DVD Movie Guide @ dvdmg.com
.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main
LIONSGATE

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Scott Windhauser, Mike Cuff
Cast:
Dolph Lundgren, Autumn Reeser, Isaiah Washington
Writing Credits:
Scott Windhauser, Mike Cuff, Heinz Treschnitzer

Synopsis:
Unable to stop a zombie virus, the government develops a video game, "Dead Trigger," that mirrors the terrifying events that curse the world.

MPAA:
Rated R.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 92 min.
Price: $21.99
Release Date: 7/2/2019

Bonus:
• Previews


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
-LG OLED65C6P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
-Marantz SR7010 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Surround Receiver
-Panasonic DMP-BD60K Blu-Ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


Dead Trigger [Blu-Ray] (2019)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (June 23, 2019)

1980s action heroes never die – they just go direct-to-video. That’s where we find Dolph Lundgren, as he stars in 2019’s Dead Trigger, another flick that skipped a theatrical run.

When a strange virus kills billions of humans and results in a horde of zombies, leaders push toward an unusual solution. They instigate a videogame called Dead Trigger, one that lets players simulate the current circumstances.

The system than recruits the best players to fight zombies in real life. Captain Kyle Walker (Lundgren) leads a team that tries to rescue scientists who work on a cure, all while they need to deal with the constant undead threat.

In a case of art imitating life, Dead Trigger the movie features Dead Trigger the videogame, all of which come based on an actual videogame called… Dead Trigger. The latter existed as a program meant for smartphones, not consoles, which makes it unusual as cinematic fodder. I think 2016’s Angry Birds Movie became the first film based on an app, but it’s still a small category of adaptations.

Given that I never heard of the source videogame – much less played it, obviously – I went into Trigger with no preconceived notions. Whether I liked or disliked the movie would in no way connect to my feelings about the game.

This becomes “for better or for worse” territory, as it’s possible I’d get more from Trigger if I enjoyed familiarity with/affection for the game. As it stands, the movie offers a few exciting scenes but usually feels fairly mediocre.

At the start, we get the impression the film will take an ironic tone ala 1997’s Starship Troopers, as we can see an obvious influence. This especially appears via the cynical ways a greedy corporation manipulates circumstances for their own profit.

After a fairly brief hint of this attitude, though, Trigger follows a much more standard path – or paths, I might say, as the movie exhibits a mix of influences. It melds “rag-tag band of warriors” with a variety of zombie stories to the point where it never finds its own identity.

The film’s rambling story becomes its biggest weakness. No, I don’t enter a flick like this with expectations for a tight narrative packed with three-dimensional characters, but Trigger just seems too scattered for its own good.

The tale bops from one character or circumstance to another without much clarity, and none of the roles or events really stick to the screen. Everything feels fairly rote and by the numbers, without signs of creativity on display.

2018 became a good year for Lundgren, as he enjoyed decent roles in the massive hit Aquaman as well as Creed II. The latter brought a real surprise, as Lundgren’s return to the Drago role that made him famous in 1985 allowed the actor to show actual range and dramatic impact.

No such miracle occurs in Trigger, as Lundgren goes on cruise control. He doesn’t bring a bad performance, but he “acts down” to the mediocre material and never manages to elevate the tale.

The same holds true for the rest of the cast. They play stereotypes and none can provide the pizzazz needed to give the parts extra life.

As a basic zombie-killing story, Trigger could be worse, for as scattered and uninspired as it may be, it still manages to keep the viewer mildly engaged. That’s a pretty weak recommendation, though, so don’t expect much from this forgettable effort.

Credit curiosity 1: the movie’s opening/closing titles call it Dead Trigger: Unkilled but everything else just refers to it as Dead Trigger.

Credit curiosity 2: the movie credits two directors: Mike Cuff and Scott Windhauser. However, they’re not billed as co-directors, so each one gets a separate credit.

Apparently Cuff started as the director but left the project due to conflicts about the direction it’d take. Windhauser took over for him.


The Disc Grades: Picture B-/ Audio B-/ Bonus D-

Dead Trigger appears in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie came with a bland but acceptable image.

Sharpness tended to seem adequate. The film rarely boasted great delineation, but it also never became truly soft, so the presentation showed more than acceptable delineation.

I saw no issues with jagged edges or moiré effects, and the image lacked edge haloes. Print flaws also remained absent.

Colors opted for a blue/teal tint most of the time, though some exterior elements felt reasonably natural. The hues appeared decent though not dynamic.

Blacks were a bit dense, while shadows seemed a little on the murky side. The image was perfectly watchable but it lacked much vivacity.

I also felt fairly unimpressed with the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. Despite all the story’s room for mayhem, the soundscape hewed to the front on a heavier than expected basis.

This left us with pretty good movement and activity across the forward channels, and the surrounds added some impact as well. However, the track stayed focused on the front in a way that left it with less involvement than I’d anticipate from this sort of story.

Audio quality worked fine, as speech felt natural and concise. Music could’ve been a little more dynamic, but those elements came across with fairly good reproduction.

Effects fell into the same category, as they became pretty powerful and accurate. With a broader soundfield, this would’ve been a fine soundtrack, but as it stood, it seemed fairly average for its genre.

The disc opens with ads for Black Water, Day of the Dead: Bloodline, Occupation, and All the Devil’s Men. No trailer for Trigger - or any other extras – appear here.

As a basic mix of horror and action, Dead Trigger musters minor entertainment – very minor, unfortunately. While the movie never turns into a bore, it also can’t rise above a general level of mediocrity. The Blu-ray offers adequate picture and audio and it lacks supplements. This winds up as a passable disc for a passable movie.

Viewer Film Ratings: 2 Stars Number of Votes: 1
05:
04:
0 3:
12:
01:
View Averages for all rated titles.

.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main