Till Death Blu-ray Review

Gripping Megan Fox Thriller

Megan Fox headlines the menacing Till Death, an intense thriller that may end up the best starring role of her career. The twisted premise sees an unhappily married woman cheating on her spouse, waking up handcuffed in desperate circumstances to her dead husband.

The slick, edge-of-your-seat debut movie from filmmaker S.K. Dale entertains with harrowing thrills and a taut screenplay that grabs your attention from the get-go. Megan Fox’s surprisingly excellent performance as a woman in mortal danger shows the Hollywood star is more than a pretty face. Till Death might be the first project she’s led which rises above low-budget schlock status.

Megan Fox’s capable performance in Till Death makes me wonder why Hollywood isn’t using her for more prestigious projects

A high-powered lawyer named Mark (Eoin Macken) and his unfaithful wife Emma (Megan Fox) are celebrating their anniversary when he suddenly surprises her with an excursion to their remote winter cabin on a frozen lake. Emma has been cheating behind her husband’s back with Tom, one of Mark’s work associates. Despite lingering feelings for Tom, she has a change of heart and ends the affair. Both spouses are unhappy in the marriage but Mark promises things will soon get better.

Emma wakes up the next day, handcuffed to her now dead husband. Trapped and alone in the isolated setting, Emma finds herself ensnared in a devious scheme, putting her in serious danger when unexpected guests arrive. Fighting for survival, the desperate woman must use her wits if she hopes to escape the horrific situation. The story has minor plot holes but its crisp pacing moves swiftly enough that audiences can overlook them.

Till Death has a twisted premise which hasn’t been done before in this exact iteration. While movies such as Saw are a clear influence, the thriller’s strong characterization and clever storytelling are a cut above most genre films. The focus on marital discord expertly sets up what follows with emotionally resonant tension, a rarity in violent thrillers like Till Death.

S.K. Dale has crafted an elegant woman-in-peril thriller with well-made set pieces, real suspense, and a few clever tricks always keeping the audience on edge. Megan Fox’s capable performance in Till Death makes me wonder why Hollywood isn’t using her for more prestigious projects.

Video

Screen Media has been releasing Blu-rays for years, covering a wide range of genres from independent cinema. Till Death’s razor-sharp cinematography from a pristine digital intermediate looks fabulous on Blu-ray. Screen Media’s flawless transfer and AVC encode are technically sound and produce video quality for the movie on par with Hollywood’s biggest studios.

Till Death’s masterful 2.35:1 presentation runs 88 minutes on a BD-25. Free of artifacts, the well-shot film features consistently impressive clarity and resounding detail. The color grading plays its safe with a balanced color palette and a perfect contrast. The stately cinematography takes full advantage of the wintry landscapes and frozen setting. Interiors pop with a tick more depth and dimensionality. Exteriors are sharp but lack the same amount of pop.

Audio

Till Death’s primary 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack is an effectively discrete mix which provides a credible atmosphere for the harrowing flick. The sound design shows off its authenticity in bone-crunching fury when confrontations take center stage.

Massive dynamic range offers thump on the low-end with credible extension. Dialogue is fairly low in the mix, though always remains intelligible. Till Death’s louder set pieces highlight excellent directionality and separation across the soundstage. Glass breaks with flashy sound effects in clear fidelity, among other notable moments that demand attention.

Optional English SDH subtitles play in a white font, slightly outside the scope presentation. An excellent 2.0 stereo mix in PCM audio is a secondary choice.

Extras

Screen Media doesn’t list the disc’s region code. A couple random trailers and a serviceable behind-the-scenes featurette round out the bonus features.

The Making of Till Death (06:37 in HD) – Director S.K. Dale, Megan Fox and more cast members appear in interview clips, bolstered by behind-the-scenes footage from the set. The location and winter setting is one topic covered. S.K. Dale discusses his inspiration for the film, coming across horror stories of battered wives when working with local charities.

Girl Trailer (01:43 in HD)

The Birthday Cake Trailer (02:04 in HD)

Full disclosure: This Blu-ray was provided to us for review. This has not affected the editorial process. For information on how we handle review material, please visit our about us page to learn more.

The following six screen shots serve as samples for our subscription-exclusive set of 48 full resolution, uncompressed HD screen shots grabbed directly from the Blu-ray: