All Superheroes Must Die Blu-ray Review
Vs
Score: 32
from 2 reviewers
Review Date:
Despite ambitious intentions, 'All Superheroes Must Die' falters due to superficial character development and a muddled narrative, rendering it not worth the time.
Disc Release Date
DTS-HD MA
Video: 54
The 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray transfer of 'All Superheroes Must Die' showcases solid blacks, sharp focus, and distinctive colors but suffers from occasional video distortions and low contrast in dark scenes, reflecting the limitations of its digital shooting style and color-correction process.
Audio: 34
The Blu-ray’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is serviceable but falls short, with limited surround effects and bass extension. Explosions lack impact, dialogue is clear but balancing issues persist, leaving front and rear channels largely inactive and resulting in an overall anemic audio presentation.
Extra: 0
No extras included on the disc; curious viewers can explore the Trost family's ambitions through their more engaging film, 'The FP'.
Movie: 16
Despite its tantalizing premise, 'All Superheroes Must Die' falls flat due to lackluster storytelling, underdeveloped characters, and unconvincing production values, presenting itself in a Blu-ray release devoid of supplementary features and barely recovering with uniformly homemade costumes no one would envy.
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Video: 54
The 1080p AVC-encoded Blu-ray transfer of "All Superheroes Must Die" offers a visually mixed presentation. Shot digitally by Amanda Treyz, the film’s imagery suffers from intentional video distortions meant to simulate a video monitor’s point of view. This stylistic choice inadvertently results in occasional video distortions resembling aliasing, particularly noticeable along horizontal edges and on characters’ accessories, such as the green face mask seen around Charge's eye. These distortions are source-based, stemming from the film’s budget-conscious post-production color-correction efforts. Consequently, the image sometimes displays issues commonly associated with lower-tier digital productions.
Notably, the majority of the film's visual inconsistencies derive from its shooting style rather than the transfer process itself. While the Blu-ray supports a solid bitrate of 29.99 Mbps on a BD-25 and avoids compression artifacts, many of the scenes suffer from poor image quality. Scenes shot in low light exacerbate the film's visual limitations, showcasing flat contrasts, bleeding blacks, and drained colors. This creates a disappointingly uneven viewing experience, where the visual fidelity is temporarily bolstered during indoor sequences due to improved contrast and depth, yet still marred by evident videographic qualities.
Ultimately, the Blu-ray transfer oscillates between moments of clarity and detail in close-ups to broader shots that appear grainy and dark. The intrusive aliasing and low contrast in critical scenes detract from the overall viewing quality, making it challenging to fully appreciate the potential of the high-definition format.
Audio: 34
The Blu-ray audio presentation of "All Superheroes Must Die" is anchored by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which regrettably falls short of expectations. The overall mix is relatively uninspiring, with surround effects and bass extension that are notably limited. This results in crucial moments, such as explosions, lacking the impactful depth that one would typically anticipate from a superhero film. However, the dialogue is delivered with clarity, ensuring that the actors’ performances remain intelligible even as other aspects falter. The electronic score, credited to George Holdcroft, maintains a fine presence but is supplemented conspicuously by Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, enhancing the auditory experience only nominally.
Fundamental technical issues further undermine the audio track. Dialogue can be difficult to discern at lower volumes, and the balance between spoken lines and sound effects is inconsistent. This imbalance severely affects the overall experience, occasionally producing distorted dialogue when volume levels are adjusted to compensate. Additionally, the surround sound and low-frequency effects (LFE) elements fall short, weakening the dynamic impact of action sequences and explosions. The center channel bears the brunt of the audio output, leaving the front and rear channels largely underutilized, which results in an unusually flat and subdued soundstage.
Overall, while serviceable for basic viewing, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track suffers from critical shortcomings that hinder its ability to deliver a robust and immersive audio experience.
Extras:
The Blu Ray release of "All Superheroes Must Die" disappoints with a glaring lack of extras, providing no additional insights or behind-the-scenes content. This omission is particularly notable given the film's unique premise and the potential interest in the Trost family’s filmmaking journey. Fans seeking context or supplementary features might consider renting "The FP" for a broader understanding of their work and approach.
Extras included in this disc: None
Movie: 16
"All Superheroes Must Die" opens with an intriguing but underdeveloped premise, thrusting four costumed figures into a seemingly abandoned town with no recollection of how they arrived. Despite the intriguing setup, the film suffers from significant narrative deficiencies. Writer, director, and star Jason Trost attempts to evoke a rich emotional landscape but neglects to provide the necessary groundwork—robust character development and coherent backstories—to earn the viewer's investment. The result is a disjointed tale that feels like the incomplete final act of a more expansive story.
The plot follows Charge (Jason Trost), Cutthroat (Lucas Till), Shadow (Sophie Merkley), and The Wall (Lee Valmassy) as they navigate a series of lethal challenges set by their nemesis, Rickshaw (James Remar). Their powers are conveniently stripped away by unexplained injections, leaving them to confront their plight as mere mortals. However, the film skimps on vital exposition and character arcs, making it difficult for viewers to empathize with or even understand the protagonists' prior heroic personas. Rickshaw's convoluted plans and arbitrary sadism form the primary conflict, but without richer context or convincing backstory, his motivations ring hollow.
