THE PLOT THUS FAR
Set during the opening days of World War II on the Eastern Front. Its main cast is a group of Soviet teenagers with extraordinary abilities; the teenagers have been drafted to form a special unit to fight the invading German army. They are opposed by a Schutzstaffel (SS) officer who is attempting to raise from the dead a supernatural army of crusaders from the 12th-century Order of the Sacred Cross and enlist them in the Nazi cause.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
In 1942, the Nazis command their occult division to resurrect dead ancestors to fight for Hitler on the eastern front. In response, the Russians enlist teen psychic Nadya to visit the underworld to search for new recruits to battle the Third Reich. Loosely based on characters from Soviet-era propaganda comics, this thrilling zombie-filled riff on World War II history is the first-ever Russian-produced anime feature.
Nadya is sent into the underworld to find the spirits of her friends. So that she can bring them back and to fight the evil Nazi undead knight. She is captured by zombies, who apparently take prisoner in this movie, and sent to a butcher undead wearing a pig’s mask. After a miracle rescue, she is brought back to the living world where she meets again the old man for no real purpose. They expose some nonsense about moment of truth, then she summons her friend through sheer force of will and a boring fight ensues. Just like most anime. That’s right, fanboys. I said it!
The Blu-Ray comes with another weird two version split of a making-of documentary. I thought it was weird on Redline, but it just seems weirder here. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is uncompressed and actually keeps up with major studio releases. The 1080p transfer is pretty sharp too. In the end, I’d recommend a rental.
RELEASE DATE: 01/17/2012
