Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX... (more)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX English: Dolby Digital Mono (Original) Italian: Dolby Digital Mono (less)
Subtitles
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, German, Korean... (more)
Zombie Blu-ray offers solid video and decent audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Strangers looking for a woman's father arrive at a tropical island where a doctor desperately searches for the cause and cure of a recent epidemic of the undead.
If anyone is looking for the perfect example of ruthless, unafraid, hardcore Horror cinema, this is it. Zombie is a gore-driven spectacle the likes
of which
are rarely seen even in the Horror genre. The movie has no qualms about allowing the camera to linger on shots of incredible grotesqueness, whether
torn flesh, gushing blood, rotten bodies, or popping eyeballs. It's insanely gory, but it's not exactly frightening. Zombie, or perhaps better
known as Zombi 2, as in the unofficial "sequel" to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead which was called Zombi in other parts of the
world (whew! The titles alone are more complicated than the movie) is arguably Director Lucio Fulci's (The New York Ripper) most cherished work. Not for the squeamish and,
perhaps, not even for some dedicated Horror fans, the movie is an infamous example of style over substance and gore over plot to the point
that the film was banned in parts of the world, a misguided effort which undoubtedly played a role in actually raising its profile and expanding its fan
base rather than minimizing its exposure.
That's gonna hurt.
A boat aimlessly drifts into New York Harbor. It appears to have no crew, no passengers. Authorities check it out, find it abandoned, and discover
gruesome remnants of what was once a boat housing the living. It currently houses the dead. One officer is brutally attacked by a zombie. When
the situation is finally under control, the police call Anne Bowles (Tisa Farrow) to the scene; the boat is registered to her father's name. it turns out
her father is a researcher conducting his work in a foreign land. Anne ultimately teams up with a reporter named Peter West (Ian McCulloch). The
two travel to the relatively obscure island of Matool to discover what's happened to Anne's father. Little do they know that they'll instead find the
origins of a great zombie plague that threatens not only their lives, but the lives of those around them and, if they cannot get it under control, the
entire world.
Zombie is a difficult film to analyze, and praising or shunning it will both rightly and wrongly bring out the torches and pitchforks from both
those who see the movie as tasteless tripe and those who cherish its gore and atmosphere. The truth of the matter is that Zombie probably
does exist somewhere in the middle. It's undoubtedly well made, its gore effects are incredibly detailed, and its atmosphere is frightening, but
there's also the weak plot line, middling acting, and no real discernible purpose to consider aside from splattering the screen with blood. Ultimately,
there can be no doubt that Zombie is absolutely defined by its violence. Perhaps its most memorable scene is of a young lady's eye
popping and gushing when it's punctured by a sharp piece of broken wood. The effect is shown in full detail; where other films might cut away,
Zombie seems to almost cherish the grotesqueness of the moment. It's one of the film's many incredibly real-looking shots of graphic
violence. While blood usually looks thin and fake, the rotting and ripping flesh and various other visuals on full display are squeamishly real in
appearance, or at least the imagery's effect on the mind and stomach give it the appearance of reality. Is it at the level of
being"distasteful?" Some will rightly argue "yes" -- there's no point -- others will argue "no" -- it's a zombie movie, and this is what zombies do. If
there was ever a movie that should have a warning label, this is it, but it certainly shouldn't be banned, hidden, or otherwise made unavailable to
those of the appropriate age and mindset who want to see it.
Aside from the gore, there are other pluses and minuses that become evident with a viewing of Zombie. Related to, but not necessarily a
direct result of, the gore, is the film's overwhelming sense of despair, filth, infestation, and hopelessness. That's a good thing. The film's
atmosphere is brilliantly conveyed, from the inhospitable boat at film's start to the muggy and bloody island location that's so prominent in the
movie. Fulci makes his audience uncomfortable, which in a movie like this is the closest a filmmaker can get to truly bringing the viewer into the
action and the
terrors that appear in it. On the other hand, there's just not much substance. The plot of Zombie is as simple as it can be in a movie like
this; sure there's the various discoveries and whatnot, but ultimately it goes down to the story serving as a frame and backdrop for the violence, and
not the other way around. It's still a sound plot to be sure, but it doesn't expressly attempt to go above and beyond Horror movie basics. The acting
is questionable, too; the cast manages to elicit a palpable sense of fear, aided in large part by Fulci's atmosphere. Richard Johnson turns in
something of a Gregory Peck-inspired performance, but the rest of the cast is mostly invisible, giving way to the violence and mood and playing their
parts just strongly enough to look and sound good as they run around, shoot zombies, or get eaten.
