Blu-Ray Spotlight: ‘Project Wolf Hunting’ in All its Bloody, Gory Glory
The hyper-violent action horror/thriller has been anticipated for some time from Well Go USA’s home video line.
Ultra-violent genre fare has always come in waves, and judging from what films like Project Wolf Hunting has to offer there seems to be an attitude of wanting to usher in another one. The moviegoing climate has warmed up to movies like this today which is much beyond what cold receptions earlier films have faced. Those pioneering films introduced and developed concepts of providing sardonic commentary with the reliance of practical effects displaying something very extreme & real happening in the world of its characters, to whatever dramatic or tragic effect.
Video
Project Wolf Hunting is presented in the film’s original aspect ratio, 2.39:1. Coming from what is no doubt a digital source, the picture quality is quite crisp and clean. The film’s lighting during interior sets is typically sufficient enough to provide a good sense of visual clarity while translating the narrative equivalence of low lights inside the ship of which the location is based. Exterior shots can be quite dark and muddy without much definition however, but not a lot of moments of consequence take place during these parts and artistically paint a feeling of hopelessness or pessimism in the grander scheme of things. It’s something either purposeful in this way or simply a side effect of the elements used.
The onscreen violence, blood, and gore is always presented as the spectacle it should be and as such, can be too much for some of the more sensitive viewers. CGI usage is effective to further the story elements along but feel in parts a tad video-gamey, which can be both beneficial to the feel of the movie or slightly distracting depending on how you embrace the central mystery of the titular “project” of the film. The detail levels on shots are quite in-depth, given the amount of in-camera light as discussed above, and most will probably have you staring into them, counting the specks of blood or grains of gristle on props and faces alike.
Audio
As is usual for Well Go USA releases, both the original language track and an English dub are available on this release, with the choice of either a Stereo mixdown and a DTS-HD 5.1 surround mix for each language option. The recommended experience for this release, as is in line with all Well Go USA titles, is the original Korean language track but the English track seems to be the same in terms of sound engineering underneath the dialogue. The only difference being a slightly contrasting translation between the subtitles and dialogue in English. Both stereo and surround tracks have an impeccable sense of presence and space, giving the otherwise dead-looking ship a sense of life and spontaneity, throwing spooky clangs, bangs, and other nondescript ship sounds around you during the film’s runtime.
Special Features
Well Go USA doesn’t have much in the way of extras other than the usual string of trailers from its catalog, which automatically play before the menu of Project Wolf Hunting but can be accessed from the menu if you’d like to watch them again.
Other than those the two main extras on the disc are:
- Behind the Scenes (4 mins 46 sec)
- Making the Alpha (1 min 24 sec)
- Project Wolf Hunting Trailer (2 mins 17 sec)
Final Thoughts
For the buzz this title has been getting it sure does deliver on the outer layers of genre film. But there’s a coldness within much like the subject of the project we eventually get to see, where our emotional stakes can only reach so far. Even the sense of seeing characters get their just desserts don’t play as satisfying as it should, despite the appealing aspect of Project Wolf Hunting’s tendency to make each conflict a tense and messy one.
This is still a must for any action fan as there are some stellar sequences on display, and an underlying mythology that in time (and if given a follow-up) could rival The Witch: Subversion & The Witch 2 based on how it gets developed, if it does. Wolf Hunting remains one of the best examples of what Well Go USA has to offer not just in their library of films but as a curation of genre films. While it pales in comparison to stuff like Train to Busan andThe Raid it does deserve to be in the same conversation as films like it.
Project Wolf Hunting is available to pre-order now ahead of its official release date of Tuesday, February 14th, 2023.
Diabolik DVD
Gruv Entertainment
Amazon
Disclaimer: Well Go USA has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
