A psychological sports-horror concept that intrigues but never fully delivers on its promise.
Sometimes in life, we all must ponder the question, "What type of person am I and how far am I willing to go for success?". "Would I sell my soul or sacrifice a family member?" "What do I measure as the level of success in my chosen field?" For those who pursue professional athletics, oftentimes that means becoming the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). This Year's horror release, Him, delves into this exact idea of how far one would be willing to go to achieve the highest level of success. Starring Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie) and Tariq Withers (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Him is now available for purchase on 4K. For more information on the film itself, you can reference the movie details at FlickDirect.
Cameron "Cam" Cade (Withers) has been a Saviors football fan since he was a young boy, and now that he is an adult, and looking to sign a professional contract, he is cautiously optimistic when the G.O.A.T., Saviors player Isaiah White (Wayans), invites Cam to his compound for some training. However, this isn't like any other training camp that Cam has ever been to, especially since it includes Cam receiving daily shots of Isaiah's blood.
Cam also starts experiencing hallucinations in his dreams, which he chalks up to the concussion he received when he was attacked the previous week. As the week-long training progresses, Cam sees and hears things that make him realize there is more going on than meets the eye, ultimately leading up to the conclusion that Cam has been "chosen" to continue the legacy...but at what price?
The Dolby Vision video quality on the 4K disc is certainly a pleasure to watch, which is generally the whole point of Dolby Vision...the G.O.A.T. of home media, if you will. The colors are bold and the details are sharp. The effects look real and natural, especially all the blood that ends up splattered on bodies and walls, and floors. The close-ups are intense and accentuate every pore and line on the actors' faces, while the wide shots are clear and vast.
The Dolby Atmos Audio is just as good as the Dolby Vision Video quality. The dialogue is clean and crisp, sitting primarily in the front speakers. Ambient sounds come through the surround speakers nicely, enveloping the viewer in the film. The score is haunting as it floats and hangs in the air.
The combo pack includes the 4K disc, the Blu-ray disc, and the digital download. It also has an abundant collection of extras for viewers to enjoy. The extras include: Audio Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Justin Tipping, Alternate Ending: Zay's Nightmare, Deleted End Credits Scene: Food or Freedom, Deleted Scenes (Cheers, Don't Be a Mascot, The Publicist, Fantasy Football, and Cam's Discovery), Becoming Them, The Sport of Filmmaking, Anatomy of a Scene (Rebirth and A Diabolical Game of Catch and Hymns of a G.O.A.T.).
What is lacking from Him is the suspense, the scares, the tension, the psychological mind games that are a part of horror films. While there are a couple of gross moments and the hallucinations are unpleasant, I didn't feel as though I was watching a traditional horror film. Granted, it is more psychological than slasher gore, but even so, I didn't have the intense reaction I normally do to the buildup of suspense waiting for the ultimate release.
The concept of Him is an interesting idea, though certainly not original. The actors are well cast and portray their characters nicely. The script is decent for the most part, but the problem lies in the execution of the filming. As I mentioned, there are no jump scares, the gore is just blood rather than anything truly grotesque, and there isn't much of a suspenseful buildup to an intense ending. Technically, the home release is pretty strong, but the film itself is simply boring.
Grade: D
