THE STEAM ENGINES OF OZ -- Blu-ray/DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 5/31/18

 

THE STEAM ENGINES OF OZ (Cinedigm, 2018) is one of those dystopian Oz tales in which L. Frank Baum's wonderful fairytale land has gone to pot and needs someone to restore the magic.

And much like writer-director Sean Patrick O'Reilly's HOWARD LOVECRAFT AND THE FROZEN KINGDOM, it's also one of those modestly-rendered digital cartoons that will probably look decidedly low-tech to someone who's more used to lush, polished Disney and Pixar product.  (Although, ironically, it would've looked amazingly cutting-edge back in the "dawn of CGI" days of the 80s.)

As such, the character/background design and execution are of uneven quality throughout, with the underground and city sequences looking the best and the forest/battle scenes often having a somewhat unfinished look.  Not surprisingly, the film's steampunk angle is one of its most appealing elements.

The story begins in the vast subterranean world beneath the Emerald City, where a plucky young "Mary Sue" type named Victoria, whose job it is to help keep the city's massive steam engines running, is chosen by good witch Locasta and her flying monkeys to help defeat the city's tyrannical ruler and restore order to Oz.

Surprisingly, this dreaded tyrant is none other than the Tin Man, who rules with an iron fist (so to speak) in his quest to abolish magic and spread his steam-engine technology throughout the land to the detriment of the environment (giving the story an ecological slant).

A flashback in black-and-white motion-comic form--one of the film's best-looking sequences--explains Tin Man's motives (he's doing it all for love) but that doesn't lessen the image of him as a snarling metal monster (more of a sinister, hulking Doctor Doom than the benevolent little tin fellow we're used to) trying his best to chop the good-guy characters to pieces with his massive axe during the big battle sequence that occurs about halfway through the story. 

The film doesn't hold back on such imagery, portraying Tin Man's armies as goose-stepping fascists wielding lethal weapons (indeed, in one scene a likable main character is melodramatically shot to death with a lightning-bolt rifle).

Leading up to all of this, Victoria emerges "topside" for the first time in her life so that she can escape the Emerald City and seek out the help of the Munchkins as well as that of the fabled Wizard of Oz (here voiced by none other than William Shatner). 

Accompanied by her friends Mr. Digg and a comical Munchkin named Gromit, whom she freed from their dungeon cells as "honored guests" of the Tin Man, Victoria enlists the aid of Magnus, son of the Cowardly Lion, and the rest of his pack in what will eventually lead to the aforementioned battle with Tin Man's forces as THE STEAM ENGINES OF OZ becomes a bonafide war movie.

During all this we'll recognize obvious callbacks to various other action movies such as THE MATRIX, 300, and KILL BILL.  At one point, one of the Munchkin leaders exhorts his troops with the phrase, "Let's go, Munchspendables!"

Later, Victoria and company return to the Emerald City, entering Tin Man's dreaded steam engine chamber in search of the imprisoned Scarecrow and resuming the film's "quest" theme, which will eventually be resolved in a "love conquers all" ending.

I'm not sure how little kids will respond to THE STEAM ENGINES OF OZ, since it seems aimed mainly at those who read the graphic novel and/or prefer their Oz stories with a hefty dose of adult grit and grime.  I spent most of its running time reacting to it rather than actually enjoying it, my assessment varying as wildly as the gauges on one of Tin Man's smoldering steam engines. 


CAST
Ron Perlman ("Sons of Anarchy," Hellboy)
William Shatner ("Star Trek," Miss Congeniality)
Julianne Hough ("Dancing with the Stars," Footloose)

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Format: BD+DVD / Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu and more)
SRP: BD+DVD:$19.97
Running Time: 75 mins.
Genre: Animation/Family
Audio: Dolby 5.1
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 (1.78:1)
Subtitles: English
Extras: none
Street Date: June 5, 2018

THE STEAM ENGINES OF OZ -- Blu-ray/DVD Review by Porfle

MUTANT CHRONICLES -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 8/1/09

 

How much fun can one movie be? MUTANT CHRONICLES (2008) does its all-out damnedest to answer that question. A sumptuous mix of model work, mattes, some CGI, tons of green screen, and full-size sets, with marauding monsters, gore galore, and a retro-futuristic steampunk atmosphere that's a joy to behold, it's the kind of flick that gets my geek blood racing and makes me glad I never outgrew this kind of stuff.

