Resonnances

Released by: Synapse Films
Released on: 12/14/10
Director: Philippe Robert
Cast: Yann Sundberg, Vincent Lecompte, Romain Ogerau, Patrick Mons
Year: 2006

The Movie:

Philippe Robert low budget horror film Resonnances starts off in the 1600s when a meteorite hurls out of the far reaches of space and lands somewhere in the middle of a rural area in France. A nameless but attractive young lady notices it, and heads over to see what's happened but is soon chased by an unseen force (in a shot lifted pretty much straight out of Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead) that seems to be burring along under the surface of the Earth.

Cut to the present day and a group of twenty-somethings - three guys and three girls - are just putting a start to a weekend of camping out in a rather familiar looking rural area in France. Things turn sour when their van runs out of gas in the middle of the woods and, after managing to refill the gas tank, get moving again only to run into a nefarious escaped criminal with no small amount of blood on his hands. They keep heading deeper into the woods only to find that as the fog sets in around them, tentacles reaching out from below the ground are intent on ensuring that they never make it out alive. These guys aren't going down without a fight, however, so it's good guys versus escaped murderer versus tentacle monsters with their lives hanging in the balance.

Resonnances isn't a particularly original film. It borrows very heavily not only from The Evil Dead but also from Tremors with a nod or two to Carpenter's The Thing thrown in here and there (references that Synapse's packaging makes, but accurately so). Robert wears his influences plainly on his sleeve and doesn't seem interested in trying to hide them. Like the filmmakers who influenced him, however, Robert shows one thing that a lot of the bigger budgeted horror films of the day don't really seem interested in, and that's creativity. Obviously made on a pretty tight budget, Resonnances compensates for its lack of funds with some interesting effects work, inspired performances, and break neck pacing. Using a mix of miniature effects work and rather poor computer graphics, the visuals employed for the film's more ambitious set pieces aren't always consistent and sometimes tend to be at odds with one another, but that complaint aside the movie works more often than not.

Robert, who not only wrote and directed but also produced, edited and shot the picture, has obviously got his heart in the right place and knows how to please audiences into monster movies. The build up in the first half hour or so could have moved at a better pace but the strong opening sequence set centuries ago is a good one and the last half hour of the picture turns out to be a whole lot of fun and completely redeems whatever slower parts there might be. Derivative as it may be at times, those with an affinity for low budget monster movies ought to appreciate this one.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Resonnances was shot in non-anamorphic 1.85.1 widescreen on standard definition video so that letterboxed presentation on this disc is probably about as good as it's going to look. While the picture is perfectly watchable, the flaws in the source are definitely there, so don't expect fantastic detail but the colors look okay and there isn't much in the way of print damage. At least the transfer is a progressive scan one and the disc is well authored in that there are no problems with compression related artifacts to note, though many of the dark scenes are a bit murky due to how they were shot and lit.

Audio options are offered in French language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound with optional English subtitles. There aren't any problems with either track - the levels are well balanced, the dialogue is clean and clear and the effects and score are mixed into things rather well.

Aside from the menu and chapter selections, the disc contains only a promotional trailer for the film.

The Final Word:

Resonnances isn't going to change your life but it's a fun monster movie made with some infectious enthusiasm. Synapse's presentation isn't on par with their usual standards but it is what it is and the movie is certainly watchable enough. Definitely worth checking out for monster movie fans.

Want more information? Check out the Synapse Films website by clicking here!