A New Twist On The Zombie Subgenre
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Production Year: 2013
Region Code: 0 NTSC
Running Time: 1:17:38
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: None
THE FILM [ 3.5 / 5 ]:
In the near future, zombies have become a protected, endangered species, held in captivity and legally wandering the streets free from harm by the living. But for the loved ones of those who die, sometimes coping is just too much to handle, especially when not everyone feels the dead have a right to exist, and are willing to break the law to rid the world of this new population of the dead.
"A Plague So Pleasant" focuses on Clay Marshall (David Chandler), who as he states in the film, is one of many survivors of the zombie apocalypse. Clays' friend Todd (Maxwell Moody) likes Mia (Eva Boehnke), Clay's sister. The problem is that Mia is still in love with her boyfriend Jerry, who happens to be zombie. Trouble arises for Clay and many others when he tries to remedy that situation.
The filmmakers use an interesting technique going back and forth from black and white to color. At times it does help to set the tone. For being a low budget film, the special effects look good overall. There are some instances where lack of funds show, like around the 42:25 mark when the male motorist is being clawed at, but nothing is really happening, making it look kinda silly, to me at least. Other times, the camera angles are used very effectively to mask the films shortcomings. However, there are a number of great camera shots in the film that make it feel like a big Hollywood film, which helps aid the appearance of the production.
I thought the three principle actors in the film did a fine job. Mia and Todd are unfortunately minor roles and I would have liked to see more of them because their characters were odd and interesting.
AUDIO [ 3.5 / 5 ]:
The sole audio option included on the DVD is a Dolby Digital 2.0 track. I found the audio to sound good and did not encounter any major problems. Sound levels seemed to fluctuate at times. But it was never to the point of being too distracting.
VIDEO [ 2.5 / 5 ]:
"A Plague So Pleasant" shambles its way on to DVD thanks to Wild Eye Releasing. The film is presented in 1.78:1 Anamophic Widescreen. The video quality is okay for the most part, however there are some issue like haloing, which is easy to see around the 11:55 minute mark if you look at Mia's hand and the needle she is holding. A few times I also noticed what appeared to be compression issues. The video issues I noticed were not such a detriment to have a negative impact on the actual film itself.
SPECIAL FEATURES [ 1 / 5 ]:
Original Promos:
- Domestic (1:31)
- International (1:32)
More Trailers - Trailers included are "Ebola Zombies," "Blood Soaked," "Disco Exorcist," "Jonah Lives," "Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated," "A Zombie Exorcism" and "Frankenstein's Hungry Dead"
IN CONCLUSION:
Not your average, run of the mill zombie film, "A Plague So Pleasant" offers its viewers something different to chew on. I enjoyed the story and its quirky characters. I loved the ending of the film. The DVD features acceptable video quality. If you like your zombie, or even horror films a bit different, this might be right up your alley. Check it out.
OVERALL [ 3 / 5 ]: