Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Incarnate
Collapse
-
- Published: 04-18-2017, 08:28 AM
- 4 comments
X
Collapse
-
Incarnate
Released By: Universal
Released On: March 7, 2017
Director: Brad Peyton
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Carice van Houten, Catalina Sandino Moreno, David Mazouz
Year: 2016
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
When Doctor Seth Ember (Aaron Eckhart) is involved in a late-night collision with a drunk driver, the worst thing that happens is not that he loses his ability to walk. It's not even that his wife and son are killed. No, the low point of the evening is that the drunk driver...Maggie...is actually a woman possessed by a demonic entity that feels the need to rub the accident in Seth's face, setting him on a lifelong course of being a reluctant exorcist. But Seth doesn't become your run-of-the-mill, rosary and holy water waving devil driver, he instead realizes that he has the ability to mind-meld with victims of possession when he puts himself into a sleep state, allowing him to rescue the innocent and kill the entities.
The science may be suspect, but Seth has realized by "diving" into these minds that the entities are actually parasites who entertain the thoughts of their victims with their deepest desires, while feeding on their vitality. By confronting the victims in their own brains, Seth can show them the truth and push the demon from their body, freeing them from the possession. But as many dives as he engages in with his team of gothy-looking assistants, Seth can't shake the taunting of the malevolent being he calls "Maggie", and his slow descent into self-destruction gains speed exponentially as his determination to find her increases.
A break finally arrives in the form of Camilla (Catalina Sandino Moreno) a representative from the Vatican, who tells Seth that she believes that she's found Maggie, in the form of a young boy named Cameron. Pushing his disdain for the Catholic Church and religion aside, Seth and his team agree to meet with the boy in the apartment that he shares with his mother; and the suspicion that this is indeed Maggie are confirmed almost immediately when Cameron speaks the same words that Maggie did on that fateful night. But saving the boy and killing the entity will not be easy, as Seth finds out when he encounters Cameron's demon dad in a park that Cameron has locked himself into, and finds his entrails ripped out. With only eight minutes of safe dive time permitted, Seth heads back in to do battle with Maggie in a creepy setting that may guarantee that he will not return.
Flawed as the execution of the science is, the writers of Incarnate have, at the very least, attempted to present the overdone exorcism genre...rivaled only by zombies in the world of DTV...in a different way that doesn't involve crucifixes and vomiting. And the attempt, aside from a somewhat useless side story involving the harvesting of blood, does contain the thought-provoking potential to make for a good film. Setting up Seth's backstory and then having him dwell in the fantasies of the victims, doing battle with demons in an idealistic setting offers the potential for a huge number of opportunities, but they're sadly squandered here. Instead, Incarnate chooses to spend much of its time in the real world, where normally very solid actor Aaron Eckhart spits out raspy dialogue while avoiding eye contact, apparently in this just for the paycheck. The previously mentioned side story drags the film down too much, and sends Seth in unnecessary directions, leaving the core of the film with too many unanswered questions. Why is Camilla interested in destroying Maggie? Why is the Vatican so interested in the possession of Cameron? By attempting to cover so many bases, Incarnate leaves itself thin throughout.
Incarnate also falls prey to the standard, cookie-cutter method found in so many modern horror films, relying on amplified stingers and jump scares instead of real terror, and using an annoyingly overbearing score to signal when the viewer should be feeling dread instead of attempting to create real atmosphere. Which is a shame, because there are a few moments where Director Brad Peyton shows that he has the potential to pull off a genuine horror film, ambiance that is quickly shat upon by yet another music cue. Incarnate does have its odd moment of cool, such as a brutal, unexpected bone snap, but that standardized horror template, coupled with a brutally obvious ending, leaves the viewer uinspired and underwhelmed.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Incarnate comes to Blu-ray (with additional DVD and HD Digital Download) in a 2.40:1 AVC-encode that looks good. Nighttime and dim bedroom scenes, which dominate the film, maintain clarity and detail, without crushing the blacks or presenting other artifacting. Daylight scenes are dazzling with colour and really pop without oversaturation.
Audio is provided via an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, with English Descriptive Video Service on the Theatrical Cut only. While dialogue is clear and consistent throughout and can be found front and centre where it belongs, the film relies heavily (and I mean heavily) on the surrounds and sub to carry a dominant score and jump scare stingers and a level that will not be described as subtle. Still, it's an immersive track that lacks any distortion or hiss, and for the most part is well balanced. English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing are also available.
