Dead Space: Downfall | |
---|---|
Directed by | Chuck Patton |
Written by | Justin Gray Jimmy Palmiotti |
Based on | Dead Space by Electronic Arts |
Produced by | Joe Goyette Robert Weaver Ellen Goldsmith-Vein |
Starring | Nika Futterman Bruce Boxleitner Keith Szarabajka Jim Cummings Hal Sparks Kevin Michael Richardson Phil Morris Lia Sargent |
Edited by | John Hoyos |
Music by | Seth Podowitz |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Anchor Bay Entertainment Manga Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 75 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $1.66 million |
Dead Space: Downfall is a 2008 American adult animated psychological science fiction horror film directed by Chuck Patton, written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and developed by Film Roman under the supervision of Electronic Arts; Electronic Arts also published the 2008 survival horror video game Dead Space upon which the film is based. It first released direct-to-video in October, before seeing a television showing the following month on Starz Encore.
Downfall is a prequel to Dead Space, taking place after the limited comic series. Set aboard the planet mining ship USG Ishimura, it details the events following the transportation of an artifact called the Marker from the planet Aegis VII, leading to the deaths of nearly everyone on board at the hands of reanimated mutated corpses dubbed "Necromorphs".
The film was produced as part of Electronic Art's multimedia expansion of the plot, referred to by staff as "IP cubed". Patton was given relative freedom with the narrative and visuals, wanting to create the goriest feature Film Roman had produced. Electronic Arts provided art assets to Film Roman, allowing an accurate representation of the game's universe. The DVD release earned over $1 million in sales. Reviews were mixed, with praise for its voice acting, writing and animation, but criticism for its short length and emphasis on graphic violence over horror and suspense. Electronic Arts and Film Roman would collaborate again on 2011's Dead Space: Aftermath , a prequel to Dead Space 2 .
Dead Space: Downfall takes place in the year 2508, centuries after humanity narrowly avoided extinction due to resource depletion by "cracking" planets to extract their resources in a three-year process. The story begins during the second year of an illegal mining operation on the planet Aegis VII funded by the Church of Unitology. Colony geologist Jennifer Barrows discovers a monolith-like artifact identified as a Marker, an object sacred to the Unitologists' beliefs. In reality, the Marker is a human copy of an alien object that begins to have a fatal influence over the colony, eventually causing an outbreak of reanimated mutated corpses referred to outside the movie as "Necromorphs". [1] [2] [3] Downfall details how the Marker's infection reached and overcame the Ishimura, told through the eyes of a number of Aegis VII miners and Ishimura crew members. [4] [5]
The film opens in media res with a video message from security chief Alissa Vincent, saying the Ishimura is lost and both the ship and the Marker that caused its fall must be destroyed. The story goes back to Barrows' discovery of the Marker in an area showing signs of ancient human mining. By the time the Ishimura arrives, the Aegis VII colony has undergone a catastrophic breakdown, with dozens killed and many reports of violent behavior and psychosis. The Marker is brought on board on the authority of Captain Mathius and Dr Kyne, prompting many Unitologist crew to worship it, among them engineer Samuel Irons. Vincent grows increasingly furious about having the Marker on board, believing it was responsible for the colony's collapse.
After planetcrack, all contact is lost with the colony, which is completely overrun by Necromorphs. The now-insane Barrows kills herself, and when her husband escapes with her body to the Ishimura, they are infected by a stowaway Necromorph and escape onto the Ishimura. Kyne, already questioning their real mission to bring the Marker back to the Church, briefly sees the converted Barrows. Vincent's six-person team—including members Ramirez and Hanson—investigate a disturbance, finding growing numbers of Necromorphs killing the crew and overtaking the ship. During their encounters, her team loses two members, and Hanson is only saved by Irons's intervention. Meanwhile Mathius grows increasingly paranoid and delusional, forcing the bridge crew to restrain him. Kyne's attempt to sedate him leads to Mathius's death, and Kyne flees as all escape pods are launched, trapping everyone on board.
En route to the bridge, Hanson goes insane and kills another member of Vincent's crew before Ramirez shoots him. In an effort to save survivors, Irons sacrifices himself to hold off the Necromorphs. Vincent and Ramirez then go to stop Kyne deactivating the Ishimura's engines and crashing them into Aegis VII. Ramirez dies during the trek, and Kyne reveals the Marker's influence to Vincent before escaping again. With the Ishimura stable but in a decaying orbit, Vincent reaches the Marker, which the Necromorphs cannot approach as it kept them sealed on Aegis VII. Exhausted and beginning to suffer from hallucinations, Vincent makes her video message, then attempts to escape on a remaining shuttle. Trapped by Necromorphs, she opens the bay doors, sending herself and nearby Necromorphs into space after launching a distress beacon. The film ends with the UGS Kellion responding to the distress call.
