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Scanners II: The New Order (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Second Sight Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (13th March 2013). |
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The Film
 In 1981, now-famous director David Cronenberg directed Scanners, a film that was noted for one of the best special effect exploding heads of all time and it's social and political commentary. It managed to gross an impressive $14million taking into account the low budget and relatively unknown cast. However, Cronenberg managed to film it so that the ending was perhaps a closed case and a sequel was always going to be difficult. Well, in 1990, filming began on two sequels back-to-back, both to be directed by Canadian newcomer Christian Duguay. The synopsis for Scanners II: The New Order reads: In this sequel to David Cronenberg’s original classic a corrupt, power-crazed police official has high ambitions and plans to use the telepathic power of Scanners to achieve his goal. With the aid of a scientist and a new drug, he believes he can control their minds to do his bidding but a rogue Scanner has other plans. Scanners II takes the series in quite a different direction. The storyline itself has quite a number of good ideas, the best being to influence an inexperienced Scanner (David) who has only just realised exactly what he is, into finding a man who killed some kids after poisoning milk, making him think he is going to be doing good under the command and help of John Forrester. It isn't until David scans Forrester that he realises he is being used to help Forrester attempt to control the city by using Scanners. I also really liked the idea that Scanners that were unable to control their minds and abilities had become addicted to a drug given to them by Forrester, who uses the junkies needs to control them. Unfortunately though, the dialogue and the structure doesn't necessarily put these ideas into action in the best way. It sometimes feels a little lazy and becomes a little generic when it could've been something quite fresh, despite the original. The cast is a mixed bag. I enjoyed the performances of David Hewlitt, Yvan Ponton, Isabella Mejias and Deborah Raffin, but these good showings were sometimes brushed aside by some hammy, amateur dramatics, especially by Raoul Trujillo who plays Peter Drak. The mind control battles can be of varying qualities also. Some of the characters who are being controlled look the part. Scared, panicky and out-of-control. Others however, look as though they are battling, well... constipation. Effects and set-pieces aren't always up to the standard of Scanners, but the convenience store armed robbery scene is among the strongest in the film and includes the strongest stunt work of this sequel. Scanners II: The New Order isn't a bad film. The sequel is seperated from the first movie in several ways and stands on it's own two feet, whilst maintaining some similarities. It has some great ideas, but unfortunately they are not realised to their full potential.
Video
Second Sight present Scanners II: The New Order to blu-ray with a 1080p/AVC transfer that is free from any major damage. Although the transfer for the first movie is better, this still had no scratches or particularly noticeable problems that I could see. The transfer is layered with a thin amount of grain throughout, but it's obvious some care has been done to remove a lot of the grain that was present on DVD releases without giving the movie a waxy, overly-clean appearance. Sharpness lacks a little at times, but overall Scanners II gets a good transfer, especially if you consider the likely source material.
Audio
There are two audio options present on the disc; English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 and English LPCM 2.0 Stereo. For the purposes of this review, I decided to go for the 5.0 upmix, despite the lack of LFE action. The audio track is clean without any noticeable damage and volume levels were consistent throughout with dialogue always clear. The surrounds are used mainly for the score by Marty Simon and the occasional crowd noise of reporters. It's a subtle track, but more than adequate. Optional subtitles in English are also available. It should be noted that audio and subtitle options can be changed from the main menu only though, and not during viewing.
Extras
Unfortunately, no extras have been included, not even a trailer. The old Anchor Bay DVD included a short retrospective featurette, and it would've been nice to have that included here.
Packaging
Packaged in a standard blu-ray case.
Overall
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