The prologue tells of a terrible machine that comes from outer space ages ago, sets up subterranean shop, and starts turning humans into killer mutants. A brotherhood of sword-wielding monks somehow defeats the mutants and seals the pit which houses the machine. Thousands of years later, in our own post-apocalyptic future (or an alternate version thereof), the world is divided into four huge corporations that are constantly at war over global resources, and during one particularly furious battle the pit is uncovered, the seal is broken, and the mutant factory starts turning people into monsters again.

As millions of refugees (those who can afford it, anyway) are fleeing the planet in spaceships, the current leader of the monks, Brother Samuel (Ron Perlman), assembles a ragtag group of hardcore soldiers from different countries to make their way underground and try to shut down the machine. To get there they have to enter an ancient underground metropolis and descend into the earth via a skyscraper that's been buried by the sands of time. Two things stand in their way--lots and lots of mutants, and the fact that Brother Samuel's holy book, the Mutant Chronicles, tells them everything they need to know about deactivating the machine (or blowing it up--they're not quite sure) except the location of the key needed to do so.

In a way, it's a darker and grungier variation on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy smashed together into one blood-and-thunder pulp sci-fi epic, done on a budget that probably wouldn't have gotten Frodo and his pals halfway out of the Shire. The sometimes makeshift special effects artistry, which uses just about every technique in the book, displays a great deal of imagination and resourcefulness and is a feast for the eyes of anyone not jaded by slick, mega-budget perfection.

A good example of this is the opening battle sequence, which combines World War I trench warfare, nuts-and-bolts futuristic hardware, and a retro look similar to that of Michael Radford's 1984. It's a beautiful sequence that introduces Sean Pertwee's Capt. Nathan Rooker and Thomas Jane's Major "Mitch" Hunter, two cynical, world-weary soldiers whose only cause is survival. Mitch finds himself in a desperate hand-to-hand struggle with an enemy officer from the Bauhaus corporation, the aristocratic Lt. Maximillian von Steiner (Benno Fürmann), which is cut short by a wave of attacking mutants. At that point national conflicts fly out the window as the humans suddenly must band together against the mutant onslaught in the first of several outlandishly gory and delightfully splattery sequences.

Mitch and von Steiner both end up in Brother Samuel's army, which also consists of a single mother with 61 kills named Cpl. Valerie Duval (Devon Aoki, SIN CITY's "deadly little Miho"), Brother Samuel's silent apprentice and expert swordmistress Severian (Anna Walton), Cpl. Juba Kim Wu (Tom Wu), stiff-arsed Capt. John McGuire (Steve Toussaint), and garrulous Cpl. Jesus 'El Jesus' de Barrera (Luis Echegaray). Before it's over, this disparate group from different races and nationalities will earn each other's respect and allegiance in combat.


A harrowing elevator shaft descent into a nest of mutants provides one of the most thrilling setpieces of the movie, leading to the climactic battle in the heart of the alien machine where our heroes must somehow figure out the secret of the key while fighting for their lives against wave after wave of murderous creatures. Some will die, others will get "assimilated" Borg-style and turn against their allies. By this time the characters have been developed well enough for us to be fully invested in their fates, so there's an emotional resonance in all of this as well. These scenes are beautifully staged and executed.

Thomas Jane (whom I've always liked for some reason) is great as Mitch, whose action-movie swagger and flippant cynicism hide a wounded and sensitive heart. The always imposing Ron Perlman is impressive, often conveying much feeling with only his expressive face. Among the rest of the uniformly solid cast I especially like Devon Aoki and Anna Walton, who are both excellent here, and of course Sean Pertwee in his brief but pivotal role. For added marquee value, John Malkovich appears in a few early scenes and lends some star cred to the trailers.

