UFC Ultimate Knockouts 8 (2010/Anchor Bay Blu-ray) + Death Warrior (2009/Lionsgate DVD) + Ultimate Death Match (iMD DVD)
Picture:
B-/C/C- Sound: B-/C+/C Extras: C/C/D Main Programs: B-/C+/C-
It is
time for more releases in the extreme fighting category, including two dramatic
entries. UFC Ultimate Knockouts 8 follows-up the Ultimate Heavyweights volume that was our first UFC Blu-ray:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10609/UFC+Ultimate+Heavyweights+(Anchor
This is
two hours of compilation with more HD footage than the previous release, which
are both among a few so far in the format, but the 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High
Definition image transfers can still show some staircasing and detail issues,
though I liked the color reproduction and fuller image than the DVDs in this
series. The audio is actually here in DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless form, but this shows as many limits as has
warmth and fullness advantages. With all
these advantages, this is more involving than it could ever be over satellite,
cable or even internet streaming. Since
it is a newer volume and all HD pretty much, expect for some stylized moments,
this is the most visually consistent of all the extreme fighting titles we have
seen to date in playback. It is easy to
OD on all these KOs, but that happens in a
sport like this. The only extra is a
Total TKOs section.
Death Warrior (2009) is from the gang at TapOut
and was also issued on Blu-ray, but we only got the DVD in this case as yet
another skilled fighter is seduced and stuck in an illegal world of fighting…
wow, no rules! Unfortunately, this is
silly in the acting and writing department, the fights are not bad, though some
styling and fancy editing get in the way.
Still, it is amusing at times, but not the best version of what has
become a formula tale. The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is soft and has motion blur, but has
some good shots and some good color, but the blur happens more often than usual
to the point of being distracting. The
Dolby Digital 5.1 is really stretching out the basic stereo sound with little
in the way of a real soundfield. Extras
include a Trailer Gallery, four making of featurettes and interviews with the
cast/fighters/co-stars Georges St.-Pierre,
Rashad Evans and Keith Jardine. Hector
Echavarria and Quinton Jackson also star.
Finally
is Ultimate Death Match telling a
tale of fighters in the FPOW (Federation of Pro Wrestling) which has some mixed
martial arts of its own has one of its main stars die! The promoter decides all matches should be
like this and takes them illegally to the internet. This is badly acted, has fights that are
so-so and is not memorable, already a formula tale, but diehard fans might want
to see it out of curious. They had
better be REAL curious. The letterboxed
1.78 X 1 image is the weakest yet, from old HD video (720p?) and the Dolby
Digital 2.0 sound is barely stereo and has all kinds of audio dropouts and
compression. There are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