The Extras menu contains one real supplement (the option to view the unrated cut here, which works out to about a minute of extra running time, is also available from the main menu), the Making Of Incarnate (7:11). An extended EPK, this features Jason Blum as well as cast and other crew talking about the movie and their roles, and shooting on a short schedule. Clips from the film play throughout.
The Final Word:
Incarnate offers up a somewhat unique take on a somewhat tired genre, but relies too much on the cheap jump scares and an ineffective score instead of building genuine atmosphere and dread.
-
#2Mark TolchSenior MemberFind all postsView Profile04-18-2017, 09:17 AMEditing a commentThanks, Gary! Surprised that somebody else saw it. :D
-
#3C.D. WorkmanSenior MemberFind all postsView Profile04-19-2017, 12:12 AMEditing a commentThat's a pretty funny review, Mark. I'm glad you got this one and not me. I knew I was going to hate it the moment I saw the kid from GOTHAM speaking in a "demon voice." (At least, I think that's what I saw.) The trailer for this played constantly last summer here in Piqua, but the film somehow never seemed to make it here (or, if it did, it was for a week and I didn't notice).
-
#4Mark TolchSenior MemberFind all postsView Profile04-19-2017, 07:26 AMEditing a commentI had never heard of it, figured that Aaron Eckart was a safe bet.....ooops.
Posting comments is disabled. -
Categories
Collapse
article_tags
Collapse
- album review (218)
- album reviews (274)
- arrow video (271)
- blu-ray (3225)
- blu-ray review (4162)
- comic books (1392)
- comic reviews (872)
- comics (988)
- dark horse comics (484)
- dvd and blu-ray reviews a-f (1969)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M (1711)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S (1757)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews T-Z (878)
- dvd review (2512)
- idw publishing (216)
- image comics (207)
- kino lorber (391)
- movie news (260)
- review (318)
- scream factory (279)
- severin films (298)
- shout! factory (537)
- twilight time (269)
- twilight time releasing (231)
- vinegar syndrome (497)
Latest Articles
Collapse
-
Released by: Grindhouse Releasing
Released on: March 12th, 2024.
Director: William Grefé
Cast: William Shatner, Jennifer Bishop, Ruth Roman, Harold Sakata
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Impulse – Movie Review:
Directed by the one and only William Grefé, 1974’s Impulse is one of those rare films that allows you to witness what it would be like if a really sweaty William Shatner got mad at a lady carrying balloons. Before that...-
Channel: Movies
04-15-2024, 01:20 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Andrew Legge
Cast: Emma Appleton, Stefanie Martini, Rory Fleck Byrne
Year: 2022
Purchase From Amazon
Lola – Movie Review:
Irish filmmakers Andrew Legge’s 2022 movie, ‘Lola’, which was made during Covid-19 lockdowns, is a wildly creative movie made in the found footage style that defies expectations, provides plenty of food for thought and manages to make...-
Channel: Movies
04-10-2024, 04:09 PM -
-
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Jess Franco, Jorge Grau, Pedro L. Ramírez
Cast: Alberto Dalbés, Evelyne Scott, Fernando Rey, Marisa Mell, Wal Davis, Norma Kastel
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Spanish Blood Bath – Movie Review:
Vinegar Syndrome brings a triple feature of Spanish horror films of the in this new three-disc Blu-ray boxed set. Here’s what lies inside…
Night Of The...-
Channel: Movies
04-10-2024, 04:02 PM -
-
Released by: Universal Studios
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Zelda Williams
Cast: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Carla Gugino, Joe Chrest, Henry Eikenberry
Year: 2024
Purchase From Amazon
Lisa Frankenstein – Movie Review:
The feature-length directorial debut of Zelda Williams, 20214’s Lisa Frankenstein takes place in 1989 and follows a teenaged girl named Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) who, two years ago, lost her mother...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:40 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Gianfranco Giagni
Cast: Roland Wybenga, William Berger, Stéphane Audran
Year: 1988
Purchase From Amazon
Spider Labyrinth – Movie Review:
Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is an American who works as a Professor of languages studies and has a fascination bordering on obsession with translating pre-Christian religious texts. He was also locked in a closet...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:37 PM -
-
Released by: Mondo Macabro
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Arizal
Cast: Barry Prima, Eva Arnaz, W.D. Mochtar
Year: 1982
Purchase From Amazon
Special Silencers – Movie Review:
When director Arizal’s 1982 epic begins, we meet a man named Gumilar (W.D. Mochtar), a sinister dude who has constantly bloodshot eyes. He’s meeting with a man about some sort of business deal, but a flashback shows us how some time ago he killed...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:35 PM -