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Released by: Vivendi
Released on: February 16, 2010.
Director: Ricky Schroeder
Cast: Scott Elrod, J.A. Woods, Adam Butcher, Ben Cross
Year: 2009
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The Movie:
Another entry in the long running Maneater series, which are basically uncut versions of those made for TV movies that are on Sci-Fi or SyFy or whatever it is that they're calling themselves these days, is Ricky Schroeder's Hellhounds. Yep, you read that right. This odd mix of 300 style Roman warrior guys and Zoltan Hound of Dracula demonic dog high jinks was directed by the little blonde kid from Silver Spoons. Weird.
The film follows a Roman swordsman named Kleitos (Scott Elrod) who is about to be happily married to his foxy bride, Demetria (Amanda Brooks). Her father, King Leander (Ben Cross), is quite fond of his new son-in-law but a jealous friend of the groom, Theron (J.A. Woods), wants Demetria for himself. When he can't have what he wants, in typical bad guy fashion he decides that no one can have her and so he Demetria and her maid of honor immediately after the wedding.
Eventually a witch tells Kleitos that his poor lady friend is trapped in Hades and that Theron will be making her his bride in a shot three days if he doesn't cross the River Styx and bring her back as fast as his stubby legs can carry him. He gathers up a few loyal warrior friends and does just that, unaware that at some point towards the end of the film they'll have to take on a few poorly rendered CGI monster dogs which have somehow come under Theron's control.
Basically an old school Peblum with monster dog sequences thrown in fairly randomly to provide the requisite monster quotient, Hellhounds is sorely lacking in the hellhound department. There's a fair bit of Hell, and it's kind of nifty the way that they render the underworld once Kleitos and his pals get there, but the lack of monster dog attack sequences is disappointing. This is, after all, a Maneater Series entry, and as such, should demand a certain amount of men being eaten.
The movie is moderately entertaining, however. The cast growl and scowl their way through the underworld and the various obstacles that it presents. The male characters all look macho and tough enough that they fit the roles well enough while Amanda Brooks makes for a fine damsel in distress even if she has all the enthusiasm and spirit of plywood. There are some nifty sword fights and while it all rushes towards a completely predictable and clichéd conclusion, it does manage to deliver some mediocre gore and mindless entertainment. The whole film is play completely straight and everyone seems to be taking it very seriously, which just sort of adds to the screwiness of it all.
Schroeder's direction is fine in that the movie clicks along at a reasonably good pace and throws in enough action to keep you entertained, but is the movie actually good? No, not at all. It's pretty disposable, but it's got enough going on that it's painless enough.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Hellhounds arrives on DVD in a 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. There's a little bit of shimmering evident on the picture but aside from that it looks quite good. There aren't any issues with mpeg compression artifacts nor are there any problems with print damage, dirt, or debris. Color reproduction looks nice and accurate and skin tones appear quite lifelike, though the image has had some color tweaking here and there to give it more of a period feel and during these moments detail goes a bit soft. There are some scenes that show some edge enhancement but thankfully it's not a constant problem, rather a sporadic one. Aside from that, Hellhounds looks fine.
Audio options are supplied in English language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with no optional provided. The audio quality is pretty good on this release with the dialogue staying clean and clear throughout the film. It's never a problem understanding the performers and the levels are all properly balanced. Surrounds are used well during the battle sequences and towards the end where the evil dog actually appears.
Aside from some trailers for other Vivendi DVD releases and a static menu with chapter stops, this release is completely barebones.
The Final Word:
Hellhounds is pretty dorky. The 300-inspired Spartan angle doesn't really add much to the proceedings save for the fancy costumes but as goofy as it all is, as far as mindless entertainment goes, it's passable enough. Vivendi's disc is light on extras but it looks and sounds good enough.
