The Block Island Sound – Synapse Films (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 2020
Directors: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus
Writers: Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus
Cast: Chris Sheffield, Michaela McManus, Neville Archambault, Ryan O'Flanagan, Matilda Lawler, Jim Cummings, Jeremy Holm, Heidi Niedermeyer, Willie C. Carpenter, Matthew Lawler, PJ McCabe, Robyn Payne

Release Date: December 10th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 36 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $39.95

"A strange force is thriving, influencing residents and wildlife alike. Birds are dropping out of the sky and fish are mysteriously washing up on shore. As some residents are suffering from inexplicable emotional collapse, Harry Lynch (Chris Sheffield, The Stanford Prison Experiment) watches with dread as his father grows increasingly forgetful, confused and angry. Very, very angry! His sister Audry (Michaela McManus, Into the Grizzly Maze, TV's The Orville), whose work in marine biology will soon prove invaluable, returns to town with her daughter and leads them all towards chilling revelations that will affect her family in unimaginable ways." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

The Block Island Sound comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 74.7 GB

Feature: 64.1 GB

Shot in HD, the source looks excellent. Flesh tones and colors look correct; image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds excellent; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a featurette titled Special Effects on a Shoestring (8 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Filming on the Water (6 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Finding the Cast (9 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled A Practical Apocalypse (3 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with directors Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus, reversible cover art, and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

A woman who works for the EPA returns to her hometown to investigate what killed 9 tons of fish. After her father, who has been acting erratically, disappears in the middle of the night, the pieces of the mystery start coming into focus.

The Block Island Sound is an eco-horror film with sci-fi elements. The story that unfolds takes place in a coastal area off the Rhode Island coast. This location and the vagueness of what's happening are in line with the cosmicism that’s central to the literary works of H.P. Lovecraft. The Block Island Sound is also a story about a dysfunctional family who, even after a moment of tragedy, cannot come together.

The Block Island Sound relies heavily on atmosphere; there’s an abundance of eerie moments that heighten the mood. The Block Island Sound’s greatest strength when it comes to atmosphere is its use of sound, which often has a jarring effect. Also, the visuals and an ominous score help reinforce the unsettling mood.

Though the performances work well within the story that unfolds, they are The Block Island Sound’s weakest link. That said, blame should not fall on the actors; all of the characters are caricatures who lack depth. The most memorable performance is Neville Archambault, who portrays the father who disappeared. His character spends most of the screen time being ghoulish and making weird sounds.

At 99 minutes in length, despite its few lulls, the narrative does an effective job pulling you back into the mystery that's unfolding. Though the narrative has hints of what's happening, its open-ended ending poses more questions than answers. Ultimately, The Block Island Sound is a film that if you're not hooked after its initial setup, you'll quickly lose interest in it.

The Block Island Sound gets an excellent release from Synapse Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer