Cruel Bet, A Review

Distributor: Vivid Edition Details: Standard Streaming and Download Movie Specs: Genres: Feature Film Also known as: A Cruel Bet: A Cruel Intentions Parody Run Time: 51 minutes Rated: XXX Release Year: 2019 Director: Craven Moorehouse Written by: Bree Mills Cast: Whitney Wright, Abigail Mac, Seth Gamble Release Specs: Audio: English Stereo Subtitles: none Video: Widescreen, 1.78:1 (anamorphic) Video Format: NTSC Format: Streaming and Downlaod Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): N/A Number of discs: N/A

In May of last year, Gamma Films took over the day to day operations of Vivid.com and Vivid TV. A Cruel Bet is the first movie to come out for Vivid.com made by AdultTime, a Gamma Films division, that was directed by Craven Moorehead and written by Bree Mills, who will be familiar to anyone that is familiar with any of the Gamma Films imprints.

A Cruel Bet follows the standard formula of most of the Gamma Films web-based productions. The design is essentially an extended vignette-style scene. There is an involved opening for the feature, or featurette as the advertising calls A Cruel Bet, then the sex scene itself. This is a scene design style that has been working very well for Gamma Films, so it isn't surprising that they continue to use it.

A Cruel Bet is a spoof of Roger Kumble's 1999 film Cruel Intentions, although to be honest, A Cruel Bet is essentially one of the subplots within Cruel Intentions that gets mixed with the main plot of Cruel Intentions. In A Cruel Bet, Kate (Abigail Mac) and Victor (Seth Gamble) are stepsiblings. Cecilia (Whitney Wright), is new to the neighborhood but has managed to cost Kate her boyfriend Jet Jetson. Kate wants revenge and enlists Victor to help her with her revenge. She bets Victor that if he can bed Cecilia, he can have the one thing he has always wanted her.

Viewers familiar with A Cruel Bet will recognize the Cecile subplot from Cruel Intentions that has been mixed with the main plot from Cruel Intentions. The set-up and the story for A Cruel Bet are well-done; however, this reviewer wonders how well the feature will fit in with that fans of the Vivid imprint have come to expect from Vivid. To be honest, A Cruel Bet feels like a Pure Taboo feature that was changed to the Vivid name at the last moment, especially since the feature deals with step-sibling relationships.

This reviewer enjoys the features that Gamma Films makes under the Pure Taboo imprint; however, this reviewer was hoping that the new Vivid features produced by Gamma Films would have more of a Vivid feel to them and not just feel like another Pure Taboo or Pretty Dirty. Hopefully, further entries in the Vivid series will have a more Vivid feeling to them.

As far as A Cruel Bet goes, the cast does a beautiful job with both the nonsexual material and the sex scene. All three of the main cast members have impressed this reviewer in the past, and they impressed this reviewer again here. The sex scene itself is nicely lead into; despite the viewer knowing what is going to end up happening during the scene, there is a great tease sequence at the beginning where Kate watches Victor with Cecilia. The only main complaint that this reviewer has with A Cruel Bet is that the feature should have been longer and given us more of Kate and Victor's world, with of course more sex scenes as well.

The locations for the feature are excellent, and the feature was beautifully shot by Matt Holder, who has done an excellent job in the past with various series from Gamma Films. Viewers who like the material that is featured on Pure Taboo will love A Cruel Bet. Viewers who want the standard Vivid offering may not be as pleased with A Cruel Bet.

The edition of A Cruel Bet screened is the streaming and download edition available on AdultTime.com on the Vivid channel. Vivid has done an excellent job with their streaming and download edition of A Cruel Bet. A Cruel Bet was shot digitally and is presented in the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 2160p (commonly referred to as 4K or Ultra High Definition). The image quality is beautiful with no noticeable blemishes. The colors in A Cruel Bet are excellent. There is a Vivid.com bug in the bottom right-hand corner of the image.

A Cruel Bet is presented with an English Stereo audio track. There aren't any noticeable issues with the sound quality of A Cruel Bet. The dialog in the movie is clear and easy to understand at all times.

Vivid hasn't included any extras with their streaming and download edition of A Cruel Bet.

A Cruel Bet is the first feature, or featurette as the advertising calls the movie, to have been created under the new Gamma Films and Vivid partnership. As for whether you, as a viewer, will be impressed with A Cruel Bet depends on what you are looking for in a movie. A Cruel Bet is well-made, as are all Gamma Films productions. However, A Cruel Bet feels more like a Pure Taboo movie at heart than it feels like a Vivid movie. Fans of the various Gamma Films imprints, especially fans of the Pure Taboo branding, should love A Cruel Bet. However, fans of the Vivid imprint may find that A Cruel Bet doesn't fit in with the rest of the Vivid brand so well. Vivid has done an excellent job with the streaming and download edition available on AdultTime.com on the Vivid channel with excellent video and audio quality.

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