Metal Shifters isn’t bad by SyFy standards but those standards are pretty damn low. It’s a harmless movie that some might find value in its inane mindlessness but for me I found most of it to be just plain bad rather than fun. The Blu-ray offers up decent video and audio transfers and one minimal special feature.
Metal Shifters (2011)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Science Fiction
Anchor Bay | PG13 – 90 min. – $24.99 | February 7, 2012
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Paul Ziller
Writer(s): Paul Ziller and Gary Hawes (written by)
Cast: Kavan Smith, Nicole de Boer, Donnelly Rhodes
DISC INFO:
Features: Featurettes
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.78
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Disc Size: 23.1 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A
THE MOVIE – 1.75/5
Plot Synopsis: It travelled millions of light years through space before colliding with a Soviet satellite and crashing into rural Redeemer, Idaho. Now an alien bacterium that transforms steel objects into furious killing machines has infected the local scrap yard. Can a local contractor (KAVAN SMITH) and his estranged ex-girlfriend (NICOLE de BOER) find a way to stop a heavy monster from tearing a path of biological and mechanical destruction through small-town America?
Metal Shifters – originally titled Iron Invader – is yet another SyFy movie with shoddy visual effects, bad acting and an even worse screenplay. I’m all for cheesy, mindless movies of this sort but there’s only so much one can tolerate to the point where it becomes a chore to get through. Take for instance Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, now that’s a movie with cheesy sci-fi elements but it was a boatload of fun through and through; this movie on the other hand is simply bad.
As with many SyFy movies, the producers nab actors from popular or fan-driven television shows like Kavan Smith from “Stargate: Atlantis” and “Eureka” or Nicole de Boer from “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”. These are players who have modest acting ability but not enough to be leads on their respective shows.
The movie was directed by SyFy go-to guy Paul Ziller who also helmed such greats as Beyond Loch Ness, Polar Storm, Ice Quake and the upcoming Ghost Storm. I suppose Ziller’s direction isn’t bad especially given the material, which he co-wrote, he had to use. But at the same time it’s not nearly enough to take Metal Shifters from just another crappy SyFy film to something a bit more average.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.25/5
Metal Shifters: Behind the Scenes (15:02; SD) is a simple ‘making-of’ featurette showing scenes from the movie intermixed with behind-the-scenes footage. It’s nothing great but offers at least a little insight.
Trailer (1:43; HD)
Previews – Ice Quake, Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel
VIDEO – 4.0/5
Metal Shifters is presented in 1080p high-definition and a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio. Because the movie was shot on the cheap and probably digitally, this is a very clean transfer with no signs of flaws or natural grain or noise. Personally, while shooting digitally can be nice, it doesn’t often translate too well in high-def looking too crisp and shiny.
AUDIO – 3.75/5
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that accompanies the movie sounds adequate but not much more. The dialogue levels are good while the action scenes offer the most depth yet it still is relatively average compared with other Blu-rays.
OVERALL – 2.5/5
Overall, Metal Shifters isn’t bad by SyFy standards but those standards are pretty damn low. It’s a harmless movie that some might find value in its inane mindlessness but for me I found most of it to be just plain bad rather than fun. The Blu-ray offers up decent video and audio transfers and one minimal special feature.
Brian Oliver, The Movieman
Published: 02/05/2012
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.