Blackout appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. For the most part, visuals were positive.
Overall sharpness seemed fine. A little softness impacted a few nighttime shots, but in general, delineation remained appropriate.
I saw no moiré effects or jaggies, and edge haloes didn’t appear. Print flaws also never became a factor.
The film tended toward subdued hues that mixed teal and amber. These colors remained restrained and looked fine given stylistic choices.
Blacks seemed dark and tight, and low-light shots brought us positive clarity. This became a satisfactory presentation.
Heavy on atmospherics, the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 added a little kick to the proceedings. Action shots showed nice involvement, and a few other sequences opened up the mix well enough. The movie lacked many standout auditory moments, but the soundfield created a decent sense of place.
No issues with audio quality emerged. Speech was natural and smooth, while music offered good range and dimensionality.
Effects came across as accurate and tight. Again, the track lacked a lot to make it excel, but it fit the story well enough.
The disc comes with a mix of extras, and these include an audio commentary from writer/director/editor/producer Larry Fessenden. He offers a running, screen-specific look at story/characters/themes, inspirations and influences, cast and performances, sets and locations, music and audio, various effects, costumes, visual design and photography, and related domains.
Overall, this becomes a satisfying track. Fessenden covers an appealing array of topics and does so in an efficient and engaging manner.
Behind the Scenes spans one hour, 16 minutes, 51 seconds. The piece opens with an intro from Fessenden that details the project’s path to the screen and we also get remarks from VFX artist Eugene Lehnert, artist/animator John Mitchell, cinematographer Collin Brazie, co-producer Gaby Leyner, production assistant Matt Yturralde, animator James Siewert, boom and mixer Jose Rodriguez, and actors Alex Hurt, Rigo Garay, and John Speredakos.
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Despite those sporadic comments, most of “Scenes” offers a production diary that shows aspects of the shoot. I enjoy this form of “fly on the wall” material so this turns into an enjoyable glimpse at the sets.
With Larry Fessenden’s Monsterverse, we find a five-minute, 42-second reel. It simply offers a montage of scenes from Fessenden’s movies and feels like a waste of time.
A Photoshoot Timelapse fills three minutes, 40 seconds. This shows various actors’ makeup transformation and becomes a decent view of these processes.
In addition to both teaser and theatrical trailers, the disc concludes with an audio drama. It runs 25 minutes, 40 seconds.
Created before Blackout the movie, expect a much narrowed version of the story, one that focuses on the basic werewolf drama without all the distractions and detours of the film. That makes the “radio version” a more exciting and compelling take on the tale – it’s too bad the movie itself couldn’t follow suit.
The package also comes with a booklet. It offers a brief blurb from Fangoria’s Phil Nobile Jr. and a few publicity/behind the scenes photos.
If you want an involving update on the wolfman genre, look somewhere other than Blackout. Bogged down by a meandering story and too many amateurish elements, the movie becomes a disjointed dud. The Blu-ray brings solid picture and audio along with a good selection of supplements. Though the basic tale boasts promise, Blackout never clicks.