Mutant Girls Squad Blu-ray Review

"Mutant Girls Squad" is presented on Blu-ray by Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer. The film's 1.78:1 aspect ratio maintains a consistent but unspectacular visual quality. The digital HD video source provides a smooth, glossy look with limited texture and depth, which can result in a somewhat synthetic appearance. Despite this, the image clarity is often admirable. The film employs extensive post-production filtering, which sometimes saturates scenes in yellow or blue hues, causing a noticeable loss in fine object detail during these moments. However, when standard lighting and filtering are used, fine detail can be surprisingly vivid.

The video has some drawbacks, including inconsistent contrast resulting in an occasional effulgent glow that diminishes fine detail and periodic black levels that are more milky than true black. Sporadic mosquito noise and a soapy, sterile feel intermittently impact the presentation, likely due to the economical HD digital cameras used in filming. The low-cost CGI effects contribute to its uneven visual fidelity, alternating between sharp and detailed images and softer, less impressive visuals. The positive elements are the bright and vivid colors, particularly the dominant reds and blues, which stand out strikingly throughout the film, adding much-needed vibrancy to an otherwise average video presentation.

In conclusion, while "Mutant Girls Squad" on Blu-ray doesn't deliver a top-tier visual experience due to its digital origins and post-production choices, it manages to provide satisfactory sharpness and color vividness. This makes it visually engaging at times, despite its evident limitations in contrast and black levels.

The audio presentation of "Mutant Girls Squad" on Blu-ray is captured in a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, recorded in the original Japanese. This mix is consistently immersive and can be overwhelming at times, featuring substantial bursts of LFE and a variety of dynamic sound effects erupting from the surround channels. The overall audio composition is busy and further complemented by the thumping J-pop score, which impressively enhances the low end. Dialogue is presented with clarity and precision, occasionally benefiting from directional placement, though the real highlight remains the eclectic array of sound effects that elevate the listening experience.

In stark contrast, another perspective views the same DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack as lifeless and bland, akin to being recorded through an onboard camera mic. While dialogue remains clear and intelligible, it is plagued by reverb and lacks vibrancy. The rest of the soundstage feels artificial, unable to genuinely expand the audio imaging, and the mid-range falls flat without distortion. This lackluster presentation is particularly evident when the J-pop tunes fail to ignite excitement or adequately fill the room. Nevertheless, the bass is described as healthy and adequate, offering several punchy moments, albeit with an unfortunate absence of rear channel activity despite the on-screen action.

Interestingly, a standard Dolby Digital 2.0 mix is also available and provides a surprisingly boisterous experience with commendable low-end performance. This secondary option serves as a testament to the variability in audio presentations, highlighting both impressive and lackluster elements within "Mutant Girls Squad’s" Blu-ray offerings.

The extras on the Blu-ray disc of "Mutant Girls Squad" comprise a robust and engaging collection of behind-the-scenes material and interviews that provide significant insight into the making of the film. The comprehensive "Making Of" featurette gives viewers a detailed look at the filmmaking process with plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew. "Opening Day" captures the excitement of the film's premiere events, offering a closer look at the festive atmosphere and candid moments from the Q&A sessions. Interviews with key cast members and directors add depth, presenting personal perspectives on the production. Additionally, the spin-off short film "Yoshie Zero" elaborates on the origins of key characters, enhancing the narrative world of the main feature.

Extras included in this disc:

• Making Of: Behind-the-scenes footage from February 2010 with interviews and film clips.
• Opening Day: Premiere events coverage from Theater N and Cinema Rosa.
• Interviews: Six interviews featuring cast members and directors.
• Spin Off Short Yoshie Zero: Background on Yoshie and Kisaragi characters.

"Mutant Girls Squad" emerges as an audacious blend of hyperbolic action and splatter horror, reminiscent of a Quentin Tarantino-esque take on the X-Men saga, shaped through a Japanese blood-soaked lens. The film revels in grotesque hyper-violence, delivering copious amounts of severed limbs, bifurcated skulls, and relentless blood showers that engulf the screen, becoming a defining aesthetic of the movie. The credits sequence alone sets the tone with its ludicrous display of the three lead actresses annihilating foes in ways that are both shocking and darkly humorous, such as chainsaw-wielding derrieres and swords erupting from nipple-sprouted bosoms. This extreme visual gore is punctuated with a twisted sense of humor, making the film an unforgettable experience for those who appreciate this niche genre.

The narrative follows sixteen-year-old Rin (Yumi Sugimoto), who transitions from a bullied schoolgirl to a rampant mutant after a bizarre family revelation on her birthday. This rite of passage ignites with her parents revealing their mutations in hilariously grotesque manners, followed by a sudden violent incursion by gun-toting agents. Escaping to an anarchic spree through urban settings, Rin encounters a rogue band of mutants led by the enigmatic and cross-dressing samurai Kisaragi (Tak Sakaguchi). The group's mission to exact revenge on humanity for persecution features a collection of odd proficiencies, from tentacle arms to chainsaws manifesting from unforeseen body parts. As Rin oscillates between bloodlust and morality, the ensuing conflict challenges viewers with its kaleidoscopic violence and darkly comedic underbelly.

Directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, Tak Sakaguchi, and Noboru Iguchi, "Mutant Girls Squad" is a quintessential contribution to Japan's burgeoning splatter horror subgenre. Known for their previous works like "Tokyo Gore Police" and "The Machine Girl," the directors seamlessly interweave their distinctive styles into a singularly bizarre spectacle of ultra-violent absurdity. The film’s unapologetic gore and tongue-in-cheek treatment ensure that it carves its unique niche within the cult horror circuit, serving grotesque thrills for hardcore aficionados of visceral cinema.

The Blu-ray release of "Mutant Girls Squad" brings an unapologetically outrageous spectacle of splatter and camp, directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, Noboru Iguchi, and Tak Sakaguchi. The film operates as a grotesque parody of the "X-Men" franchise, boasting a relentless barrage of gory visuals paired with a dark, twisted sense of humor. Despite its low-budget origins, the manic energy and chaotic creativity of the directors ensure an oddly coherent experience across the three chapters they helmed. For those who appreciate over-the-top carnage and offbeat comedy, this film delivers on all fronts.

Technically, the Blu-ray’s video quality holds up well under the extensive bloodshed and special effects, though it doesn’t quite reach premium standards. The audio track is similarly effective but lacks the depth some audiophiles might expect. Supplemental materials provide additional value; while not exhaustive, they offer intriguing insights into the creation and direction of this unique piece of cinema.

In sum, "Mutant Girls Squad" thrives on its wild, uninhibited enthusiasm and is a true testament to creative exploitation cinema. The mixture of blood-soaked action and outrageous humor throughout all three segments brings a bizarre yet delightful coherence to this mad adventure. The Blu-ray is worth checking out for genre enthusiasts seeking unconventional fun, even if the audio-visual presentation doesn't entirely dazzle. Recommended for those with a taste for the weird and wonderful.

I'm not a particularly rabid fan of this genre, but I have to admit I laughed myself silly throughout Mutant Girls Squad. How can you not love the sight of a bad guy's head being split in half, revealing the two hemispheres of his brain pulsating slightly in the twilight as huge amounts of blood spurt everywhere? Well, okay, some of you probably will be quite capable of not loving sights like that, but for those with perhaps slightly skewed senses of humor, this film (yep, I'll even use that term) is a lot of fun, albeit crazy, uninhibited fun full of absolute carnage. Despite the fact that the film was divided into three chapters shot by each of its co-directors, there's a certain manic consistency to the proceedings here. This Blu-ray offers nice (if bloody) looking video, great audio and some decent supplements. Recommended.