Virtual Reality – Artsploitation Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Argentina, 2021
Director: Hernán Findling
Cast: Vanesa González, Federico Bal, Christian Sancho, Guillermo Berthold, César Bordón, Santiago Magariños, Sofía Del Tuffo, Francisco González Gil, Tobías Findling Prado, Daniel Alvaredo

Release Date: April 4th, 2023
Approximate running time: 84 Minutes 27 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 & 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Spanish, DTS-HD Stereo Spanish
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"A film director agrees to a dark pact to help his career take off. When he summons the cast and crew to his house for a first-cut screening, they will have to survive a reality they never saw coming." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Virtual Reality comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21 GB

Feature: 20.7 GB

Colors and flesh tones look correct; image clarity and black levels are solid; and compression is strong.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Spanish), 4.75/5 (DTS-HD Stereo Spanish)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD stereo mix in Spanish. You can’t go wrong with either of these tracks. They both sound clear, balanced, and robust when they should. With the DTS-HD 5.1 track being the stronger of these two tracks. Included are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release are limited to a trailer (1 minute 33 seconds, DTS-HD stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles).

Summary:

Though Argentina covers a variety of genres, it is their output in the horror genre that gets them the most attention in America. Some of Argentina’s more recent notable horror films include Luciferina, Terrified, and The Vampire Spider.

The most memorable horror films are remembered for two things: a strong opening sequence and a unique premise that has not been exploited so many times that everything that happens is predictable. A film like Virtual Reality has both of these things.

The narrative revolves around a director, his cast and crew, and the film they are making. After filming is completed, the director invites the cast and crew over to view the film. What unfolds from there is a series of onscreen moments that the cast and crew do not remember filming. And things then take a turn for the worse when what happens on screen affects reality.

Though there is no denying that performances in horror cinema tend to be mechanical as a means to forward a narrative in which bodies start to pile up, that is not to say that some performances do not rise above going through the motions. That said, the performances in Virtual Reality are best described as serviceable.

From its opening moments, virtual reality does a great job of pulling you into the story at hand. It is a film that has an abundance of foreboding atmosphere, well-timed jump scares, and a score that perfectly reinforces what is unfolding on screen. Ultimately, Virtual Reality succeeds because of its interesting premise, which blurs the line between where reality ends and fiction begins.

Virtual Reality gets a solid audio/video presentation from Artsploitation Films, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer