This epic fantasy tale, about the history of a land that never was, begins when an ambitious young man steals forbidden knowledge from a sacred plant. He falls to its darker temptations and in so doing, unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind. As his power grows over the years, it falls to people of different ilk and culture to attempt to stop him. Among those who stand against him are a daring tomb-robber, star-crossed lovers, a maniacal necromancer, winged assassins, and an undying guardian.
For in-depth thoughts on The Spine Of Night, please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its original theatrical release here.Â
Video Quality
The Spine Of Night comes to 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of RLJE Films with a fantastic 2160p transfer presented in SDR. While the transfer may not be radically different from the Blu-Ray, the colors present in this transfer are outstanding with these vivid hues swirling amongst each other while maintaining crisp delineation. The textures of all of the environments look naturally filmic and give the feature a nice sense of depth. One of the areas where the feature really shines is the fluidity of the character designs as they relate to the environment. Black levels are strong with no serious issue of banding or compression issues. This 4K UHD Blu-Ray provides a practically immaculate presentation for some of the most interesting rotoscope animation to be unleashed upon the world in some time. While HDR probably would have kicked this up an extra notch, the very slight gains from the Blu-Ray are still worth the small difference in price.Â
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track presented here with optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. The track is a lovely sounding experience that brings the movie to life in a really pleasing manner. Dialogue comes through crystal clear at all times without being overshadowed by any of the intense fight sounds or the score. There are some really fun panning effects in the rear channels that add a nice layer to the story. The score is precise in its placement throughout the room as it envelops the audience. The track employs some good activity in the low end when the things get a little more kinetic in the narrative. There is also a nice amount of sonic detail in the surround channels as the sound of various locations creates a world fully realized. This is a stellar sounding release that should more than please fans of the film.Â
Special Features
This combo pack arrives in SteelBook packaging with a glossy, reflective finish that features stunning cover art reminiscent of the art in the film and an interior featuring skeletons being vaporized. Photos of this can be found at the end of the review.
- The Making Of The Spine Of Night: A pretty great 30-minute documentary which traces the film’s seven-year journey to the screen from the conception to the live-action performances to the intensive rotoscoping process and beyond. Writer/director/animator Morgan Galen King provides some context for his background and the genesis for his love of this particular genre. In addition to King, there are some pretty fun interviews with other key people with the project including some of the actors dressed up for the initial filming. This is a well-done piece that covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time.Â
- Exordium Short Film: The eight-minute short film from 2013 which serves as the first step in the Spine Of Night journey. This is a brutal little tale that shows a man coming into great power.Â
- Mongrel Short Film: A three-minute short film from 2012 that serves as King’s debut. This piece once again features some familiar faces in a story filled with violence.Â
Final Thoughts
The Spine Of Night is quite unlike what we are normally offered up these days, and for that reason alone it is worth seeking out to keep the appreciation of rotoscope animation alive. The story itself can become a bit dull or unfocused in points, but the movie delivers when it comes to brutal violence. It may not break new barriers, but it is a mostly enjoyable throwback that captures why this type of storytelling connects with so many. The vocal performances are pretty strong throughout with a good mixture of known and lesser-known artists bringing these characters to life. RLJE Films has offered up a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a pretty stellar A/V presentation and a few cool features all housed in a beautiful SteelBook packaging. If you are a fan of the film, this is a really great release. RecommendedÂ
The Spine Of Night is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray + Blu-Ray SteelBook, Blu-Ray and DVD.Â
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD 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.
