The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse Blu-ray Review

Anchor Bay's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray of "The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse" delivers a generally clean and clear presentation with acceptable blacks, although the palette is notably muted, featuring a lot of grays and pale blues. This muted color scheme is likely reflective of the original comic’s aesthetic. Compression issues such as aliasing and banding are minimal and not particularly distracting, contributing to an overall clean image. The aspect ratio is presented in a standard 1.78:1 format, which suits the animation style adequately.

However, the transfer is far from perfect. While it offers occasional sharpness, the detail is almost non-existent, with the CG animation looking vague and heavily glossed over. The blacks, though deep and inky, are at times too black, obscuring finer details. The image appears clean but fails to dazzle; the frame shows the best detail possible but lacks depth and texture. The monotonous color palette further limits the picture’s impact, leaving it somewhat ill-defined despite Anchor Bay’s solid technical execution.

Overall, while the 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encode provides clear image quality and maintains acceptable technical standards, the visual execution of the film itself doesn't capitalize on these strengths. The result is a decent but uninspiring video presentation.

The Blu-ray of "The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse" comes equipped with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track that ensures an engaging sound experience. The dynamic range is notably wide, allowing the heavy metal score by Daniel Iannantuono to truly shine, with a robust bass extension that adds depth. Dialogue clarity varies slightly; while it is generally comprehensible, the deeply processed voices of characters like TLC and Asteroth occasionally lose a few words amidst the heavy reverb and bass effects. Despite these minor issues, the dialogue's importance is relatively low in this film, making it a forgivable audiophile-centric shortfall.

Ambient sounds such as nature noises, zombie growls, and other monster effects are nicely channeled through the surround speakers, providing a sense of immersion. The directionality of various sound effects, including gunfire and visceral actions like brain munching, contributes positively to the overall listening experience. While the heavy metal score stands out as a prominent feature of this audio track due to its dynamic range and bass, the sound mix remains front-heavy yet active, utilizing rear speakers effectively to keep the audio lively throughout the film.

Overall, while this Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix may not be groundbreaking or award-winning, it provides a significantly above-serviceable audio experience. It manages to elevate the feature by offering pronounced elements of sound such as the dynamic musical score and effectively delivered special effects, despite a few processing-related dialogue clarity issues. This audio presentation ensures that viewers remain captivated by the auditory aspects of "The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse" from beginning to end.

The Blu Ray of "The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse" is notably sparse in supplemental materials. The disc opens with trailers for "Mimesis," "Shadow People," and "Ultramarines" but does not include any additional bonus content or featurettes. This lack of extras may be a disappointment for fans expecting behind-the-scenes insights or interviews.

Extras included in this disc:

• Mimesis trailer: Preview of the horror film.
• Shadow People trailer: Teaser for the thriller movie.
• Ultramarines trailer: Trailer for the science fiction animation.

"The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse" presents an intriguing concept but falters significantly in execution. The narrative attempts a complex blend of genres that ultimately results in a disorganized and disjointed story. The film follows John Romero, a brain-eating zombie with a conscience who becomes aware of his past life as he interacts with his son, Taylor. Despite occasional glimpses of depth, the plot remains incoherent, sporadically introducing new characters and subplots that lack development and cohesion. The erratic storytelling is further hampered by illogical timeline jumps, undermining any potential emotional engagement with the characters or their journeys.

Visually, the film disappoints with its animation quality, reminiscent of outdated video game graphics. The CG animation feels cheap and lacks fluidity, giving it the appearance of an extended game cutscene rather than a polished animated film. Characters and objects move unnaturally, detracting from the immersive experience. The action sequences, while numerous, become repetitive and do little to drive the story forward, ultimately prolonging an already tedious viewing experience.

The voice acting is similarly subpar, marked by unnatural pauses and overly dramatic deliveries that fail to convey genuine emotion. The heavy metal soundtrack, while energetic, mismatches the film’s tone and exacerbates its disjointed feel. Overall, "The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse" struggles to find its footing both narratively and visually, making it a challenging watch for anyone seeking a coherent and engaging animated horror story. The film may appeal to hardcore genre enthusiasts but offers little for a wider audience. Those interested might find more satisfaction in the original comic series rather than this lackluster adaptation.

"The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse" fails to live up to its name, delivering neither amazement nor coherent adventure. The animation quality is substandard and the voice acting disappointingly lackluster, failing to engage even the least discerning viewers. While ostensibly aimed at older kids and adults, the film lacks the necessary elements of a compelling story or visually impressive sequences to capture either demographic's interest. Furthermore, the absence of any additional features means there is little to entice potential buyers or fans of the comic series.

Technically, the Blu-ray presentation offers no redemption. The video quality is pedestrian at best, with no remarkable sharpness or depth that high-definition technology typically affords. Without noteworthy extras or behind-the-scenes content to add value, this home release stands as an example of another missed opportunity. Even for die-hard zombie genre enthusiasts, the film's failure to deliver any significant gore or horror elements will prove disappointing.

In conclusion, I cannot judge whether fans of "The Living Corpse" comic will enjoy "The Amazing Adventures." Among newcomers, I can't see the film's appeal. Its visual style has obviously been heavily influenced by video games, but gamers will be bored, because there's no way to participate. Anyone looking for a plot will be frustrated. The film has the feeling of a sequel for which someone forgot to write the origin story. Not recommended.