Dante's Inferno Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
Dante journeys through the nine circles of Hell as he travels through limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy,
violence, fraud and trachery in search of his true love, Beatrice.
Much like Dead Space:
Downfall before it, Dante's Inferno is a feature-length animated film,
distributed by Starz/Anchor Bay and released in advance of an Electronic Arts video game release
of the same name (scheduled for release on the Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable on
February 9, 2010). Whereas Dead Space served as something of a prequel to the
events depicted in its video game counterpart, Dante's Inferno seems instead to parallel
the classic story that's, presumably, of the same path the game will follow, seeing the film's and
game's title character battle his way through the nine circles of hell in search of his true love,
Beatrice. Though the quality of the film itself is paramount to this review, it's still pertinent to
ask one additional relevant question: does Dante's Inferno engender in its viewers a
desire to play the game? In a word, yes. Dante's Inferno breaths some new life into an
old tale, and while the movie is entertaining and nicely produced, it does offer great potential for a
novel and fun video game adventure that allows players to battle an onslaught of demons and
historical figures sentenced to damnation in a fairly unique digital environment.
Another one bites the dust.
Dante, a warrior fighting in the Crusades, has fallen in love with a young maiden named Beatrice.
They've promised themselves to one another, and when Dante returns for her three years later,
he
finds her family slaughtered and Beatrice lying mortally wounded outside her home. She soon
thereafter perishes and begins an ascent into Heaven when she's suddenly grasped by demons
and
pulled into the depths of hell. Dante pursues and soon learns that Beatrice has been made aware
of
his unfaithfulness and betrayal of their love, while Lucifer has his own, secret plans for both
Beatrice and Dante, using them to further his own agenda. Nevertheless, Dante is determined to
rescue
the fair and sinless Beatrice and is forced to traverse the nine circles of hell -- limbo, lust,
gluttony,
greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery -- to reach his beloved and save her from a
fate
worse than death and even damnation. Along with his guide, the poet Virgil, Dante battles
demons
of every shape and size and confronts wayward souls in an epic struggle to right a wrong, save an
innocent soul, and discover his true self and the meaning of sacrifice along the way.
Dante's Inferno is a sound, but not exactly engaging, animated adventure that performs
its tasks admirably enough and engenders an urge to try out the video game, but leaves the
viewer with no real sense of having witnessed a superior picture. That's not to say that
Dante's Inferno has nothing to offer; on the contrary, it's fairly well-written, delivers
decent animation, and contains a large helping of naked women and ultra-violent swordplay, but
a somewhat sluggish pacing and a repetitive tone make Dante's Inferno a good, but far
from great, outing. Audiences familiar with the basics of the trip through hell and its nine unique
circles will enjoy the film's take on Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, though those looking
for a pure adaptation -- from either this film or the soon-to-be-released video game -- need not
apply. For audiences interested in a fictionalized and muscled-up version of the classic epic poem,
Dante's Inferno delivers an energetic and action-packed motion picture experience that
strays from the original but retains many of its crucial elements while constructing a more
action-oriented film that is, on a base level, entertaining in a fairly mindless sort of way.
The film's true strength lies in its depiction of the nine circles of hell. While beefed up action,
muscular heroes, and scantily-clad women give the film something of a Fire and Ice feel
and appeal, Dante's Inferno additionally offers an admirable and balanced look at each
circle, giving
each due time, unique attributes, various demons, and populating them with plenty lost or
otherwise damned souls of historical figures, random individuals, and those Dante knew
throughout his life. The film offers a few surprises along the way in terms of who Dante must
face, such scenes adding unique drama and flair to a picture that's otherwise fairly basic in its
depiction of Dante slaying in succession visually impressive but nevertheless inconsequential and
altogether
random demons that, admittedly, are given some purpose in the depths of hell but seem fairly
interchangeable one to another, with a couple of exceptions. Additionally, the animators
have breathed life into the picture by keeping things fresh and evolving from a visual perspective,
even when the overlaying themes of the story and the appearance of hell -- rough textures,
shades
of red and black, and an overall lack of color or visual pizzaz -- would seem to create something of
a challenge not only artistically but also thematically considering the bulk of the film never
wavers from a fairly uniform appearance.
Dante's Inferno traverses the depths of hell in style, making the trip in a 1.78:1-framed
1080p high definition transfer. The film offers both a harsh, red-and-black dominant visual style
within the hellish realm, but also features a more surreal and serene visual tone during the film's
open that gives it the look and feel of a dreamy painting rather than an animated film. However, it
is the drab look of the underworld that dominates the picture, where only shades of red seem the
only companion to an otherwise darkened picture that does lend to it a strong uninviting tone that
reinforces both the locale and themes wonderfully. The 1080p presentation allows for all of the fine
details of the animation to jump to life; the textured rock faces, stone floors, frayed clothing, glossy
armor, and the bumps and ridges on Dante's demonic weapon are all nicely rendered. Additionally,
lines are sharp and the image is well-defined, with the only soft or hazy shots seemingly appearing
as a result of deliberate filmmaker intent or present in support of some thematic context.
Unfortunately, some
unsightly banding appears sporadically throughout, but it's the only major drawback to an otherwise
fine presentation of an admittedly and deliberately drab animated film.
This Blu-ray release of Dante's Inferno features a quality Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless
soundtrack. The film's opening narration is excessively bass heavy, each syllable sending a palpable
rumble through the soundstage, but dialogue is otherwise cleanly and suitably reproduced
throughout the remainder of the picture, even bouncing about the soundstage in several scenes
featuring the spoken word reverberating about more cavernous locales. The soundtrack delivers a
full, satisfying, and fairly immersive experience; effects swoop about the listening area -- with a
hefty
back channel presentation -- with ease, and while some effects seem a bit more pronounced than
others, there's generally an engaging and satisfying feel that does well to compliment many of the
movie's larger-than-life visuals, enemies, locations, and combat sequences. Ambient effects such as
a driving rain are also well-represented, the sound naturally enveloping the listener to fine effect.
Bass, while not excessive, is smartly implemented throughout, giving the picture and visuals a heft
that only adds to the grandiose scope of some of the film's people, places, and things. A fine
soundtrack all around, this one probably won't win any best-of-year awards, but it's a very good
offering nevertheless.
Dante's Inferno features a collection of five animatics, presented in 1080p: Beatrice
Chase (3:12), Charon (2:17), Dante Stabs Farinata (1:21), Francesco
Fight (2:51), and Lust Minions (1:51). Also included is a trailer for the upcoming video
game (1080p, 2:15).
All told, Dante's Inferno is a solid but not exceptional movie, the film a bit sluggish and
certainly taking liberties with Dante Alighieri's original poem but providing more of an
audience-accecssible and action-oriented story that, most importantly, makes for a fine companion
piece to the upcoming
video game adventure. The animation is sound if not a bit repetitive, a forgivable trait considering
the lack of opportunity to expand far beyond the basics of what each circle of hell might have to
offer. With sturdy voice acting, a fine score, and plenty of blood-soaked action, fans of animated
fantasy or those eager to catch a glimpse of what the upcoming game from
Electronic Arts may have to offer will want to give this one a spin. This Starz/Anchor Bay release
sports a decent
1080p picture quality, a strong lossless soundtrack, but only a couple of scattered extras.
Dante's Inferno is worth a rental by those fascinated with the subject material, eager to
see a unique perspective on a classic poem, or anxious for the video game release.
Anchor Bay Home Entertainment has set a February 9 date for the Blu-ray release of 'Dante's Inferno', a feature-length animated project that expands on the story in the new game of the same title that will be released by Electronic Arts on the same date. It is ...
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