Character | Voice actor [6] |
---|---|
Alissa Vincent | Nika Futterman |
Dr Kyne | Keith Szarabajka |
Samuel Irons | Kevin Michael Richardson |
Ramirez | Hal Sparks |
Hansen | Phil Morris |
Shen | Kelly Hu |
Pendleton | Kevin Michael Richardson |
Dobbs | Jeff Bennett |
Captain Matthius | Jim Cummings |
Jennifer Barrows | Lia Sargent |
Colin Barrows | Bruce Boxleitner |
The survival horror video game Dead Space began production in 2006 at EA Redwood Shores, based on creator Glen Schofield's wish to create the most frightening horror game possible. [7] [8] Alongside the game, the universe of Dead Space was expanded into a multimedia narrative described by its publisher Electronic Arts as "IP cubed"; it extended across the game, the limited comic series Dead Space , and the animated film Downfall. [9] The concept for a film was around from the beginning of the game's production. [4] While each part of the media expansion was handled by different people, the game's development team acted as overall controller, ensuring continuity between each property. [9]
The film was produced by Film Roman, the animation unit of Starz Media known for their work on The Simpsons and King of the Hill . [4] Downfall was directed by Chuck Patton, known for his work on Todd McFarlane's Spawn . From the outset, Patton wanted Downfall to be the goriest animated feature the studio had done up to this point. [10] Producer Joe Goyette described this element as "creating another 400 ways to kill people". [5] The team opted for traditional 2D animation both for time and budgetary reasons, and to craft more sympathetic characters. [10] Due to the simultaneous production of the game and movie, there was a lot of collaboration between the two teams. The "Downfall" subtitle was a reference to the film's content. [11] While the different media projects shared a dark and grim aesthetic, Electronic Arts did not try to keep the art design consistent between them. [9]
While the mythology and broad strokes of plot were in place, the plot details of Downfall were left up to Film Roman as long as they did not deviate from the established lore and timeline. [11] So the film would be accurate to the game, the production team were given 3D assets from the game by Electronic Arts, along with reference material for the atmosphere and Necromorph transformations. The team got further reference material for themselves to portray the injuries and transformations. [10] The film was co-written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti in collaboration with the animation team. [4] For Gray and Palmiotti, the film gave them a chance to let loose with the level of violence and vent their frustration at being told to hold back in their earlier work. While the events of the comic and the game were set, and one character had to survive the film, the writers were otherwise allowed to "write madness". According to the writers and director, the amount of content cut during production would have made a sequel. [10] A notable cut section, which was seen as overly ambitious and requiring too much time, was a fight between Vincent and a unique Necromorph born from the fused bodies of her squad mates. [10] [12]
Downfall was first announced in March 2008. [13] It premiered in the United Kingdom at the 2008 Sci-Fi-London film festival. [14] The movie was released direct-to-video on DVD and Blu-ray on October 28, roughly a week after the release of Dead Space. The extras included an isolated soundtrack, a deleted scene, and cheat codes for the game. The Blu-ray edition also included a standard DVD edition and digital editions compatible with PlayStation Portable and Microsoft Windows. [5] It was co-published by Anchor Bay Entertainment and Manga Entertainment. [15] It later premiered on television through Starz Encore on November 2. [16] Electronic Arts and Starz Media would collaborate again on Dead Space: Aftermath , released in 2011 as a prequel to Dead Space 2 . [17] [18]
Upon its debut in the United States, the DVD release reached twenty-third place in sales charts, reaching over 26,500 units and earning over $397,000. [19] Ultimately, Downfall earned over $1,655,000 in DVD sales. [20]
Christopher Monfette of IGN enjoyed the animation and staging of its scares and violence despite a limited color palette, but found the narrative was poorly paced with too many events happening in quick succession. He also faulted the dialogue and performances, and the Unitology subplot as unnecessary filler. [21] Joystiq 's Andrew Yoon felt that the movie was only for fans of the game, as its storyline was best understood by those who had already played Dead Space. Alongside this, Yoon faulted the characters, lack of reference to in-game events, and overfast pacing; ultimately, he felt it was better than bigger-budget Hollywood game adaptations. [22] James Stephanie Sterling writing for Destructoid , said that the movie was enjoyable but relied too much on character cliches. She positively compared its tone and violence to "a cartoony Event Horizon ", and praised the animation quality despite it clashing with the parent game's realistic graphics. [23]
Peter Debruge of Variety noted its technical achievements given its scale and market, but noted that its tone and apparent revelry in the deaths of its cast made it unenjoyable outside the original game's context. [24] DVDTalk's Adam Tyner felt that Downfall would have been better if it had focused on horror and suspence over violence and gore. He summarised that the film "captures the unflinchingly graphic violence of EA's survival horror video game, but it misses out on the suspense and intensity that leave it standing out as one of the year's best". [25] Michael Thompson of Ars Technica again noted it as better than many larger-budget video game adaptations, citing Max Payne as an example of the latter. His biggest complaint was a lack of horror elements, with the focus on bloody violence undercuting any suspense. [26] Play , as part of an article on Dead Space 3 , called Downfall "Gory, quite silly, but good for fans and entertaining." [27]
In July 2021, the Oktyabrsky District Court in Saint Petersburg banned the film along with some Happy Tree Friends , films based on anime. [28]
Vampire Hunter D is a series of novels written by Japanese author Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano since 1983.
