The performances are flat, despite the presence of a couple of recognizable faces who have turned in better work elsewhere. Leading the cast are Eric Christian Olson (The Last Kiss, License to Wed) and Rider Strong (Cabin Fever). The former comes across as bland, while the latter is just annoying.
Death Valley is the feature debut for the writing/directing team of David Kebo and Rudi Liden, and they have not made a feature since. The concept, albeit a "true" story, never takes off and suffers from lackluster writing and bland directing. Yes, the structure is a common one, but one that has been used to great effect in the past and likely will in the future, just not here.
Audio/Video. Nothing to complain about here. The transfer seems a bit flat, but it isn't a bad one. The video is presented in widescreen and the audio is Dolby 5.1. It looks and sounds just fine.
Extras.
- Making of Death Valley. This is a pretty standard featurette with some set footage along with interviews with the primaries. (3.5 minutes)
- Deleted/Extended Scenes. This kicks off with a couple of alternate versions of the opening scene. Nothing of any real import, for the most part, you can see why they were cut. (~15 minutes)
- Gag Reel. Standard set goofs and flubbed lines (7.5 minutes)
- Teaser Trailer. They lost me at "It was supposed to be.... Safe." (1 minute)
- Previews. Trailers for Bone Dry, The Attic, The Other Side, Hack!, Baby Blues, and Night Junkies.
Bottom line. When all is said and done, this is not a good movie, but it is not offensively bad. Death Valley is the kind of movie that is just there. When you are watching it, you have no problem finishing it, but will have no desire to revisit it. Pretty much all I can muster is: "Meh."
Not Recommended.
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