If you grew up in the 90s, you know the cover for Nemesis, but probably never watched it. Now, the film has made it's way to blu-ray so there is no reason to miss out on it again.
Studio: Digidreams
Release Date: January 29th, 1993 (Theatical) / November 7th, 2017 (Blu-ray) (Re-release)
Picture: 1080p (2.35:1 Aspect Ratio) (intended), (1.78:1 Aspect Ratio) (Video)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 / German Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0
Starring: Olivier Gruner, Tim Thomerson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brion James, Deborah Shelton
Written by Rebecca Charles
Directed by Albert Pyun
Rated R (for strong futuristic violence) also contains graphic nudity and strong language
Note: This blu-ray is available separately or in the Cyborgs - Gegen Die Cyborgs Hat Die Menschheit Keine Chance Blu-ray Box Set that contains the following films:
Nemesis
Nemesis 2: Nebula
Nemesis 3: Time Lapse
Nemesis 4: Death Angel
Hologram Man
The Demolitionist
American Cyborg: Steel Warrior
Slinger
Class of 1999
Prototype
THE FEATURES ⭐⭐⭐
NOTE: All of the special features are listed as they are on the menu. This means that there will be English and German titles throughout.
Trailer
- Nemesis 1 Original Trailer 4:3 HD (2m 13s, HD, 1.33:1)
- Nemesis 1 Original Trailer 16:9 HD (2m 13s, HD, 1.78:1)
- Nemesis 1 Original Trailer (2m 26s, SD, 1.85:1, 4x3)
- Nemesis 2 Original Trailer 4:3 HD (1m 49s, HD, 1.33:1)
- Nemesis 2 Original Trailer 16:9 HD (1m 49s, HD, 1.78:1)
- Nemesis 2 Deutscher Trailer 4:3 HD (1m 49s, HD, 1.33:1)
- Nemesis 2 Deutscher Trailer 16:9 HD (1m 49s, HD, 1.78:1)
- Nemesis 2 Original Trailer (1m 49s, SD, 1.33:1)
- Nemesis 2 Deutscher Trailer (1m 49s, SD, 1.33:1)
- Nemesis 3 Original Trailer (1m 50s, SD, 1.33:1)
- Nemesis 4 Original Trailer (2m 11s, SD, 1.33:1)
- Nemesis 4 Deutscher Trailer (2m 11s, SD, 1.33:1)
TV Spots
- TV Spot 1 (30s, SD, 1.33:1)
- TV Spot 2 (30s, SD, 1.33:1)
- TV Spot 3 (31s, SD, 1.33:1)
- TV Spot 4 (31s, SD, 1.33:1)
- TV Spot 5 (31s, SD, 1.33:1)
- TV Spot 6 (31s, SD, 1.33:1)
- TV Spot 7 (31s, SD, 1.33:1)
- TV Spot 8 (31s, SD, 1.33:1)
- TV Spot 9 (16s, SD, 1.33:1)
- TV Spot 10 (17s, SD, 1.33:1)
Slideshow (3m 2s, SD)
Making Of (5m 58s, SD, 1.33:1) Dubbed into German
Artwork Galerie (2m 20s, SD)
Nemesis in 16:9 (1h 35m, HD, 1.78:1) Presented in an open matte, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, this is how Nemesis was shot and released, but not necessarily how director Albert Pyun had envisioned the film. The frame is opened up here, but the shot composition is lost on many shots throughout the film. I like the director-preferred 2.35:1 aspect ratio that is presented as the main feature.
Vorwort- Albert Pyun (2m 19s, SD) Director Albert Pyun provides an introduction to the film where he thanks the people at Digidreams for putting Nemesis on blu-ray and also thanks those who worked on the film. Pyun is mostly backlit as there is a window behind but not much light coming from the room he is in.
Vorwort-Olivier Gruner (3m 13s, SD) Gruner talks about making the film and what went into all of the action scenes in the film.
Nachwort- Albert Pyun (58s, SD) Director Albert Pyun provides an outro for the film.
Audiokommentar von Albert Pyun zu Nemesis 2.0 (1h 32m, SD, 2.35:1) This is the audio commentary that Pyun provided for the film. The version of the film on the disc is the theatrical version while the audio commentary is for the director’s cut. This means that this track runs over a different version of the film than what is presented as the main feature. The 2.0 version of the film runs underneath the commentary track but is not selectable as being watchable without the commentary track. When the film was first released, there was another disc that contained a version of 2.0 without the commentary track. This edition, a rerelease from 2017, does not have the extra disc(s).
The commentary is a fun listen regardless. Pyun is full of stories and fun facts about the film. He talks about the genesis of the project and his choices in terms of casting and shooting. Pyun seems like a really nice guy to go and have a drink with so you can pick his mind.
THE PACKAGING ⭐⭐⭐
The disc is REGION FREE
THE PICTURE ⭐⭐⭐1/2
THE SOUND ⭐⭐1/2
Brought to us from DigiDreams, Nemesis is afforded a very nice 1080p transfer. Framed in the film’s original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the film looks great. Colors are rich and lively and black levels are deep. Detail is very impressive, especially in close-ups. I didn’t detect any DNR usage, but there is no film grain to be found, so if DNR was used, it was very minimal and an example of how DNR should be used (if used at all).
English Dolby Digital 5.1 found on the disc (along with a German track as well) is good, but one longs for a lossless track. Dialogue is crisp and clear and the surrounds get a bit of workout during the action scenes. Something to note: around the 64-minute mark and the 71-minute mark the sound falls out of sync. It is very noticeable but thankfully doesn’t last too long. I don’t know if this happens on the German track as I don’t speak German.
THE FILM ⭐⭐⭐1/2
In the future, chaos is rampant as 'information terrorists' threaten to destroy order in society. Alex is a part-man-part-machine LAPD cop who is the best at what he does. When one of the terrorists calls him a machine, Alex questions his humanity and decides to leave the force. His final assignment is to apprehend an old colleague who has stolen some data. However, there is more than meets the eye and Alex must question his allegiance.
Nemesis was a film that I saw a lot of times on the shelves of my local video store. The artwork on the VHS box was always alluring to me and I always meant to rent the film. I didn’t, however, because of what my friends told me about the director. They never said that he did anything that would cause alarm, but they did tell me that he wasn’t a very good director. They told me that with every film that he made, he got worse and worse and that I should avoid the film. I believed them because my one and only experience with a film from Albert Pyun, Nemesis’ director, was the 1989 Jean-Claude Van Damme-starrer Cyborg, which I did not like. So the Nemesis stayed on the shelf, never to be rented by me.
Looking back on everything that transpired, I wish that I had rented Nemesis because the film is awesome. I loved the look of the film, with each section of the film, for which there are only about three or four, looking a bit different than the previous section. For example, the opening of the film is meant to look like a mix of film noir and sci-fi, kind of like Blade Runner looked. This means that there is a thick layer of smoke and the colors don’t stand out from one another, almost in a monochrome-type way. The second section, which takes place in a Mexican, south of the border place, looks dusty and western like. The film keeps this up until the end and I liked what I was seeing.
Albert Pyun, the film’s director, has a really good eye for composition. He frames his film in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio which gives the film a bigger budgeted look. He doesn’t keep his characters in the middle of the frame, like a lot of directors who don’t know how to use the “scope” frame do. By doing this, he allows the audience to take in what is around the entire frame without feeling like they are missing something. Pyun also shoots his action very well too. Everything that we need to make an action scene make sense is on the screen and Pyun doesn’t resort to the MTV style of quick cutting. He does do some quick cutting, but it doesn’t take away from the action, unlike what too many action films do nowadays. In fact, the 90’s is when quick cutting, nonsensical action scenes started to become popular, but Pyun doesn’t subscribe to that and allows his action scenes to make sense while still being exciting.
I have only seen a few of Albert Pyun’s films and I will say that I like what I see. Even with the one film that I haven’t liked so far (Cyborg), I can still tell that he gave us way more than what other directors with very small budgets would give us. He fills his films with a lot of information which gives the worlds inside of his films a bigger, more lived in feel. So far, his films haven’t felt small even when he only has a few million to work with.
Nemesis is a film that was probably before its time. It tells a big story, that feels like a big story, told with a small budget. It is very impressive what Pyun has done with Nemesis. The film feels fresh and alive with tons of ideas and some great actors. Pyun has put Olivier Gruner (Angel Town), Tim Thomerson (Dollman and Jack Deth), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat (1995), Thom Matthews (Return of the Living Dead and Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives), Deborah Shelton (Body Double), Thomas Jane (The Punisher and The Mist), and motherfuckin’ Brion James (The Horror Show, Blade Runner, and Tango and Cash) all in the same film. All of these actors are great and Pyun uses them to great effect.
OVERALL ⭐⭐⭐
I had a lot of fun with Nemesis. This is a film that, if you like it, you’ll love it the second time around. If you don’t like it, the film will stay with you and you will want to watch it again. How many films can do that? Not too many in my time watching films. That makes the film stand out even more. Check out Nemesis whenever you can. It is very much worth the watch.
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 Blu-ray Review + Screenshots + Packaging Shots){kind=link}
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