Patton Peter Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His acting roles include Spence Olchin in the sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007) and narrating the sitcom The Goldbergs (2013–2023) as adult Adam F. Goldberg. After making his acting debut in the Seinfeld episode "The Couch", he has appeared in a variety of television series, such as Parks and Recreation, Community, Two and a Half Men, Drunk History, Reno 911!, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Archer, Veep, Justified, Kim Possible, Modern Family, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and We Bare Bears. He portrayed Principal Ralph Durbin in A.P. Bio (2018–2021) and Matthew the Raven in the TV series The Sandman (2022–present).
Keith Szarabajka is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Mickey Kostmayer on The Equalizer, Daniel Holtz on Angel, Gerard Stephens in The Dark Knight and Adam Engell in Argo. He has also voiced Dr. Terrence Kyne in Dead Space, Joshua Graham in Fallout: New Vegas, Harbinger in Mass Effect 2, Herschel Biggs in L.A. Noire and the Didact in Halo 4.
James Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.
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Dead Space is a 2008 survival horror game developed by EA Redwood Shores and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows as the debut entry in the Dead Space series. Set on a mining spaceship overrun by deadly monsters called Necromorphs following the discovery of an artifact called the Marker, the player controls engineer Isaac Clarke as he navigates the spaceship and fights the Necromorphs while struggling with growing psychosis. Gameplay has Isaac exploring different areas through its narrative, solving environmental puzzles and finding ammunition and equipment to survive.
Dead Space is a science fiction horror comic book series written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Ben Templesmith, published from March to September 2008 by the American company Image Comics. The comic was compiled into a graphic novel and released online as a motion comic. It is a prequel to the 2008 survival horror video game of the same name, detailing the five weeks leading up to the destruction of a space colony on the planet Aegis VII following the discovery of an artifact called the Marker.
Dead Space: Extraction is a 2009 rail shooter co-developed by EA Redwood Shores and Eurocom and published by Electronic Arts for the Wii. A port for PlayStation 3 was released in 2011 alongside Dead Space 2. A spin-off within the Dead Space series and a prequel to the original game, the story follows survivors from the Aegis VII mining colony as the planet and newly-arrived ship USG Ishimura is overrun by deadly monsters called Necromorphs. Gameplay involves going through scripted sequences with different characters, using assigned weapons to kill Necromorphs by severing their limbs. Each version respectively supported the Wii Zapper and PlayStation Move peripherals.
Necromorphs are a collective of undead creatures in the science fiction horror multimedia franchise Dead Space by Electronic Arts, introduced in the 2008 comic book series of the same name. Within the series, the Necromorphs are constructed from reanimated corpses and come in multiple forms of various shapes and sizes. They are violent creatures driven to murder and infect all life within their vicinity by a signal emitted from mysterious alien artifacts known as Markers.
Dead Space 2 is a 2011 survival horror game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 in January. The second mainline entry in the Dead Space series, set on the Titan-based Sprawl space station, the story follows series protagonist Isaac Clarke as he fights against both an outbreak of the monstrous Necromorphs and debilitating mental illness induced by the alien Markers. Gameplay features Isaac exploring a series of levels, solving puzzles to progress, and finding resources while fighting off Necromorphs. The game included a competitive multiplayer, with the Sprawl's security forces fighting teams of Necromorphs.
