The Battery actually is a well made indie horror-drama with more emphasize on drama with only a few zombies thrown in, but instead focuses on the two main characters and their day-to-day interactions.
The Battery
(2012)
Genre(s): Horror, Drama
Shout Factory | NR – 101 min. – $19.97 | September 16, 2014
 |
MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Jeremy Gardner Writer(s): Jeremy Gardner (written by) Cast: Jeremy Gardner, Adam CronheimDISC INFO: Features: Commentary, Featurettes, Outtakes, Trailer Number of Discs: 1Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1) Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.78 Subtitles: English SDH Disc Size: 45.6 GB Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Region(s): A |
PLOT SUMMARY
Two former baseball players, Ben (JEREMY GARDNER) and Mickey (ADAM CRONHEIM), cut an aimless path across a desolate New England. They stick to the back roads and forests to steer clear of the shambling corpses that patrol the once bustling cities and towns. In order to survive, they must overcome the stark differences in each other’s personalities — Ben embraces an increasingly feral, lawless, and nomadic lifestyle, while Mickey is unable to accept the harsh realities of the new world. Mickey refuses to engage in Ben’s violent games and longs for the creature comforts he once took for granted — a bed, a girl and a safe place to live.
When the men intercept a radio transmission from a seemingly thriving, protected community, Mickey will stop at nothing to find it, even though it is made perfectly clear that he is not welcome.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.0/5
As with most other Shout Factory releases, this has a reversible cover with the other side being the poster artwork.
Audio Commentary features Writer/Director/Actor Jeremy Gardner, Producer/Actor Adam Cronheim and Director of Photographer Christian Stella
Tools of Ignorance: The Making of The Battery (1:29:20; HD) is an extensive behind-the-scenes featurette/documentary delving through how the movie was made and features interviews with the cast and crew.
Rock Plaza Central at the Parlor (10:48; HD) looks at the music featured in the film.
Outtakes (11:37; HD) has some extra BTS footage.
Trailer (1:59; HD)
VIDEO – 3.5/5
The Battery arrives on Blu-ray from Scream Factory presented in 1080p high-definition transfer and a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio. The picture isn’t anything special but certainly a bit above average with OK details while colors tend to be tame though I assume it’s in keeping with the post-apocalyptic zombie motif. The transfer appears to be clean, though, free of artifacts and other flaws.
AUDIO – 4.0/5
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track comes through well enough showing off the variety of music and score while dialogue for the most part is clear enough. It’s not an incredible track but more than effective considering the presumably limited budget.
OVERALL – 3.5/5
Overall, The Battery actually is a well made indie horror-drama with more emphasize on drama with only a few zombies thrown in, but instead focuses on the two main characters and their day-to-day interactions. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory has good video and audio transfers while the bonus material, especially the feature-length making-of, are well worth checking out.
Published: 09/14/2014