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Category:    Home > Reviews > Thriller > Serial Killer > Police Procedural > German > Antibodies (2005/Dark Sky Films 2-Disc Special Edition/DVD)

Antibodies (2005/Dark Sky Films 2-Disc Special Edition/DVD)

 

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

 

 

After a promising opening with the wild escape of a wanted, mad serial killer, Christian Alvart’s Antibodies (2005) goes from being potentially interesting and original to just another formula serial killer film, though the killer here (Gabriel Engel in a convincing performance) will only speak to one investigator (Wotan Wilke Mohring) who you know has been set up as soon as we hear this request.  When Hannibal Lecter is referenced by name by the killer, the bottom falls out.

 

That’s a shame, because this could have been a fine thriller, but it never recovers as the killer too-easily annoys and gets inside the head of the investigator to the point that he commits adultery to alleviate the killer’s words from haunting him “inside his head” and even that does not work.  The killer targets children and the child-in-jeopardy angle is as bad as anything here, not that there are not child killers, but seems instead to be another of many ploys that Alvart tries in his attempt to outdo other such films and makes just another imitator.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image has some softness in parts, but is a fine transfer for the format and Hagen Bogdanski’s cinematography is often impressive in its compositions and tries to distinguish itself from other films in the genre, though this cannot escape Mann’s Manhunter.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix can be aggressive and is nicely recorded, all the way to the dialogue going out to its consistent soundfield.   Extras on DVD 1 include a press teaser and trailer, while DVD 2 adds deleted scenes, outtakes, a making of featurette and featurette Evil Is A Virus.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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