Zombie sports an even and good-looking transfer from Blue Underground. Of course it's not as pristine and perfect as a new release movie, but
the
print is clean, the image is stable, and the 1080p resolution brings out colors and fine detail like no home video edition before it. Whether various wood
textures around the movie, facial and clothing intricacies, or the fine detailing on decaying bodies and gore, the movie has never looked better, more
stable, more ominous and terrifying. Color balance is strong, whether the gaudy red flooring and seating at the airport as seen relatively early in the
movie or the pastel shades adorning various period clothes. Blood red is vibrant and satisfying as it sprays, leaks, and cakes on various surfaces,
particularly around zombie mouths. Very slight black crush appears to be cause for minor concern, but banding, background blocking, and other
negatives are not. Grain is generally light but spiky on occasion. The print is clean, free of any unwanted defects, hairs, or other
distracting elements. This is another good quality release from Blue Underground.
Zombie chews into Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack. It should come as no surprise that it's not exactly the most satisfying
and robust listen ever to pour forth from home theater speakers, but it adequately and admirably gets the job done nevertheless. Range is slightly
limited and the back channels don't carry much in terms of musical support, but the movie's score is clear and clean through the entire range. The
surround channels don't carry much else, either; light ambience and a few action effects are about all she wrote. Even gusty winds in one scene
remain more or less the property of the front speakers. Various gunshots throughout the movie are suitably potent, whether pistol or rifle blasts.
Likewise, tribal beats and other native-inspired music lack a real strong low end kick, but the effect is nevertheless adequately robust. Lastly, dialogue
is clean and center-based throughout. This is a quality presentation that lacks the muscle of newer tracks, but it's just fine given the nature and age of
the material.
Zombie contains supplements on both discs. The meaty parts, aside from the commentary, are all found on disc two. Disc one otherwise
features only a look at a few of the film's promotional materials.
Disc One:
Audio Commentary: Star Ian McCulloch and Diabolik Magazine Editor Jason J. Slater.
Theatrical Trailers (1080p): International (3:45) and U.S. (1:33).
TV Spots (480p, 0:32 and 0:31).
Radio Spots (1080p, 2:06 combined, four in total).
Poster & Still Gallery (1080p, 9:52).
Disc Two:
Zombie Wasteland (1080p, 22:19): Interviews with Actor/Stuntman Ottaviano Dell'acqua and Stars Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson,
and Al Cliver.
Flesh Eaters on Film (1080p, 9:38): Interview with Co-Producer Fabrizio de Angelis.
Deadtime Stories (1080p, 14:30): Interviews with Co-Writers Elisa Briganti and (Uncredited) Dardano Sacchetti.
World of the Dead (1080p, 16:29): Interviews with Cinematographer Sergio Salvati and Production & Costume Designer Walter
Patriaca.
Zombi Italiano (1080p, 16:34): Interviews with Special Make-Up Effects Artists Gianetto de Rossi & Maurizio Trani and Special Effects
Artist Gino de Rossi.
Notes on a Headstone (1080p, 7:25): Interview with Composer Fabio Frizzi.
All in the Family (1080p, 6:08): Interview with Antonella Fulci.
Zombie Lover (1080p, 9:36): Guillermo del Toro Talks About One of His Favorite Films.
Zombie does everything it can to elicit a reaction. Its insanely ambitious and grotesque violence and its palpably intense and
overwhelmingly negative atmosphere both yield a sense of despair, which only enhances the movie a great deal. Unfortunately, there's not much else
to it. Zombie is a visceral, superficial experience. It's a great success if "success" is defined by drenching the screen in violence and
really showing its audience what a zombie plague might actually look like, but if "success" means having some substance behind the madness,
then the movie is not a success. This is the ultimate "take it or leave it" sort of movie, one that will turn on as many viewers as it will turn off. Chances
are, most will know whether or not they will like it before they even see it. Blue Underground's Blu-ray release of Zombie features good video
and audio presentations to go along with plenty of supplements. Recommended to fans and newcomers who like their movies bloody.
Blue Underground will release Lucio Fulci's Zombie on Blu-ray just in time for Halloween this fall. The Italian answer to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, Zombie focuses on a doctor's attempt to stop an undead plague from his remote island. The Blu-ray streets ...
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