Monday, March 16, 2015

SOMETHING WICKED (DVD Review) - Arc Entertainment


USA/2014
Directed By: Darin Scott
Written By: Joe Colleran, Joe Mungra
Starring: Shantel VanSanten, John Robinson, Brittany Murphy
Color/91 Minutes/R
Region 1
Release Date: March 17, 2015

The Film
A year after the death of her parents in a vicious car wreck Christine and her boyfriend James are moving on with their lives, getting their education and preparing for their wedding day. However a relentless stalker has turned their attention to Christine and she tries to prove that her terror is true while secrets in the family begin to make themselves known.

SOMETHING WICKED is Brittany Murphy's last film and is surprisingly just being released more than five years after her death. She co-stars in this thriller that is as good as any other run-of-the-mill thriller getting a theatrical run these days with some fading star heading the cast. It's unfortunate to see her in this as she looks very thin and sick. In spite of that she turns in a good performance along with the rest of the cast who are all really rock solid. Shantel VanSanten and John Robinson have good chemistry together lending a great deal of credibility to their relationship.


The direction is competent and skilled but there's a lot of subplots going on that really murk up the flow of the movie. There's supernatural elements that come and go as they please without so much as a mention along with partners cheating on each other that really never resolves itself properly and so on. The movie does wrap up the main plot in an interesting fashion that really is the tipping point that makes SOMETHING WICKED at least a decent movie and worth a watch. There's just too much going on without any real resolution to it all or more importantly, any need for it.

When it's all said and done SOMETHING WICKED ends up being something decent but it will likely be something that's quickly forgotten.

The Audio & Video
Arc Entertainment delivers SOMETHING WICKED on DVD with a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks quite good. The image is quite sharp with strong colors and handles black levels without any crush or compression. There's very little on the negative side of the picture quality on this disc. The English audio is handled with a 5.1 Dolby Digital track that sounds equally strong. The mix in dialogue and music is well done as each part compliments the other. There's no background noise or annoying popping or crackling. A rock solid A/V presentation.


The Extras
A trailer is included.


The Bottom Line
SOMETHING WICKED probably should have had a bigger release than a straight to DVD release several years after production. It isn't a great movie but it's solid in its execution and is worth a look if you're into the type of often watered down thrillers that frequent theaters these days.

SOMETHING WICKED is available HERE

No comments: