Black Death: Blu-Ray & Digital Copy: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Review by JAM
Death comes in many forms in this new Blu-ray release from Magnolia Pictures as Sean Bean headlines this medieval thriller dealing with plague, witchcraft, and lost love.
Sent on an expedition to root out heresy and witchcraft for the church, church sanctioned knight Ulric (Sean Bean) is in search of a small village within the desolate forests and marshes of a place untouched by the plague. Visiting a remote monastery in search of a guide, Ulric’s group find the young monk Osmund (Eddie Redmayne) quick to offer to guide them into the forest and marshes themselves, holding the secrets of a forbidden love from his brothers at the monastery.
Osmund finds that not everything is as it seems as his journey commences. The knights are not as virtuous as he would have expected, his love is seemingly lost to the wilds, and the ensorcelled town is too peaceful for words and hides its secrets underneath a façade of lies and mistruths.
Drawn in by the leader of this town, the beautiful witch (or at least deceiver played by Carice van Houten), the men find themselves tempted and destroyed by the forces which they oppose. Free from disease, seemingly able to raise the dead, and renouncing their Christianity to a hidden evilness inside that they hide behind a Pagan façade, the village and its leader find death themselves through deception and deceit as well, leaving none untouched by this evil time of plague and pestilence and witchcraft.
Black Death also has some amazing performances by Ulric’s band of soldiers including John Lynch, Emun Elliot, and Andy Nyman.
JAMS Ink on Black Death
This is dark. Any movie named Black Death that deals with the Black Death should be of course, but this was medieval gruesomeness at its rawest form. No CGI, no in your face 3D effects, just harsh reality of sword fights, torture, and the putrid pestilence of the Black Death. This was probably as true as we could imagine a film in this medieval setting with no trick arrows or thrown scimitars, no fancy stunts and staged sword fight. This was gritty, grimy, and deadly for anyone involved and the movie shares this feeling with you as you get drawn into the story. You see that things seem just not right throughout the film as villages pure and uncorrupt are determined to be influenced by outside forces, noble knights are killers in the name of the Lord yet have a hidden and necessary nobility, and true love is questioned, corrupted, and tainted all by one who may or may not have been a witch. It is a GREAT look at medieval historical actions, unless you are not a fan of bloody realistic combat, death, and dismemberment.
Blu-ray wise, the release is impeccable. The coloration and the sharp quality of imaging gives the feel of being in a medieval setting, especially during their times of travel through the lush green countryside of England (or Germany filling in for England at least). The graininess that is detected now and again often comes in the darker parts of the movie while your senses seem to be confused slightly and things don’t seem as clear, whether in battle for your life or preparing for torture and death. Overall the Blu-ray release paints a pretty picture of a horrid Black Death.
EXTRAS
The extras provided are fairly typical for a Blu-ray release with pieces that relatively enhance the release. The deleted scenes are really just extra portions of the film, neither necessary nor trash. Bringing Black Death to Life is the introspective look at the making of type documentary while the Interviews with the cast and crew is a cool insight into the film and its look at religious fanaticism and more. There are also behind the scenes footage, a HDNET promo for the film, the trailer, and upcoming trailers as well.
Bonus Features
Deleted Scenes
Bringing Black Death to Life
Interviews with Cast and Crew
Behind the Scenes Footage
HDNET: A Look at Black DeathTheatrical Trailer
Death, sword fights, and the Bubonic Plague fill the Magnolia Home Entertainment release with awesome Sean Bean goodness. Grab a copy on May 10, 2011 and enjoy the medieval aspects of a hunt for witchcraft, retribution, and more.
Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.
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