Ben - Animal Rage: Fierce and Pulp Horror in 2K

Lucy returns home after university, bringing with her more than a few unresolved issues: the grief for her mother and a family balance never truly rebuilt. But the real detonator of chaos is Ben, the chimpanzee raised like a son, who after contracting rabies transforms into an unpredictable threat. From that moment on, survival will also involve desperate choices.

Behind the camera, Johannes Roberts constructs a horror that doesn't try to reinvent the genre, but to openly celebrate it. The most obvious reference is John Carpenter: rhythm, soundtrack, and tension building recall that kind of essential and direct cinema.

A "old school" Cujo that works

Ben finds its strength in its tone: serious enough to make the threat credible, but aware of its playful nature. The result is a curious balance, where gore is present but not overwhelmingly so. During the viewing, one might wish for something more, a sign that the narrative mechanism knows how to entertain.

The cast is functional to the slaughter game, with characters decently built, though one could have aimed for greater empathy, just as the deaf-mute actor Troy Kotsur clearly enjoys himself. Not an exactly memorable horror, but one that knows exactly what it wants to be: a quick, dirty, and fun ride for those who love a high-tension adventure with few filters. Making everything even more real and terrifying is the choice not to use CGI for the chimpanzee, relying on an animatronic head and makeup.

Shot entirely digitally at native 8.6K resolution (Sony CineAlta Venice 2) with a consequent 4K master, from which this 2K edition on a dual-layer BD-50 was created. Original image format 2.39:1 (1920 x 1080/23.97p), AVC/MPEG-4 encoding. Often exhilarating video quality for a work almost entirely immersed in darkness and dim light, where only an OLED screen can deliver a deep and solid image. Dreaming of HDR, which would certainly have provided greater fidelity starting from the light dynamics. Italian version of the film, dialogues involving Troy Kotsur are resolved by localized on-screen text. Currently no 4K edition available.

The same goes for the audio, with Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps) that knows how to entertain if listened to via an HT system with true discrete channels. Only then does the emotional load build, igniting the spectacle and delivering thrills with front-to-back effects and bass, enhancing the soundtrack with a strong Carpenterian aftertaste. The original Dolby TrueHD with ATMOS objects, even if only 16-bit, is on a completely different level.

Ben - Animal Rage 2K edition amaray + O-Card

19,99

The Blu-ray offers an audio commentary with Johannes Roberts and Walter Hamada who discuss the film scene by scene. Also: a special on origins and influences (9'), one on the cast and characters (10'), and a focus on the creation of Ben (11'). An in-depth look at the construction of the sets, with attention to the pool (7'), concludes the extras. Italian subtitles. O-Card slipcover.