other films
in the genre, though this cannot escape Mann’s Manhunter. The Dolby Digital
5.1 mix can be aggressive and is nicely recorded, all the way to the dialogue
going out to its consistent soundfield.
Extras on DVD 1 include a press teaser and trailer, while DVD 2 adds
deleted scenes, outtakes, a making of featurette and featurette Evil Is A Virus.
- Nicholas Sheffo
