For a remake of a Stephen King movie, Pet Sematary has a lot to live up to. After all, it’s the first theatrical remake to come out since It: Chapter One. Unfortunately, the movie is simply a generic paint-by-numbers horror remake. Pet Sematary always dealt with the theme of grief and loss. The problem is that the movie never really deals with the themes in an effective way. Louis’ slight madness and grief don’t seem natural. Not to mention, the idea that the “place is turning the family mad” is a bit clichéd as well.
At the same time, the movie is a bit predictable as well. No, I’m not talking about the predictability of the storyline. People who have seen the movie or read the books know what’s going to happen in the movie. What I’m talking about is the predictability of the jump scares. The jump scares follow a similar pattern during the buildup to Ellie’s death.
Regardless, the anticipation of these jump scares gives the film most of its tension. In other words, you know that a jump scare is coming but you can’t pinpoint when it’s actually going to come. Sadly, when it comes to the scares, it’s generic too. It practically checks off all the stereotypical horror jump scares and these scares don’t leave a lasting impression on you.
The characters are one-dimensional as well. Seemingly all the characters in the film never really have an overall character arc. That’s another one of the major problems in the movie. You never really attach yourselves to these characters and the sympathy towards the family are basically non-existent. So why would you care about Louis resurrecting his dead child? The fact is, you won’t.
Overall, Pet Sematary is a generic horror remake of the classic movie. Much of the themes of grief and loss are told in a very haphazard way—which is a shame because it’s such an integral part of the entire story. Nevertheless, horror fans looking for cheap thrills and scares will thoroughly enjoy this film.
Movie Rating: 2.5/5 atoms
Video
Pet Sematary hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with an HDR transfer and a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Although the movie does look good, there are some inconsistencies with the video transfer. The video is overly bright which makes the bright white areas pop from the screen. Unfortunately, this high brightness also causes some inconsistent black levels. The dark areas are a deep black during the nighttime scenes, but the blacks are a lighter shade during the daytime scenes. Not to mention, the contrast and slight color desaturation give the film a bit of a flat video overall. This style does fit the look and feel of the film though. Thankfully, the detail clarity on this video transfer is superb. Textures, hair, and the goriest details are distinct. At the same time, the edge details are nice and crisp. Overall, this is a modest presentation.
Video Rating: 4/5 atoms
Audio
Pet Sematary hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos and a core 7.1 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio track. This review will reflect Pet Sematary‘s Dolby Atmos track. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: The audio mix on a horror movie should always be amazing. After all, the audio is what ultimately pulls you into this messed up world. Thankfully, the audio mix for Pet Sematary is awesome. In true horror fashion, the voices and sound effects pan around the soundstage in order to add tension to a scene. Now, there aren’t a lot of overhead effects. However, when it rears its ugly head, the overhead effects are distinct and clear.
Of course, the atmospheric effects also are a big part of a horror film. Here the creepy atmospheric effects surround and envelop you. Thus, it immerses you within the terrifying scene. At the same time, the music also surrounds and envelops you with a ton of bass coming from the subwoofer. Don’t worry about the dialogue getting lost in all of this. Every spoken word and scream can be distinctly heard from your speakers. Overall, this is a pretty fun audio mix.
Audio Rating: 5/5 atoms
Special Features
Pet Sematary‘s Ultra HD Blu-ray disc doesn’t have any special features on it. However, you can find the following special features on the regular Blu-ray disc:
- Alternate Ending
- Deleted and Extended Scenes
- Daddy’s Nervous Too
- Your Kids Are Lucky
- I Wanted Her to Die
- She Didn’t Come Back the Same
- It’s Not Real
- I’m Leaving In the Morning
- Did You Miss Me Judson?
- Night Terrors
- Louis
- Rachel
- Ellie
- The Tale of Timmy Baterman
- Beyond the Deadfall
- Resurrection
- The Final Resting Place
- The Road to Sorrow
- Death Comes Home
Although the list above looks like there isn’t a lot of special features, there’s still a lot of content to go through. The “Alternate Ending” gives you a more twisted version of the ending you saw in theaters. Like the theatrical cut, this alternate ending won’t make you feel good about yourself. The deleted and extended scenes are decent watches but you can see why they were cut from the film. “Night Terrors” is a fun little feature. Here you can see the nightmares had by the three main characters in the film. It’s full of jump scares so if that’s your thing then this is for you.
Now, fans of the book and original movie can recognize the name of Timmy Baterman. Although he may not be in the film, John Lithgow (in character) tells the insane story of Timmy Baterman. Lastly, “Beyond the Deadfall” is a lengthy behind-the-scenes featurette that breaks down seemingly every single aspect in the making of the movie. This is where you’ll probably spend most of your time, but the segments are all intriguing and fun to watch.
Special Features: 4.5/5 atoms
Overall, Pet Sematary is a generic horror remake that full of nothing but jump scares. If that’s your kind of horror movie, then Pet Sematary is right for you. Those looking for something deeper in their horror movies might want to look someplace else. The video transfer is decent but the immersive audio mix does make up for it. Finally, the special features are all fantastic despite the lack of content.
Overall Rating: 4/5 atoms
This Blu-ray was reviewed using a retail/advance copy/unit provided by Paramount Home Entertainment.
The post Pet Sematary (2019) – 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review appeared first on Nerd Reactor.
from Nerd Reactor
0 comments: