Blood
Glacier (2013/MPI/IFC
Midnight/DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: D Film: C+
It's
hard to not compare Blood Glacier (also known as
Blutgletscher, Glazius, and The
Station) to John Carpenter's The Thing (1982, itself a
remake) because they both take place in a scientific outpost in snowy
weather and they both feature otherworldly organisms that infest and
dominate a group of lowly humans. In this film, the creatures are
pretty animalistic and brutal and can often times sport wings and
sharp claws as opposed to The Thing, which morphed its victims
into an alien/human hybrid.
Janek
(Gerhard Liebmann) is a brilliant researcher that arrives in the
Swiss Alps to investigate global warming. He's part of a larger
group, but savors his time alone as he's a loner by nature. One day
the group discovers a glacier covered in a strange red liquid that
has odd effects on the surrounding wildlife. Janek's group grows
excited as they realize that the liquid is transforming the local
wildlife into strange new genetic hybrids, but Janek himself is more
wary of the liquid and the potential dangers it poses. His caution
is soon proven to be warranted, as the group begins to fall prey to
the hybrids created by the liquid.
The
film has some pretty creepy moments and some interesting special
effects that put it on a step above other films in its budget range.
While it doesn't really compare to The Thing, its attempt to
be more character-based and emphasis on practical effects is somewhat
admirable. One of the scenes one of the creatures jumps on a woman's
face and latches on, in an attempt to save her one of the Scientists
takes a rock and smashes on the creature but by the time he gets to
her, the face of the woman is already mangled. Pretty intense stuff!
Sound
and Picture on the disc are of a pretty high standard for the DVD
format and preserve the film's original 2.35 X 1 widescreen aspect
ratio, anamorphically enhanced and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track.
A Blu-ray release would definitely help sharpen up the details that
are otherwise lost in the DVD transfer. The film is German and on
this release, the English dubs are pretty bad so if you choose to
watch it be sure to pick the original language track.
Only
extra on the disc is a Trailer.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv
