In CONSECRATION, after the suspicious death of her brother, a priest, Grace (Jena Malone) goes to the Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland to find out what really happened. Once there, she uncovers murder, sacrilege and a disturbing truth about her own past.
For in-depth thoughts on Consecration, please see my colleague Andre Couture’s review from its theatrical debut here.
Video Quality
Consecration debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original aspect ratio that brings this movie to life without fail. The transfer provides a grand amount of detail and clarity even in more opaque situations. The movie frequently takes place in darkness or shadow, which is helped along by deep black levels that hold together without much issue. Objects retain their detail and depth in these instances with banding only showing up in fleeting instances. The movie itself has a natural palette which is showcased nicely on screen, especially in the Scottish countryside. No damage or digital noise was detected that would distract from this transfer. IFC Films and RLJE have delivered with this one.
Audio Quality
The film comes to Blu-Ray with a top notch DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that spotlights the sound design perfectly. Surround channels create a very distinct sense of spatial awareness with sounds emanating from all of their specific points. The low end is not going to bring the house down, but it adds some welcome texture that buoys the atmosphere.Dialogue and sound effects are balanced well with the score where nothing loses clarity. The movie renders environmental sounds to add to the three-dimensional nature of the proceedings. This audio track hits it out of the park. There are English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles provided.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on this disc.
Final Thoughts
Consecration has all of the makings of a memorable horror outing, as religion often has a built-in sense of menace which creatives can manipulate with the right approach. The main issue with this effort is that it is often very dull and unfocused. The movie earns points for trying to upend any preconceived notions you might have about where it is heading, but the layered conclusion is a case of too little, too late. Jena Malone provides a welcome anchor to the drama at hand, but she (along with her inconsistent accent) is not enough to make this material sing. IFC Films and RLJE Entertainment have released a Blu-Ray featuring a lovely A/V presentation but nothing in the way of special features. This one is mostly recommended for fans of Malone or the director.
Consecration is currently available to purchase on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: RLJE Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
