Conspiracy, The (Blu-ray) (2012)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror / Thriller	Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Accent films x 4
Rating
Year Of Production	2012
Running Time	81:23 (Case: 85)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Christopher MacBride
Studio Distributor	Accent Film Entertainment	Starring	Aaron Poole James Gilbert
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	?	Music	Darren Baker

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080i
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Aaron (Aaron Poole) and Jim (James Gilbert) are two young independent filmmakers making a documentary about conspiracy theories, particularly concentrating upon Terrance G who has press clippings all over his walls and who takes to the streets with a loudhailer and a message board. After they have filmed a few interviews with Terrance, his flat is ransacked and Terrance disappears. Aaron thinks this is sinister and starts to re-look at Terrance’s clippings trying to find a pattern, although Jim, who has a wife and small baby, is more sceptical. However, Aaron finds a link to something called the Tarsus Club and through a source discovers that the club membership includes the rich and powerful, including world leaders, and that a meeting has occurred just before major world events occur, including stock market crashes, political upheaval and seemingly random, catastrophic events. But Aaron and Jim are being watched and followed, and Aaron’s apartment is ransacked. Nevertheless, when Aaron and Jim find out where the next meeting of the Tarsus Club is being held, they decide to infiltrate the meeting with hidden cameras and expose the conspiracy. However, things do not work out quite as they expect.

     The Conspiracy is a faux documentary utilising interviews, straight to camera asides by the young filmmakers, video cam and hidden camera footage plus newsreel footage of real people and events. Interviews with the two documentary filmmakers are interspersed throughout the narrative, and their observations provide scepticism, humour and later acceptance and belief, while the juxtaposition footage of real people and events and “found” type footage works well. The last third of the film, the infiltration of the meeting, is filmed entirely on blurry hidden lapel cameras, and this section does feel a bit like another movie entirely but it does build a good tension and the whole is done with enough energy that it sort of works. The climax is somewhat extreme, but it does have a logic that is consistent with what has gone before which is not something that can be said for all films of this kind. And, cleverly, the film’s ending allows both those who are sceptical of conspiracy theories, and those who embrace them, to be satisfied.

     The Conspiracy is the first feature film of writer / director Christopher MacBride and he has done an excellent job. The Conspiracy is an unexpected treat. It is entertaining, tense, slickly made and well-acted with genuine sounding dialogue while the diverse video elements work well, creating a compelling documentary feel for most of the film. While the extended infiltration sequence does not completely work, The Conspiracy is a whole lot of fun and well worth watching.

Video

     The Conspiracy is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the original ratio, in 1080i using the MPEG-4 AVC code.

     Usually the interlaced code could be a problem, but as the film consists of a lot of old news footage plus hidden cam footage that is blurry and interlaced anyway, it works fine. The other sections, primarily interviews, are clean and with good detail. Of course, brightness, shadow detail, colour and contrast also vary with the footage used. There was some ghosting with movement in some of the normal segments, but artefacts, other than intentional ones, were not present.

     The print reflects the filmmaker’s intentions, and the scores are adjusted in line with this.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448Kbps.

     The audio for this Blu-ray is not lossless but is nevertheless a decent track. Dialogue is easy to hear, and when it is deliberately indistinct yellow subtitles activate. The surrounds are frequently in play with voices, music and effects, and are often used to increase tension by employing an atonal hum or ominous rumblings, which the sub-woofer supported.

     The score by Darren Baker was mainly electronic and added to the tension.

     There are no lip synchronisation issues.

     The audio was effective and did what was required.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Trailers

     These trailers play on start-up: Static (1:44), Hotel Noir (2:22) Pig (2:11) and Masquerade (2:22). The same trailers, plus another for The Conspiracy (2:41) can also be selected from the menu.

     A Region A US Blu-ray of The Conspiracy has not currently been released. There is a Region B UK Blu-ray, but no details are listed. Buy local.

     The Conspiracy is an unexpected treat: a faux documentary that has an intriguing premise that is developed well for the most part. The film is well made, entertaining and, cleverly, the film’s conclusion allows both those who are sceptical of conspiracy theories, and those who embrace them, to be satisfied.

     The video and audio are fine, but trailers are the only extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall