Plot: What’s it about?
Otis Broth (Bostin Christopher) is a middle aged, overweight pizza delivery driver, who also happens to be a sadistic, perverted madman who kills young women. Otis might not be a social butterfly, but in the world of torture and murder, he comes out of his shell and then some. His basement is a dungeon of death, equipped with cameras and before the end comes, he forces his victims to dance with him in a sick re-enactment of his prom night. His latest victim is Riley (Ashley Johnson), whose family decides to bring in the FBI to help track her down. When Riley is able to escape Otis’ violent torture chamber, her family decides not to get justice through the law, but to take matters into their own hands. But when Otis clashes with this suburban household, which side will prove to be more sadistic?
Otis wants to be a dark satire of horror cinema and suburban life, but doesn’t have the brains or balls to commit. So instead of a sharp satire, we’re left with a derivative, cliche ridden movie that has minor satire elements. If you’re going to satirize, then you do so and don’t look back, but the writers of Otis were unable to keep that satiric pace. So when they ran out of ideas, they borrow and recycle, which doesn’t work within a satire. I didn’t mind the sections where the satire was in place, as it was about controlled cinema, but then it would backslide and lean on blood or sex, with no satiric content. Otis isn’t a bad movie, but it half bad and the other half isn’t that great, to be honest. I commend the filmmakers for the effort to do a smart, dark satire, but the end result isn’t good and as such, I can’t recommend Otis. As far as an upgrade with this Blu-ray release, the audio & video elements have been given a boost, but none of the extras were ported over.
Video: How does it look?
Otis is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. I was disappointed by the DVD’s visuals and as expected, I wasn’t won over by this new high definition treatment. You’ll see improvements of course, but this movie is simply never going to offer the kind of visual pop we’re used to. The image remains on the soft side, but things are a little sharper thanks to the added resolution, but don’t expect miracles. So while this is better than the DVD, the visuals here can’t compete with even mid-level Blu-ray presentations, which is odd for such a recent production.
Audio: How does it sound?
This Dolby TrueHD 5.1 option isn’t leaps and bounds beyond the DVD’s soundtrack, but it does offer an enhanced experience, in my opinion. I noted a little more presence, as if things were opened up a touch more. Not the kind of difference to bowl you over, but enough to notice. The surrounds don’t scream out, but they’re used often and help maintain atmosphere, so its not like the rear channels are silent. I found dialogue to be clear and error free too, so no real concerns to mention. This disc also includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 option, Spanish and Portuguese language tracks, and subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, and Portuguese.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
