Crush [Blu-Ray]
Director: Malik Bader
Cast: Sarah Bolger, Lucas Till, Crystal Reed, Leigh Whannell
Release Date: Available on Blu-Ray/DVD/VOD April 9.
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 8/10
Plot Summary:
A secret admirer’s crush on a high school athlete takes a fatal turn.
You can read the full review after the jump.
‘Crush’ is one of those films that look like it will quite possibly be just another PG-13, teenager aimed horror film. Fortunately that is not quite the case here. What many might be pleasantly surprised with here (including myself)
is that this is really more of a thriller about obsession than it is a horror film. The film also manages to bring some characters into the mix that you might actually care about, at least to some degree. While I did not recognize too many faces in the film aside from Leigh Whannel (writer/actor; Saw & Insidious) it really helps to give the film a more realistic vibe.
Realism is certainly one positive thing this film has going for it. The whole scenario, down to (at least most of) the events occurring throughout are truly situations you can imagine almost any person being caught up in this day and age. The themes present in this film are certainly something that most anyone could see occurring in some regard within the confines of their life, even if not directly, perhaps from a secondhand point of view. This realism factor and the lack of well known faces really help to pull you into this film, and while the overall effect is certainly not amazing, it’s certainly more enjoyable than I had imagined when first sitting down to view the film.
VIDEO:
The video presentation on the Blu-Ray release of ‘Crush’ is a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio and it looks pretty smooth and well done for the most part. The colors on the film are tame and not over exaggerated as I would imagine was intended for this film as it helps provide a calm creepy undertone throughout. As far as video presentation I couldn’t find any faults worth noting. Everything appears to have been pretty well done as far as the video transfer goes.
AUDIO:
The audio presentation on the Blu-Ray release of ‘Crush’ is a lossless 5.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. While no specific faults are present in the audio soundtrack of the film, I must admit I think a certain number of scenes would have benefitted with a little more activity in the rear channels in order to help heighten the mood of the film and certain scenes. Please note that this is most likely not any fault on the part of the studio, and certainly just how the film’s soundtrack was produced. The voices are clearly legible; nothing overpowers anything else, and overall it is a pretty decent lossless soundtrack.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Special Features section of this Blu-Ray is the one thing that is lacking a bit, though it could be far worse. While only one special feature is present on the disc, as opposed to a trivial trailer or something of that nature, we are
presented with the ‘Making of Crush’ which is in fact a making of featurette clocking in at just over 20 minutes that really gives an amazing amount of insight into what went into the film, and what the filmmakers desired to accomplish throughout the production. It’s a pretty interesting little feature for fans of such behind the scenes featurettes.
‘Crush’ may not be a perfect film, but it’s a pretty entertaining little thriller about obsession, and though it’s not something I would necessarily put on the top of my list to watch, it’s certainly worth checking out for fans of such films.
Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 8/10
‘Crush’ will be available on Blu-Ray/DVD/VOD on Tuesday, April 9 from Millennium Entertainment.
