Without Warning is a low-budget and sometimes laughable sci-fi/horror but seeing Jack Palance and Martin Landau was fun and it at least kept my attention until the end
Without Warning
(1980)
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Horror
Shout Factory | R – 89 min. – $26.99 | August 5, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Greydon Clark Writer(s): Lyn Freeman, Daniel Grodnik, Ben Nett, Steve Mathis (written by) Cast: Jack Palance, Martin Landau, Tarah Nutter, Christopher S. Nelson DISC INFO: Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.85 |
PLOT SUMMARY
A group of teenagers head out to the lake for a relaxing camping trip in the mountains. They ignore the warnings of the local truck stop owner and head to their destination. Things go terribly wrong when they run into an extraterrestrial who throws deadly discs that suck the blood of their victims. The group heads back to the trick stop for help from the eclectic residents, including a crazy war veteran (MARTIN LANDAU) and a determined hunter (JACK PALANCE).
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.5/5
Audio Commentary – Producer/Director Greydon Clark sits down for a low-key yet informative track providing background on the movie, working with the actors and other bits of info. Now, it’s not the liveliest track but I guess hardcore fans might get something out of it.
Greg & Sandy’s Alien Adventures (20:45) are new interviews with Actors Christopher S. Nelson and Tarah Nutter, recalling their time working on the movie, some of the challenges and overall thoughts.
Producers Vs. Aliens (11:25) is an interview with Producer Daniel Grodnik.
Hunter’s Blood (5:56) has Special Make-Up Effects Creator Greg Cannom explain his process for some of the effects used in the movie.
Independents Day (15:06) finds Cinematographer Dean Cundey discussing his work and the challenges with the ambitious schedule.
Also included are the Theatrical Trailer (1:42) and a Still Gallery.
VIDEO – 3.5/5
Without Warning arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory (via Shout Factory) presented with a 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer. Now, this isn’t a movie that ever looked that good on any format and one can tell just by watching the trailer that the work done was pretty darn good. Colors are a bit toned down and some detail gets lost, especially for background elements, but all in all, it’s at least a half-decent transfer.
AUDIO – 3.75/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track has some good dialogue levels while the score, screams and such help provide even this mono track a bit of depth, even if it is limited.
OVERALL – 3.0/5
Overall, Without Warning is a low-budget and sometimes laughable sci-fi/horror but seeing Jack Palance and Martin Landau was fun and it at least kept my attention until the end. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory has OK audio and video transfers but the features are mostly well done, though it is a shame they couldn’t wrangle Martin Landau to do a new interview.
Published: 08/09/2014