Overlord – 4K UHD Blu-ray Movie Review

Synopsis

With only hours until D-Day, a team of American paratroopers drop into Nazi-occupied France to carry out a mission that’s crucial to the invasion’s success. Tasked with destroying a radio transmitter atop a fortified church, the desperate soldiers join forces with a young French villager to penetrate the walls and take down the tower. But in a mysterious Nazi lab beneath the church, the outnumbered G.I.s come face-to-face with enemies unlike any the world has ever seen.

Specifications

Paramount Pictures
2018, 2160p, Dolby Atmos, HDR 10, Rated R, 1 hour and 49 minutes,
2.39:1 Aspect Ratio
Starring: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Pilou Asbaek & Mathilde Ollivier
Directed by: Julius Avery

Rating

Entertainment:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Violence: Yes
Language: Yes
Sex: No

Commentary

This reminded me of a bit of Re-Animator, Cabin in the Woods and Duke Nuk’em. Unlike Cabin, though, this film had little humor. Though it had plenty of eye-candy fighting sequences, the plot was basic, but the excessive gore and swearing made the 109-minute viewing seem a bit too long.

Secrets Sponsor

JJ Abrams oversaw the production and I appreciate his venturing out into new directions, but this effort will not get him an Oscar nod. Besides, there are plenty of Nazi zombie movies out there already.

Didn’t WW II already have its share of horror and depravity that we need to add walking dead? That said, if you like your horror to be violent, bloody and unrelenting, Overlord will keep you on the edge of your seat virtually from start to finish.

Technical

The blood splatter looks marvelous with the nice HDR uptick compared to the BD version. Contrast is great, especially since most of the movie takes place at night, in the dank crypt under a church. Why are laboratories always so under lit?

Secrets Sponsor

Shot with Arri Alexa cameras, the details are sharp and the colors are solid and crisp. Soundtrack is just as punchy and detailed. Every drip from the ceiling or snapping of a twig underfoot is all in the sound mix. I admit, it helps the film become a bit creepier with things going bump in the night behind you.

Extras

Besides a BD copy, featurettes include Brother in Arms, Death Below and the Horrors of War.

Jim Milton

Jim Milton has been interested in high fidelity since his college years in the late 70's. It was there that he first became interested in classical music. He has been part of choral music, both in opera and oratorio and is an avid collector of classical music from the Baroque through the Romantic periods. He enjoys an occasional night at Boston Symphony Hall or attending an organ concert at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, ME. Currently he is the director of Nuclear Medicine at the North Shore Medical Center, located just outside of Boston. He also serves as an adjunct professor for Salem State University where he teaches a course in nuclear instrumentation. During his leisure time, he enjoys listening to his music collection and an occasional movie with his wife of 30+ years. Living on the longest stretch of sandy beach north of Boston offers him plenty of opportunities to take a relaxing stroll or soak up some sun. "Remember, acquiring good A/V gear takes lots of time...but doesn't necessarily take lots of money."