Battle of the Damned is yet another poorly made direct-to-video action vehicle for Dolph Lundgren. The story has a been-there vibe, the acting from the supporting players is questionable and the effects are poor, though expected for the kind of budget this movie must’ve had.
Battle of the Damned
(2013)
Genre(s): Action, Fantasy
Anchor Bay | R – 89 min. – $29.99 | February 18, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: DISC INFO: Audio: English (Dolby TrueHD 5.1) |
THE MOVIE
Plot Outline: When a deadly virus is accidentally released into a major city, its population is quarantined by a military blockade. And for a wealthy industrialist desperate to rescue his daughter, Jude (MELANIE ZANETTI), from inside the rabid chaos, his only hope is former commando Max Gatling (DOLPH LUNDGREN). Now Gatling must blast through hordes of the undead, find the girl, and hunt for a way to get them both out alive. But will a small band of survivors and an army of killer robots turn his mission into maximum slaughter?
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.0/5
The only item included is a Battling the Damned (6:40) featurette.
VIDEO – 4.0/5
Battle of the Damned arrives on Blu-ray presented in 1080p high-definition and a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio. Although technically a fine transfer, free of debris, artifacts and other flaws, this has that cheap DTV feel shot digitally which means details aren’t the best. Also, and this was certainly per the cinematographer and director’s intent, it’s washed of any colors making for a bland looking HD transfer.
AUDIO – 4.5/5
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track fares much better providing robust and loud audio for the action scenes as well as the quieter moments with crisp dialogue levels; it’s not the best sounding track nor is it reference quality, yet it still provides enough depth, including the LFE channel, to present that theatrical quality.
OVERALL – 2.5/5
Overall, Battle of the Damned is yet another poorly made direct-to-video action vehicle for Dolph Lundgren. The story has a been-there vibe, the acting from the supporting players is questionable and the effects are poor, though expected for the kind of budget this movie must’ve had. The Blu-ray released by Anchor Bay has good video/audio transfers while the solo featurette is very basic.
Published: 02/20/2014