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Final Encounter

I love looking at the rear covers of direct-to-video releases like "Final Encounter" when they arrive in the mail: the studio always seems to have a way of praising the film in ways no other self-respecting movie production company would never dream of. For this exercise in lifeless action and drool-inducing plot, Dimension quotes it as having "cutting-edge special effects," and being "in the thrilling style of Pitch Black, Event Horizon, and Armageddon." Oh, please. At least those movies had the decency and common sense to be actual sci-fi movies; this one doesn't even try. ***

It takes places on a planet known as Brecca, where seemingly two groups of human beings have been dwelling after wars have ravaged planet Earth. Why are there wars on Earth? Who knows? And why, why oh why, are the two separate groups now battling it out with one another on this new habitat? Beats me. All I know is that a group of soldiers led by Dean Cain comes in and tries to save the day, amidst stupid plot developments like magic powers and Watchdog creatures... it's a complete mess. ***

It's the type of movie that was made for direct-to-video, only this time it's too bad to recommend and not good enough to be considered campy fun. The performances are lame and one-note all around, and the special effects, if you can call them that, really aren't so special. The story doesn't give us any reason to care about the characters or the so-called challenges they face, and as it moves along, it just trips over itself and becomes little more than a painful bore. I guess we have one thing to be thankful for: unlike a studio like Warner Bros, who inflicted the pain of "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" on audiences, Dimension has kept this movie where it belongs.

Not one of the worst direct-to-video transfers from Dimension, but certainly nothing to brag about. The 1.85:1 anamorphically-enhanced image makes good use of color, featuring good saturation without bleeding, and fleshtones that remain accurate throughout. Contrast is wanting in more than one instance, with noisy blacks and poor shadow delineation. Edges are sharp for the most part, but there are a great deal of artifacts throughout that ruin small details. ***

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track also fails to truly impress. Much of the sound is confined to the front end, with little engagement of the surrounds outside of some score and the occasional sound effect. Dialogue has been well-recorded and sounds clean, while some deep bass can be felt during the more energized sequences. Don't expect reference quality.