Orphan: First Kill - 4K Blu-ray Review

Movie
Number two on the list from the Paramount Scares: Volume 2 set is going to be the one movie that I actually didn't care too much for and was wondering why it was mixed in with the good to great others included in the set. It was also THE newest film in the set as it came less than 2 years ago, but I can't complain, as more 4K is better than no 4K.

I actually wasn’t expecting a sequel to the mediocre 2009 film Orphan, but 13 years later it comes out as a Paramount+ exclusive, and then a Blu-ray release. Orphan wasn’t a bad movie back in 2009 (I still have my Blu-ray and this sequel prompted me to give it a second spin), but it was generic and derivative, only saved by 12 year old Isabelle Fuhrman who gave a creepy performance as Esther, a monstrous child with a hidden secret (a staple of the 1980s and 1990s). However, a prequel? Not sure how that would work.

Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen Orphan (it’s kind of necessary). Orphan: First Kill not only strange because it was a prequel nobody asked for, but strange in that it actually stars Isabelle Fuhrman 13 years later, still playing an 11 year old girl (they make it work due to her being only 5 foot 3 inches, but have to use a body double for far away shots to make the height differential work when standing next to someone). The film opens up in Estonia, where we are introduced to Lena (Isabelle Fuhrman) who is staying an institution due to being a psychotic killer who suffers from a strange variation of dwarfism that not only stunts her growth, but stunts her features so she perpetually looks like a per-pubescent girl. Stabbing her way out of the institution, Lena decides to look for missing children who look like her, and finally land on the Albrights who have been missing their daughter Esther for several years.

Problem is, Esther is in Estonia, and the Albrights are in America. Well, a little storytelling and Esther is transported to America where her new “old” family are there to welcome her with open arms. Mother Tricia (Julia Stiles) is reticent when she sees her, but father Allen (Rossif Sutherland) is absolutely overjoyed. Esther figures it’s going to be an easy con where she can rob them blind and end everything with a tidy accident to get herself in the clear. However, the tables are turned when it’s found out that Tricia knows a little more than she let on initially, and Esther starts to develop feelings for the artistic Allen. Soon it’s a gigantic cat and mouse game as Esther and Tricia dance a tight rope of intrigue and murder to keep their secrets safe.

Orphan: First Kill is really no more special than the previous movie. It’s a rather cliched “evil child” thriller that we’ve been privy to for decades. It’s actually rather neat that Isabelle Fuhrman came back for the role that she made as an ACTUAL 12 year old child in 2009, this time as a 25 year old playing an 11 year old (yeah, say that 12 times fast). It sort of stretches the sense of believability though, as Isabelle is VERY obviously a grown woman, and despite trick angles, body doubles, and lots and lots of makeup it’s hard to swallow that she’s supposed to look like a child. The plot itself is rather stale, but it’s still rather entertaining even though you can pretty much predict all of the beats and twists before they even happen due to being a very well worn genre. It’s never truly AWFUL, but can’t seem to elevate itself past being “decent” (which is pretty much the fate of the original 2009 film as well).




Rating:

Rated R for bloody violence, language and brief sexual content




4K Video: Video:

Just like all the other films in this set, the Paramount press release stated that these films all got a a new 4K master for this release. HOWEVER, being that Orphan: First Kill was released less than 2 years ago and has been on various 4K streams, I’m guessing that they’re using the same master (unlike World War Z and Friday the 13th Part II which both needed a refresh). Shot digitally at 4.5K using the Arri Alexa Mini LF and Canon K-35 lenses, this is a perfect port from the source material to 2160p. HOWEVER, the film is just one of those flicks that doesn’t translate to eye candy that well. There are some very distinctive aesthetic choices chosen for the film’s visual look, and many of them create a very hazy and gauzy look. The colors palette is nearly entirely dulled grays, deep blues, and monochromatic shades at every turn. There are splashes of red color hear and there (like the blood), but they are still dimmed quite heavily with the muted gray and blue over tones that the film employs.

The film starts out with a beautiful shot of the Slovenian countryside, only for that to make way to a grungy and heavily gritty inside world of the Asylum. An aesthetic that really doesn’t let up for the rest of the film as Esther moves from Slovenia to the United States, mostly because 90% of the runtime is set within her new home, which resembles a gothic mansion more than your typical U.S. based home. There’s no real grain anywhere, and while I do see some minor digital noise, it’s a fairly clean presentation. Likewise with the detail. It’s definitely present and provides a richer and more robust look over the Blu-ray with better black levels, it’s just so oppressively dark and stylized to the point where it’s just not going to be shockingly different. Best way of describing it is that the 4K UHD looks like a fine tuning of the already complicated Blu-ray release from a couple years back. It’s better, but those upgrades are subtle and not nearly so eye popping. Paramount has done a great job transferring the film as it has massive bitrate spikes to the 97-98 mbps range, but the limitations of the shooting style are really all that’s holding it back.









Audio:

As with Breakdown, Orphan: First Kill features a direct port of the 5.1 DTS-HD MA from the Blu-ray, so my thoughts below will be my thoughts from the Blu-ray Review

I’m used to horror movies from Paramount/Warner/Sony to have KILLER audio mixes (pun intended), but First Kill is much more subdued and flaccid than I was expecting. Much like the video score, it does things decently enough, but never enough to really be that exciting. The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is very front heavy, and I noticed that dialog seemed to be rather dulled and muted, even though it’s centered up front where it’s supposed to be. Surrounds get a moderate amount of activity (usually from the score or a few crashes and bangs during the final confrontation as the house burns down). Ambiance is solid, with good main activity and even a few moments of really heavy bass (the train, a few jump scares). Once again, the 5.1 mix is never BAD, it’s just never exciting either.












Extras:

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As a horror fan I’m used to mediocre sequels in the genre. Orphan: First Kill just happens to be a mediocre sequel to a mediocre original, so if you liked the original flick, then this really isn’t going to be much different. It was nice to see Isabelle come back for the role 13 years later, but the Blu-ray audio and video were pretty “meh” due to the shooting style of the film, and the upgrade to 4K UHD isn't THAT massive. The original Blu-ray was as barebones as you could ask for in terms of foreign audio and extras, and this 4K release simply replicates the Blu-ray setup, just with a new 4K encode. In my opinion, this is your typical rental “evil kid” horror movie. Lazy, sloppy, but generally fun enough to watch the girl stab and manipulate her way through her new family (even though I don’t get why it was called First Kill. The film states outright that Lena/Esther has killed several times before, but aw well). Like every film in the Paramount Scares: Volume 2, there is no individual release (though that may change) and the link to buy will link directly to the box set.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Isabella Fuhrman, Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland, Hiro Kanagawa, Matthew Finlan
Directed by: William Brent Bell
Written by: David Coggeshall (screenplay), David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Story by), Alex Mace (Story by)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DVS
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, English
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R
Runtime: 99 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: October 1st, 2024

Todd Anderson said:

Hmmm.. I've not watched any of the films in this series. Mike, your review leaves me thinking I'm best sitting this one out.

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the first one's actually pretty good. this is a sequel done over a decade later and fairly uninspired.

just a heads up though. this Paramount Scares set is on super sale this week for $47 .. it includes all 4 films, and a TON of swag.
this set of 4 is a bit disjointed compared to the first one, but there's some goodies in there. Breadown and World War Z are worth the price of admission alone, and I just posted the review of Friday the 13th Part II just now