Ejecta

If you're a fan of the alien abduction genre or into the sci-fi/horror classification, then this recent film 'Ejecta' should satisfy you, or at least give you something a tiny bit original, even if it fails to tell a completely cohesive story. Directed by Chad Archibald ('Bite') and Matt Wiele, and written by Tony Burgess ('Septic Man', 'Pontypool'), 'Ejecta' is part documentary and found footage film, and part narrative that weaves one man's tale of alien abduction into something fairly scary. It jumps around throughout the film from the past and present, but never in a fluid manner.

This was made a on shoestring budget as well, and it seemed like Wiele and Archibald didn't want to show to much for to long in fear of the aliens/monsters/visual effects looking like a B-Movie. The film centers on an aging man named Bill Cassidy (Julian Richings, most known for his small role in 'Detroit Rock City'), who over the years has been abducted by aliens or witnessed a number of UFOs and alien encounters. Not only that, but Bill has been harassed by almost every government agency, wanting his stories and thoughts on paper.

Needless to say, this has made him a very paranoid individual. On the night of a rare solar flare in the sky, which might have some sinister consequences, Bill invites a reporter/documentarian named Joe (Adam Seybold) to document this occurrence and have a sort of Q&A session to gain some answers. What follows is some sort of alien invasion in the middle of the woods where Bill lives where these two guys must escape these evil aliens. It's a decent premise, but then there is the other part of the film, where Bill was kidnapped at some point in time and brought to a futuristic looking interrogation room where tome government agency has tied him up and tortures him to get the answers they want.

This unit is led by Dr. Tobin (Lisa Houle), who won't take no for an answer is is basically only interested in hearing what she wants to hear, but not fact. This narrative and the found footage segments are interweaved throughout the film, giving us no real sense of direction or time. Part of the film has two guys basically on the run from aliens, and the other part is watching a guy get tortured. As these two segments continue, we find out more and more about the aliens and Bill's connection to them, although with each answer, more logical questions pop up.

The best thing about this movie is Julian's performance as Bill Cassidy. They really put him through the ringer in this film, as he is prodded, poked, shot, and roughed up quite a bit. Julian pulls off this paranoid and lonely man very well, but can then instantly turn it around and scare the hell out of you. He's a fascinating actor to watch on screen, particularly in this type of film. 'Ejecta' has a great premise and an excellent performance by Julian Richings, but the story-telling and camera work leave this film lower on the totem poll in the horror/thriller realm. If they stuck with one story or the other, 'Ejecta' would have faired just fine.

'Ejecta' comes with a 1080p HD transfer presented in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This little horror film was made within the last year and has a very digital palette and no filmic look whatsoever. Part of the film has a documentary look to it, while other segments have the narrative vibe, with different video aspects. The narrative moments as well as the documentary segments are both crystal clear with strong and vivid detail.

Closeups reveal fine textures in the costumes and great facial features, such as wounds, beads of sweat, and individual hairs. There aren't a ton of wide shots in the movie, but when the crop up, they never go soft. That being said, there are moments in the documentary-style footage where it gets a bit grainy, however I believe this is source related and not a transfer problem. Colors are not this movie's strongest aspect. There are no warm colors here really, with the exception of some red blood.

Instead the movie is filled with grays, blues, and silvers throughout. It has a very metallic look to it, although there are some nice green colors in a few exterior shots. There are some color hues that are used to give a darker look at times, which hinders the detail ever so slightly, but it's nothing to write home about. Black levels are deep and inky and the skin tones are natural. There was some minor video noise, but other than that, this video presentation looks good.

This release comes with a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix as well as a 2.0 option that sounds very good, despite a few issues. Overall, this thriller has some great surround sound moments, although it's not consistent. Most of the time, the audio is very front heavy. That being said, the sound is always well-balanced and layered, giving the surround speakers some room to allow for some quality ambient noises and sound effects.

The gun shots and heavier action scenes pack a punch and sound robust throughout. The score always adds to the suspense without being corny or drowning out any sound effects. The dialogue is not always clear in that it has a softer volume than anything else on the track, which causes problems when the score and sound effects are blazing. Despite that, this a very solid audio mix that will rumble the walls from time to time. 

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 Mins.) - Trailer for the film.

'Ejecta' has a magnificent performance by Julian Richings and a solid premise for an alien invasion/abduction storyline, but it seemed like the filmmakers were a little gun-shy in going all the way. The two story plots are not cohesive at all as they try and weave in and out of each other throughout the film. I only wish the filmmakers stuck with one or the other. The video and audio presentations are both decent, however, they're not memorable. The only extra is a theatrical trailer, which is sad, because I would have loved to see some behind the scenes work with Julian Richings here, or at least an audio commentary. Rent before purchasing this one.