Magnolia Home Entertainment, under their "Magnet" label, is releasing three DVD versions of MUTANT CHRONICLES--a single disc, a 2-disc collector's edition, and 1-disc Blu-Ray. I watched the 2-disc director's cut which is 1.85:1 widescreen with 5.1 Dolby Digital, and it looks and sounds great to me. Disc 1 contains the movie and a commentary track with director Simon Hunter and star Ron Perlman, who are into it enough to continue talking throughout the 8-minute closing credits. Disc 2 is loaded with goodies including a feature-length "making of" documentary, deleted scenes, green-screen and storyboard comparisons, cast and crew interviews, a Comic Con panel Q & A, webisodes, a red-band trailer, and more.

For me, the highlight of the whole movie is the scene midway through the story in which the soldiers are being transported to their destination via a huge, clunky, steam-powered airship that resembles a flying factory. This glorious steampunk creation with its sweltering boiler room and gear-grinding machinery is like something right out of Jules Verne. An aerial attack by another ship that's been taken over by mutants leads to a thrilling high-speed descent in a diving bell-like escape pod whose parachute can't handle the excess weight of Brother Samuel's army. Just like the rest of the action scenes in MUTANT CHRONICLES, this is sharply directed, painstakingly edited, visually stunning, and delightfully exciting. But most of all, it's just a ton of big goofy B-movie fun.

MUTANT CHRONICLES -- DVD Review by Porfle

"BABES WITH BLADES" Steampunk Action-Fantasy Slices Its Way to North American Audiences Early 2018 -- DVD/VOD Release (1/2)

BREAKING GLASS UNLEASHES BABES WITH BLADES

Action-Fantasy’s North American DVD & VOD
Roll-Out Begins January 2

Philadelphia, PA, November 13, 2017--Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to the steampunk, action-fantasy film BABES WITH BLADES. Breaking Glass acquired rights to the film in August in a deal negotiated between Breaking Glass CEO Rich Wolff and Brian Sweet of APL Films. The film will arrive on DVD & VOD January 2.

Featuring UK stuntwomen from the infamous Babes with Blades Theater Group, BABES WITH BLADES stars Cecily Fay (Prometheus, The Huntsman: Winters War, Star Wars), Lauren Okadigbo (Justice League, Wonder Woman), Yennis Cheung (Skyfall, Death Race 4), and punk icon John Robb.

On the dark streets of Draiga, a mining colony occupied by the Visray Empire, lives Azura, the last of a fearsome warrior race known as the Sarnians. After witnessing her once beautiful home world turn into a lifeless husk, Azura must fight to the death in the gladiatorial ring to stay alive.

Meanwhile, a group of human freedom fighters form a resistance, seeking to try and protect their families from the oppressive and cruel rule of the Visray Section Commander Sorrentine.

Unbeknownst to Azura, the fate of all humans on Draiga is about to rest in her hands. Can she survive long enough to save her colony?

Starting January 2, BABES WITH BLADES will be available to buy/rent on the following platforms: iTunes, Amazon Instant, Google Play, PlayStation, Xbox, Vudu, and On Demand through local cable and satellite providers.

WATCH THE TRAILER:

BABES WITH BLADES
 Genre: Action/Fantasy
Running Time: ​​​​​​​96 min.
Rating: NR
Language: English
Audio: Dolby 5.1
SRP: $24.99
UPC Code: 855184007242

Cast: Cecily Fay, Lauren Okadigbo, Yennis Cheung, John Robb
Director: Cecily Fay
Written by: Cecily Fay
Producer: Cecily Fay

"BABES WITH BLADES" Steampunk Action-Fantasy Slices Its Way to North American Audiences Early 2018 -- DVD/VOD Release (1/2)