DVD Shopping Bag: Dead Space: Aftermath (Mania.com)
By:Robert T. Trate
Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Once again Electronic Arts Inc. and Anchor Bay Entertainment have teamed up to deliver a prequel to the latest Dead Space game. Today both Dead Space: Aftermath and Dead Space 2 are available for this popular mutated zombies in space game. If you are looking for information on the game check out Mania’s “Level Up” column for more information. This column is going to discuss the prequel movie for the sequel game.
It is interesting to tackle the subject the matter of Dead Space without ever having played the game. I did review the first prequel to the original game back in 2008 (Dead Space: Downfall see review). It was creepy, disturbing and fun. It was a great set up for what was an extremely popular game. I thought I would give this prequel a shot after enjoying the first animated film so much.
The Plot
The USG O’Bannon is out to the AEGIS System to discover what happened to the USG Ishimura. There mission is to find survivors. Their secret mission, the one that will kill everyone, is to bring back pieces of the alien artifact. Four survivors remain and each has their own story to tell.
The interesting thing to each of their stories is that it is introduced to the audience by learning what the survivors fear. They are then tortured into revealing what happened. This is a bit strange considering each one wants to reveal what happened, but as stories go it doesn’t ruin the overall plot.
Animation
The animation style of Dead Space: Downfall set the tone and flavor for what type of tale this was going to be. The opening of Dead Space: Aftermath is poor CG animation. Poor enough to compare it to what a first render of Star Wars: The Clone Wars must be like. The characters move with rough blocky articulation. This initially was a great deterrent to finishing the rest of this one hour and seventeen minute film. Thankfully, when each survivor is tortured into revealing their tale, it reverts back to the animation style of Dead Space: Downfall. This was fitting for the story as well as a saving grace for the rest of the film. The problem then becomes matching up the likenesses of the characters to two different animation styles. Their voices and names should be enough but these characters go through the ringer and come out completely different on the other side. Often you are left wondering is that really the same guy?
Overall
The story was fun and a great twist on what probably would have been the darkest episode of Star Trek ever. Getting over the animation is really the biggest problem. The true treat here is hearing Graham McTavish bring the USG O’Bannon’s Captain to life. Why? He is only going to appear in The Hobbit (2012) as Dwalin. He brings this character, the Captain, to life in such a way you can’t wait to see what he does with his Dwarf. If you are a fan of the Dead Space game you won’t see engineer Isaac Clarke in this film (well not completely). His tale remains yours to play out in Dead Space 2.
Top 5 Picks of the Week:
2. The Graduate [Blu-ray]
3. Red (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [Blu-ray]
5. Color Purple [Blu-ray]
ACTION / ADVENTURE / KUNG FU/ THRILLERS / WESTERNS
Crippled Masters 2: Two Crippled Heroes Starring Jack Conn Frank Shum
Crippled Masters 3: Fighting Life Starring Jack Conn Frank Shum
Dope Starring Nathan Dean Ramsay Anatasia Seis Travis McMahon Mathew Wilkinson
Drunken Masters 2 Starring Donnie Yen and Andy Lau
Duplicity Starring Portia Realer Vash R. Boddie Ken Palmer
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest Starring Noomi Rapace
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest [Blu-ray]
Inhale Starring Dermot Mulroney, Diane Kruger, and Sam Shepard
Inspector Bellamy Starring Gerard Depardieu
Interview with a Serial Killer Starring Peter Firth, Harriett Robinson, Don Henderson
Knock Out Bollywood DVD With English Subtitles Starring Irrfan Khan, Sanjay Dutt, and Kangna Ranaut
Man of Violence Starring Michael Latimer
Quiet Days in Clichy [Blu-ray] Starring Paul Valjean, Wayne Rodda, Ulla Lemvigh-Mueller
Red (Special Edition) Starring Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman
Red (Special Edition) [Blu-ray]
Red Hill [Blu-ray] Starring Ryan Kwanten and Steve Bisley
Red Hill
Reflections Starring Timothy Hutton
Traveler Starring Val Kilmer, Dylan Neal, Paul McGillion, and Camille Sullivan
Unmoved Mover
ANIME
Disgaea: The Complete Series Starring Barbara Goodson, Sandy Fox, and Michelle Ruff
Gantz: The Complete Series (Classic Line) Starring Chris Ayres, Shannon Emerick, and Emily Carter-Essex
Ghost Sweeper: Mikami Collection 2
Naruto Shippuden Box Set 5
One Piece: Season Three, Fourth Voyage
Pokemon Elements: Collection 2
Vampire Knight: Complete Series
CARTOONS
Coraline [Blu-ray]
Open Season 3 Starring Ciara Bravo and Karley Scott Collins
Open Season 3 (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated: Season 1 V.1
Shaun the Sheep: Spring Shena-a-anigans
She-Ra: The Complete Series
Criterion Collection
Broadcast News (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Starring William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, and Robert Prosky
Broadcast News (Criterion Collection)
Eclipse Series 25: Basil Dearden's London Underground (Sapphire, The League of Gentlemen, Victim, All Night Long) (Criterion Collection) Starring Nigel Patrick, Jack Hawkins, Richard Attenborough
HORROR
A Flat Starring Jimmy Shergill and Sanjay Suri
Alligator Starring Claudio Cassinelli, Mel Ferrer, and Romano Puppo
Bread Crumbs
Disturbed Starring Lisa Coldwell, Gary Slayton, Peyton Aldridge
Fright Flick Starring Chad Allen, Daphne Khoury, and Todd Jenkins
House of Bones Starring Charisma Carpenter and Corin Nemec
Killjoy 3
Santa Sangre [Blu-ray] Starring Guy Stockwell, Blanca Guerra, and Axel Jodorowsky
Santa Sangre
Saw: The Final Chapter (Formerly Saw 3D) Starring Tobin Bell and Cary Elwes
Saw: The Final Chapter (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (Formerly Saw 3D)
MODERN CLASSICS on BLU-RAY
Color Purple [Blu-ray] Starring Danny Glover and Laurence Fishburne
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [Blu-ray] Starring Jim Carrey, Gerry Robert Byrne, Elijah Wood
The Graduate [Blu-ray] Starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross
SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY
Dead Space: Aftermath [Blu-ray] Starring Christopher Judge, Peter Woodward, Graham McTavish
Dead Space: Aftermath
Penitent Man Starring Lance Henriksen, Lathrop Walker, Andrew Keegan
TV LAND
Everwood: Complete First Season Starring Treat Williams, Gregory Smith, and John Beasley
Flash: Complete Series Starring John Wesley Shipp
Glee: Season 2, Volume 1 Starring Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Chris Colfer
Little Rascals in Color 2
Man in a Suitcase: Set One Starring Richard Bradford, Derren Nesbitt, John Carson
Matlock: Sixth Season Starring Andy Griffith, Nancy Stafford, and Clarence Gilyard
Mi-5: Volume 8 Starring Peter Firth, Richard Armitage, and Hermione Norris
North & South: The Complete Collection Starring Patrick Swayze, James Read, David Carradine
Puppets Who Kill: The Best Of Season 3 & 4 Starring Dan Redican
Webster: Season One Starring Alex Karras, Emmanuel Lewis, Eugene Roche, and Susan Clark
Zorro: The Complete Series Starring Duncan Regehr, James Victor, Juan Diego Botto
Series: