Blu-ray Movie Reviews

AD 117: The Roman Empire stretches from Egypt to Spain, and East as far as the Black Sea. But in northern Britain, the relentless onslaught of conquest has ground to a halt in face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage and terrifying Picts led by revenge-hungry Pict Warrior Etain. When the Roman legion is ambushed, the seven surviving Romans pledge to rescue their leader and return to Rome to re-group.

Neil Marshall’s films always have a unique visual style and this is no exception. While stylization isn’t taken overboard, contrast is definitely pumped a bit. Detail is quiet good with close ups revealing excellent texture and detail. Colors are also strong and lend to the visual style. The soundtrack is served up in DTS-HD Master Audio in full 7.1. This is a pretty aggressive mix that makes full use of the surround soundstage with nice imaging from all channels. Bass response can be pretty low and punctuates the violence of the film.

Magnolia has included a digital copy of the film along with quiet a few behind the scene features. There are cast interviews, deleted scenes and a feature commentary by the director.

Like all of Neil Marshall’s films, this one is REALLY violent. But the storyline is actually pretty compelling and the photography is great. While I don’t know if I would recommend a blind purchase, a rental for fans of the genre is certainly warranted.