DVD Reviews

Dead Space: Downfall (Blu-Ray)

Prepare yourself for the disturbing opening chapters of the new EA game that takes adult animation to graphic levels of bloodshed and gore.  Oddly enough, I knew about Dead Space the comic before I knew about the anime or the video game.  Let me tell you, the anime doesn’t come close to matching the feeling portrayed through the art of the comic and I’m guessing it will fall short of the Video Game as well (I haven’t yet played it).  That doesn’t mean it’s all bad, I just think the comic did a better job of telling essentially the same story.

For the crew of the USG Ishimura, this is how the horror begins: On a deep space mining mission to a remote planet, an ancient religious relic – thought to be proof of the existence of God – is unearthed and brought aboard. It is worshipped by some, scorned by others. But when the unholy artifact unleashes a long-dormant alien race, its glimpse of Heave transforms the ship into a living Hell. The chaos is immediate. The carnage is uncontrollable.  And an onslaught unlike anything ever witnessed by mankind has now been set free to rip this world apart 

The video is presented in 1.78:1 at 1080p and looks really good which is to be expected for a brand new animated film.  From the CG elements, to the backgrounds to the traditional animation, lines are smooth and sharp and there is a good sense of depth to the image. Black levels are true and the reds (which there is a lot of) looks goringly good.  Though I found the animation leaves a little bit to be desired, I can’t fault the transfer on this Blu-ray release.

Audio comes in a nice TrueHD 5.1 track considering the nature of the project.  Dialogue comes focused down the middle and is always clean, clear and without distortion.  Surrounds are used very nicely to create varying atmospheres and soundscapes which help draw the viewer into this nightmare. Low end also packs a punch when it needs to.  From giving more oomph to the gun shots to helping the gore of body parts splat like you’re never heard before, it runs the spectrum of deep rumble to subtle thud. English SDH and Spanish subtitles are provided should you need them.

Extras for this release are somewhat limited especially considering the price tag of a Blu-ray release.  There’s a 4 minute deleted scene entitled “Graverobber” which is presented in a series of sketches (possible storyboard?) with some music and the occasional voiceover. There’s an isolated score which plays over a slideshow which contains quite a bit of conceptual art.  There’s a photo gallery containing about 100 images.  It is navigated via small thumbnails along the top of the screen that you scroll through and when you select the one you want to view, the larger fullscreen view of the image appears.  There’s also the trailer for the Dead Space video game as well as this movie. Finally there’s some BD-Live content including trailers for other Starz releases, and some animatics.  There’s a second disc which contains the digital copy of the film but nothing else. 

So considering the lack of extras, is this release even worth owning?  Well, if you’re looking to learn about the events that happen prior to the video game, I’d suggest going with the comic as it portrays the gruesome gore and fear that is much more inclined with the game.  But if you aren’t into reading (and I’m sure some gamers aren’t), this film  is more than adequate at telling the story and quite enjoyable at the same time.  If you really want to check it out, I’m sure the DVD would be more than suitable and even only as a rental.  Short of having a large entertainment system needing the upgraded Blu-ray quality, the DVD would do just fine.  If however, you find yourself truly enjoying the film, ownership of the Blu-ray might be something to consider.

 Review By Rob Harding