BATS

Director: Louis Morneau

Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Dina Meyer, Leon [Robinson]

A Texan desert town is plagued by bats that have been genetically altered by the military.

A pretty dumb shock film, Bats is a good-natured popcorn movie that’s likely to scare the girlies without grossing them out in the process. The film is presented in 2.35:1 ratio, enhanced for 16:9 display. with a 5.1 audio mix (at 448kbps). For a film of such modest ambition, critical acclaim and box-office success, Columbia Tristar have certainly not stinted on the extra features, which add considerably to the discs’s value for money. As well as a chatty commentary track (by Louis Morneau and Lou Diamond Phillips), there’s a gallery of special effects design sketches and concept artwork (by noted illustrator Berni Wrightson, no less); a five-minute promotional featurette (Bats Abound); a couple of scenes synched up with their storyboards; a couple of scenes presented before and after the CGI special effects were added; the US theatrical trailer, and an isolated presentation of the music, including Graeme Revell’s full-blooded score, in 5.1. These features don’t make the film any better, but they should certainly sway wavering customers with a featureless disc in one hand, and Bats in the other.