Dead Space is a science fiction/horror franchise created and directed by Glen Schofield. Dead Space was developed by Visceral Games and published and owned by Electronic Arts. The franchise's chronology is not presented in a linear format; each installment in the Dead Space franchise is a continuation or addition to a continuing storyline, with sections of the storyline presented in prequels or sequels, sometimes presented in other media from the originating video game series, which includes two films and several comic books and novels.
Dead Space: Aftermath is a 2011 American adult animated psychological science fiction horror film directed by Mike Disa, written by a team including Brandon Auman, and developed by Starz Media Film Roman and Pumpkin Studio under the supervision of Electronic Arts & Visceral Games. It was released direct-to-video on January 25, the same day as the 2011 survival horror video game Dead Space 2, published by Electronic Arts.
Dead Space: Martyr is a 2010 science fiction horror novel written by B. K. Evenson, published by Tor Books. Martyr forms part of the Dead Space survival horror media franchise developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. A prequel entry in the franchise, the novel is set centuries before the events of the main series and follows geophysicist Michael Altman as he investigates an alien artifact called the Black Marker. The novel concludes with Altman being unwillingly used to found Unitology, a religion that worships the Marker.
Dead Space 3 is a 2013 survival horror action video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. It is the third and final main entry in the Dead Space series. The game's story follows player-character Isaac Clarke and his allies as they explore a frozen planet, Tau Volantis, to discover the origins of the growing threat from their enemies, the Necromorphs. Players control Isaac and explore the environment, solve puzzles, and find resources, while fighting Necromorphs and hostile humans called Unitologists. The game supports online cooperative multiplayer sessions in which a second player takes the role of new character John Carver.
Dead Space: Liberation is a 2013 science fiction horror graphic novel written by Ian Edginton and illustrated by Christopher Shy, published by Titan Books. It forms part of the Dead Space survival horror media franchise developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. Liberation is a prequel to Dead Space 3 (2013) detailing the experiences of EarthGov soldier John Carver following an outbreak of deadly monsters called Necromorphs, joining with Ellie Langford and Robert Norton on a search for the Necromorphs' origins.
Isaac Clarke is a fictional character in the survival horror media franchise Dead Space, owned and published by Electronic Arts. He was introduced as the protagonist of Dead Space (2008) developed by EA subsidiary EA Redwood Shores, which later became Visceral Games. A starship systems engineer, he is initially contracted by the Concordance Extraction Company (C.E.C) to join the crew of its maintenance ship Kellion on a search and repair mission for USG Ishimura, which is the last known whereabouts of his ex-girlfriend Nicole Brennan who had sent a brief transmission to him. Once on board the derelict vessel, Isaac finds himself beset by Necromorphs, horrendous undead creatures unleashed by a mysterious alien artifact known as a Marker. Subsequent sequels follow Isaac's struggle to cope with the alteration of his mind by the Marker in the first game, as well as his journey to uncover the origin of the Markers and the source of the Necromorph outbreaks.
The music of the Dead Space media franchise, created by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts around a series of survival horror video games, was mainly composed by Jason Graves. Graves composed the music for all mainline entries in the series and the majority of spin-off titles. Other composers have been involved in the series; Grave's recurring collaborator Rod Abernethy acted as an early advisor for the titular first game, James Hannigan co-composed the score for Dead Space 3, while the 2023 remake of the first game combined original music with contributions by Trevor Gureckis. Scores for the movies Dead Space: Downfall and Dead Space: Aftermath were respectively composed were Seth Podowitz and Christopher Tin.
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The USG Ishimura is a fictional spacecraft from the Dead Space franchise of survival horror video games developed by Visceral Games. Known as a "planet-cracker" in-universe, the mining vessel serves as the setting of the 2008 Dead Space and its 2023 remake after its crew recovers an alien artifact on the planet Aegis VII, which transforms them into undead creatures called Necromorphs. The protagonist, Isaac Clarke, is sent to conduct emergency maintenance on the ship but soon finds himself fighting the Necromorphs with his engineering tools in an attempt to survive and escape. The ship is rediscovered in the time between Dead Space and Dead Space 2, having been left abandoned for three years and subsequently taken to a massive spaceport known as the "Sprawl" for insurance purposes; this indirectly triggers a new outbreak of Necromorphs.