Ultramarines - an interesting little film

[Joelist]

Ultramarines is a CGI film from 2010 based on the Warhammer 40K gaming universe. Although the whole film is CGI the characters are all played by some decent actors, such as Terence Stamp and Sean Pertwee. The plot is basically (to me) a coming of age story for Pertwee's character, who is one of the title Ultramarines and centers around his squad going on a recon/rescue mission to a distant planet and finding some twisted stuff there.

So, let's run down the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good

The Acting - all of the actors do a marvelous job voicing the characters in a way that helps them come to life. It really helps the film overcome its low budget.

The Story - the decision to keep the story really simple was a good idea here. I read where some 40K aficionados panned this film because it glossed over their favorite little detail or because it was too "small" a story. I disagree. Keeping the story simple lets viewers not versed in the 40K universe still enjoy the film without getting submerged in a sea of references they would not understand.

The music and mood - for a little film the music was great, and set a sort of dark, almost gothic mood perfectly. And even with the mundane CGI there were a lot of visual details that also helped set the tone well. Things like seeing little mottos like "Courage and Honour" flashing inside the HUD displays of the helmets of the Ultramarines gave a feeling of these troopers being HEAVILY indoctrinated.

The Bad

The CGI - Even for a 2010 film the CGI was just not all that. In particular the facial expressions were problematic, which is why the great voice acting helped so much. It's not Clutch Cargo bad but not up to snuff either.

Insiderish - Even though they obviously tried to make this film not require prior 40K knowledge to enjoy I admit that I liked it better after stopping very near the start, doing a quick read and then jumping back in. If you want to watch this I recommend the following quick reads:

For the Ultramarines:

http://spacemarine.wikia.com/wiki/Ultramarines

For the Chaos Space Marines:

http://spacemarine.wikia.com/wiki/Chaos_Space_Marines

They aren't long and will come in handy.


Oh, and note that it stars Sean Pertwee, and we all know what happens when he is in a movie.....

 

[Overmind One]

Where did you see this? Netflix? Amazon?

 

[Joelist]

Amazon actually. It isn't on Netflix that I can see.

 

[Gatefan1976]

A 40k flick?
Interesting.

 

[Joelist]

A 40k flick?
Interesting.

Indeed. Who would have thought it? Given how complex that game universe is trying to make a movie on it without a three hour prologue to read the viewer in on the basic facts of the universe is a challenge.

 

[Gatefan1976]

Something simple like Marines Vs Ork's or Tyranids would be fine as it would just be an action flick, Marines Vs Chaos has a bit more depth to it.
The 40K universe is a rich ground for movies and idea's, I am actually surprised no one has made a deal with GW in it's now weakened state to make a slew of movies in the universe given the penchant for "dark scifi" these days.

 

[Joelist]

I've been hunting and it does not seem to be free online that I can see. Amazon and YouTube seem to have the best pricing on it (2.99 rent 7.99 buy). I got mine through Amazon and used card points to drop the price nicely (I paid 1.99).

 

[Overmind One]

I've been hunting and it does not seem to be free online that I can see. Amazon and YouTube seem to have the best pricing on it (2.99 rent 7.99 buy). I got mine through Amazon and used card points to drop the price nicely (I paid 1.99).

I have acquired this but I have not watched it yet.

 

[Joelist]

One irony is that gaming wise Games Workshop's licensees (especially Fantasy Flight Games) are producing better 40K stuff than Games Workshop itself is.

 

[Joelist]

I have acquired this but I have not watched it yet.

So have you watched it? I'll admit it is a bit of an acquired taste but you may like it.

 

[Overmind One]

So have you watched it? I'll admit it is a bit of an acquired taste but you may like it.

The explosions and shooting sounds are like 10 times louder than every other movie I have watched. I cannot watch it without turning down the volume considerably. Problem! Why would they pump up the loud explosion and weapons fire sounds just for dramatic effect?

 

[Joelist]

I'm not sure really. I've run into that type of issue before on more modern films where they don't consistently have the dialogue and other noises on the same track. I know on my TV I have an audio setting that helps a lot in those situations. It amps up the dialogue track and deadens the background noises.

 

[Overmind One]

I'm not sure really. I've run into that type of issue before on more modern films where they don't consistently have the dialogue and other noises on the same track.

It takes away from the enjoyment of the movie. I have to keep my mouse over the volume, turning it up for dialogue, and then quickly turning it down when they are shooting or fighting. My neighbors even hear it. I absolutely hate all unnecessarily loud noises.

 

[Joelist]

I actually added this to my earlier post but I discovered my HDTV has a setting for this type of issue. Loudness Equalization. Do you have a sound mixer display on your PC? If yes it should have such controls.

 

[Overmind One]

I actually added this to my earlier post but I discovered my HDTV has a setting for this type of issue. Loudness Equalization. Do you have a sound mixer display on your PC? If yes it should have such controls.

Yes. The movie is a file on my PC and yes I have post processing software I can use to fix it. But why should I have to?

 

[Joelist]

The mixer is not post processing software. It is just a control panel for the sound system. Alas a lot of films nowadays have this exact sound mixing issue - it occurs partly (on a PC) because most do not have 5:1 surround sound but rather stereo speakers and the movies were not filmed in that manner.

Here is one article on the phenomenon:

http://www.screenhead.com/quiet-dialogue-and-deafening-explosions/

 

[Overmind One]

The mixer is not post processing software. It is just a control panel for the sound system. Alas a lot of films nowadays have this exact sound mixing issue - it occurs partly (on a PC) because most do not have 5:1 surround sound but rather stereo speakers and the movies were not filmed in that manner.

Here is one article on the phenomenon:

http://www.screenhead.com/quiet-dialogue-and-deafening-explosions/

I have 7.1 surround sound. The problem in this particular movie is that the explosion and weapons fire sounds are higher than they should be.

 

[Joelist]

You should be able then to turn the center speaker up and the others down. That is what I do with most new movies because of this exact effect. I used Pacific Rim to tune my sound bar and after that it's been okay.

 

[Gatefan1976]

Just in regards to the noise of the weapons fire.
I assume most of the Marines are carrying bolt guns, and they fire .75 rounds that are -designed- to make bloody loud noises. So while the sound may be annoying, it's probably pretty accurate for the in universe lore.

 

[Joelist]

Yep. Bolt guns, the usual Space Marine stuff even a Thunder Hammer.