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Category:    Home > Reviews > Horror > Thriller > Exploitation > Kidnapping > Crime > Torture Porn > Martyrs (2015/Anchor Bay Blu-ray)

Martyrs (2015/Anchor Bay Blu-ray)



Picture: B+ Sound: B+ Extras: C- Film: C-



The original 2008 french film version of Matryrs, directed by Pascal Laugier of the same name, gave me the willies... and that doesn't happen too often with me. Pushing the boundaries of human pain tolerance, Martyrs is now one of many foreign films to be remade here in America and as it stresses to recreate a lot of the beats from the original, still doesn't hold up to the intensity or ferocity of the original and feels at times very flat.


Unlike the American remake of Let The Right One In, the Matt Reeves' remake Let Me In, which expands upon some thoughts from its foreign counterpart, here we get a slice and dice gore film but nothing more. This remake is directed by Kevin Goetz and Michael Goetz (Scenic Route). Despite its artistic sensibilities, the original Martyrs is not a film for everyone which is the main thing it shares in common with its remake.


Ten-year-old Lucie (Trojan Bellisario) flees from the isolated warehouse where she has been held prisoner. Deeply traumatized, she is plagued by awful night terrors at the orphanage that takes her in. Her only comfort comes from Anna (Bailey Noble), a girl her own age. Nearly a decade later and still haunted by demons, Lucie finally tracks down the family that tortured her. As she and Anna move closer to the agonizing truth, they find themselves trapped in a nightmare - if they cannot escape, a martyr's fate awaits them.


Presented in 1080p high definition video with a widescreen presentation of 2.40:1 and a sharp sounding, lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, the film looks and sound great on Blu-ray disc; each shot is full of detail and texture, pushing the boundaries of the format. The film is not rated with a running time of 86 minutes.


No digital copy and the only extra is an EPK... Martyrs: First Look.


One factor that made the original feel scarier to me too was the fact that it was foreign. The change in language gave you a sense that you were an alien in another country watching these despicable crimes. Here, I felt more like I was watching a bad Eli Roth film than I did an cult hit.



- James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/


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