DVD reviews
Immortals
"... a thundering example of style over substance."
Midnight In Paris
...a delightful tribute to nostalgia and romance.
The Illusionist
...a film that generally brings warm smiles rather than belly laughs...
Treasure Guards
"A willing suspension of disbelief should get most viewers across the line."
search the site
newsletter
Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter
Dead Space: Aftermath (DVD)
Year: 2011
Rating: MA
Director: Mike Disa
Cast: Christopher Judge, Peter Woodward
Release Date: February 02, 2011
Distributor: Anchor Bay
The Film: 1.0
FILMINK rates DVDs and Blu-rays out of 5...simply not frightening.
To increase anticipation of the sequel to the video game Dead Space - an atmospheric horror that riffs on classic science fiction themes - this animated film explains the sequence of events between the original game's ending and Dead Space 2. Protagonist Isaac Clarke is left off-screen, with the plot of Dead Space: Aftermath focusing on four original characters, crew members aboard the ship O'Bannon.
References to science fiction are scattered throughout the script, with familiar names likes Ripley, Stross and Borges appearing. Fandom mainstays such as Christopher Judge from Stargate and cult-favourite Babylon 5's Peter Woodward also appear as voice actors.
The plot of the film is concerned with attempts to recover an alien artefact referred to as ‘The Marker' following Isaac Clarke's attempt to destroy it. The O'Bannon is left in the dark as to the dangers they face, not realising that the artefact can cause homicidal psychosis in people who come into direct contact with it. Members of the crew begin to turn on one another, before the full extent of The Marker's powers are unleashed, creating alien monsters known as Necromorphs.
Aftermath cuts back and forth between events on the O'Bannon and the interrogation of the four survivors of this latest Necromorph incident. Each flashback features a different interpretation of events, which is reflected by a change in style from digitally rendered animation to anime; complete with hentai tentacle monsters.
Unfortunately, Dead Space: Aftermath fails to capture the oppressive horror of the Dead Space game, replacing nerve-jangling atmospherics with explosions of blood and graphic hallucinations. There is unintentional fun to be had with the dialogue - "Okay ladies, man your stations" - but overall this film is simply not frightening. Think Rashomon, but set in space and featuring tentacle beasties.
