DVD Corner's blog

Blood Quantum Blu-ray Review

“Blood Quantum” squanders a great premise.

Set in 1981 on the Red Crow Indian Reservation in Quebec, “Blood Quantum” primarily follows a family comprised of Traylor (a Sheriff), his ex-wife (Joss), their son (Joseph), and Traylor’s father (Gisigu) along with Joseph’s girlfriend (Charlie) pregnant with their child. The story finds the 5 characters being caught up amidst a zombie viral outbreak in which people (and animals) are coming back to life. Curiously, the indigenous people are immune to the virus, but there’s still plenty of danger all around them.

It’s no secret that zombie movies have certainly seen better days due to the overabundance of zombie stories that have flooded the market. On the bright side, writer/director Jeff Barnaby’s “Blood Quantum” provides a new perspective within the zombie movie framework with a unique setting and an intriguing story about indigenous people. On the downside, Barnaby seems perplexed as to where to go with the story. The film has no real middle act as it shows the characters in survival mode which was already a given. It isn’t until the final half-hour that an event happens, but, without giving away spoilers, it feels like an entirely forced conflict. Had it been written in a different way, it could have been impactful. As is, it feels clumsy (as does much of the dialogue). It’s a shame the story never quite pans out as “Blood Quantum” could have been a thought provoking horror about race and indigenous people rather than a blood soaked zombie movie that wastes a perfectly good premise.

The cast is generally subpar here as there are some weak performances throughout. However, veteran Gary Farmer classes up the movie (despite having limited screentime) and Stonehorse Lone Goeman completely steals the movie as the sword wielding father.

I do want to shoutout the generally excellent practical FX (although there is some CGI) and the top notch cinematography by Michel St-Martin which certainly benefits the film a great deal.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.35:1 1080p. How does it look? A nice crisp hi-def transfer.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? This 5.1 track does the job.

Extras include a free Shudder 30 day trial and a trailer for “Revenge.”

September 2, 2020 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Blood Quantum Blu-ray Review, Horror Movie, Zombie Movie