In a remote Estonian village, three children from the city are forced to spend the summer on their grandfather’s farm. When the trio accidentally set loose the old man’s prized but thoroughly abused cow, they learn that they have only 24 hours to milk the rogue bovine before it’s exponentially expanding udders explode and unleash a milk-pocalypse. To complicate this crisis, a decrepit and disgraced farmer with a body literally infused with milk and a prejudice for cattle is also determined to catch the animal, but with murderous intent. Based on a popular Estonian web series created by Peeter Ritso and Mikk Mägi, so proceeds the most outrageous stop-motion comedy since A Town Called Panic.
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Video Quality
The Old Man: The Movie comes to Blu-Ray from Unearthed Films with a very impressive 1080p transfer. The actual content of this movie can be wonderfully grotesque, and this presentation captures every unsightly nuance. The textures, from the character designs to the environments, are distinct and give the film a real sense of depth. The subtle details such as fingerprints in the clay help to show the care put into bringing these stories to life. Each environment has a personality that shines through in the best way.
The colors present in the transfer is well saturated with the wide range of nuanced hues permeating the frame. One of the areas where the film really shines is the fluidity of the stop motion animation as these characters lumber through the world. Black levels are incredibly strong with no hint of compression artifacts or digital anomalies of the sort. This is simply a beautiful looking Blu-Ray presentation that brings this film to the screen perfectly.
Audio Quality
This release comes with a formidable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 lossless track presented here in the original Estonian along with an English dub with optional English subtitles for both. While we always advocate for the original language track, this is especially true here as the English dub does not capture the spirit of the film. Overall, this track is a lovely sounding experience that brings the movie to life in a really engaging manner. Every sound is distinctly placed throughout the room as they immerse the audience with a soundscape as detailed as the animation on screen.
Dialogue comes through clearly at all times without being overshadowed by any of the worldly sounds or the whimsical scores. While this is not an action-packed tale, the track does display some significant activity in the low end to give substantial weight to the more kinetic moments. There are also subtle environmental sounds in the surround channels which make you feel as if you are on a farm. This track does everything it needs to for this film.
Special Features
- The Old Man Shorts
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- Taste Of Cow: A two-minute short which explains the mysterious taste of the lake water.
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- I Went To Sauna With Grandchildren: A two-minute short which shows off the perils of cooling off after going to the sauna.
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- My Cow Gave Birth: A two-minute short which shows what you are not supposed to do after witnessing the miracle of life.
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- The Old Man Is Tired: A nearly three-minute short which shows how powerful spite can be when you are at the end of your journey.
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- The Old Hag Had Me Put An Implant: A nearly three-minute short which shows why it is better not to drink.
- Trailers: This disc provides the trailer for The Old Man: The Movie in its original Estonian (2:23) and in English (2:41). There are also trailers provided for Premutos, Ascetic, Untold Story, Evil Dead Trap, and Hanger.
Final Thoughts
The Old Man: The Movie is a deviously fun example of the inventive ways in which animation can be used as an artform. The actual claymation is a bit rough around the edges, but it has character and perfectly suits the outrageous narrative. The film is not so offensive as to be alienating, but it does have crudeness to it that will appeal more to those who enjoy more juvenile and pitch black humor. For those who get on its wavelength, they will find it to be a shocking and hilarious time that they will want to show off to like minded film fans. Unearthed Films has released a new Blu-Ray featuring a stunning A/V presentation and some fun special features that keep the party rolling a little longer. If you appreciate some filthy, inappropriate humor in your animation, give this one a shot at the very least. Highly Recommended
The Old Man: The Movie is currently available on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Unearthed 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.