Technically, while the low-budget production constraints are evident—most notably in the lackluster homemade costumes and sparsely populated sets—this is not uniformly detrimental. James Remar's performance as Rickshaw stands out as a highlight, delivering his monologues with genuine conviction despite the implausible script. However, many logistical elements of Rickshaw's machinations are left unexplained, stretching suspension of disbelief to its breaking point. Trost's occasional use of black-and-white flashbacks to flesh out character history seems more like an afterthought than an integral storytelling device, further breaking the already awkward narrative pacing.
Overall, "All Superheroes Must Die" struggles to balance its ambition with its limited resources, resulting in a film that neither fully embraces its potential as a parody nor succeeds as a sincere entry in the superhero genre.
Total: 32
"All Superheroes Must Die" is a film that ultimately falls short of its ambitious objectives. The storyline centers around the sudden depowering of superheroes, featured in a plot directed and written by Jason Trost. While the premise offers a potentially engaging narrative, the execution is significantly lacking. Trost's approach to character development is notably superficial, failing to delve deeply into the backgrounds, motivations, or complexities of his characters. This absence of depth is akin to reading a minimalist synopsis of a novel rather than experiencing a fully-fleshed out tale. His reliance on basic archetypes and underdeveloped characters prevents the audience from forming any meaningful emotional connections.
Technically speaking, the production quality of the Blu-ray fails to elevate the film. The visual clarity is passable but does little to enhance the underwhelming material. The audio mix is similarly unremarkable, providing satisfactory but uninspired use of surround sound capabilities. This lack of technical finesse parallels the creative shortcomings of the film itself. The tagline on the Blu-ray cover, "Some Games Have No Winners," could not be more fitting; viewers are left feeling like they have lost time on a lackluster and derivative effort.
In conclusion, "All Superheroes Must Die" fails to provide a compelling narrative or engaging character study. Unlike more meticulously crafted films, there is a glaring lack of effort in exploring the minutiae of character and story development. Despite the promising concept, the film's muddled objectives and poor execution hinder it from becoming memorable. Not recommended.
Blu-ray.com review by Michael ReubenRead review here
Video: 80
The film was shot digitally, and numerous shots have distortions that were deliberately introduced to simulate the point of view of someone watching on a video monitor....
Audio: 60
The dialogue is clear, and the electronic score credited to George Holdcroft (who also did The FP) sounds fine, although there should also be an additional credit for Beethoven, whose Moonlight Sonata...
Extras: 0
...
Movie: 20
Trost follows the playbook of contemporary comic book movies down to the final shot after the credits that sets up a potential sequel, but he's overlooked one of the essential challenges of making a comic...
Total: 40
He treated "Doc Ock" just as seriously as a part in Shakespeare, examining his background, motivations and intentions and putting all of that preparation into his portrayal....
High-Def DigestRead review here
Video: 60
The 1080p AVC-encoded transfer provides a few nice moments of clarity and detail, but overall, the image never amounts to much, since the majority of the visual problems stem from the manner and style...
Audio: 40
Dialogue is difficult to hear at low levels, but at the same time, the balance between the actor's voices and the limited sound effects is way off – which either limits the exposure of additional sound...
Extras: 0
Still, if you're curious about the Trost family and their filmmaking aspirations, renting the equally counfounding, but far more entertaining 'The FP' will likely provide you with everything you'd like...
Movie: 20
The uninspired story reveals little as to why Rickshaw (an Arcade-like villain, especially for those familiar with 'Avengers Arena') is targeting these four, specifically – though it's easy to assume they've...
Total: 40
I'm sure the creative wizards who came up with these taglines never assumed (or even cared) how easily both statements could be seen as pertaining to the audience – that is, in both cases, the viewer clearly...
Director: Jason Trost
Actors: Jason Trost, Lucas Till, James Remar
PlotFour superheroes, Charge, Cutthroat, The Wall, and Shadow, awaken in a deserted town with no memory of how they got there. Their powers have been weakened, and they quickly realize they are pawns in a deadly game orchestrated by their arch-nemesis, Rickshaw. Each hero is fitted with an explosive bracelet, with Rickshaw threatening to kill them if they don't complete a series of dangerous challenges within a set time limit. The heroes struggle to overcome these brutal tasks, which test their abilities and force them to confront their personal weaknesses and past failures.
As the heroes navigate the town, they encounter a series of increasingly lethal traps and adversaries. Tensions rise as they discover Rickshaw's motives and the extent of his plans. Amidst the chaos, they must find ways to cooperate and use their diminished powers to survive. Their determination is tested as they grapple with difficult moral choices and the cost of heroism. The dire circumstances push the heroes to their limits, leading to critical revelations about their true strengths and the essence of being a hero. The film maintains a relentless pace, building toward a climactic confrontation with Rickshaw, where the ultimate stakes are revealed.
Writers: Jason Trost
Release Date: 04 Jan 2013
Runtime: 78 min
Rating: Unrated
Country: United States
Language: English