Now available on both DVD and Blu-ray everywhere is Lionsgate Home Entertainment's reboot of My Bloody Valentine in 3-motherf*cking-D. Beyond the break you can read David Harley's in depth review of the Blu-ray release, which comes with four pairs of 3-D glasses. Does it hold up to seeing it in theaters? Read on and find out.
I don’t think anyone is ever going to accuse My Bloody Valentine 3-D of being a great film. It certainly has a fun, schlocky sense of humor (it has miner puns in the opening exposition scene) and features well-integrated 3-D effects, which I thought showcased some of the best gimmicky death scenes to date, and Tom Atkins (!). But in its 2-D state, which Lionsgate put on their Blu-Ray and DVD releases, MBV is nothing more than a film with bad acting, a script that defies logic just to get to the money shots faster and a frustrating ending that we’ve seen too many times before. However, this is a film that was, and is, being marketed as a 3-D experience, with LGF going as far as to recommend theatre goers drink beforehand to behold the film in 4-D glory, so I’d recommend skipping the 2-D transfer, even though it looks great on Blu-Ray and doesn’t have some of the problems the 3-D version has.
The 2009 version follows the premise of the original, in which a homicidal miner is suspected to have returned to a sleepy mining town to exact revenge on its citizens after a workplace incident drives him mad, but creates brand new subplots and characters to bring us a fairly different film (not many tit-for-tat scene recreations here). Instead of focusing on making compelling characters or relationships, Todd Farmer and Zane Smith’s script seems to have been constructed around death scenes that would look great in 3-D. Details and explanations of plot points are skipped over to get to the red, gooey stuff faster, such as how Harry Warden could overcome his atrophied muscles to go on a killing spree after being in a coma for a year or how “the miner” could make his way from a back office in a grocery store, through said store and to an outside window around the side in about 10 seconds. However, it has a great sense of humor and flares of personality throughout which makes the uneventful story and illogical bits easier to swallow.
The quality of the performances are all over the board, with Jaime King doing a satisfactory job as Sarah, and Jensen Ackles and Kerr Smith being underwhelming as Tom and Axel, who are competing for her trust and affection. Atkins is a real scene stealer, though he isn’t utilized nearly enough, and as great as he was for what the role demanded, I couldn’t help but be disappointed when he didn’t transform into Ray Cameron.
Lionsgate’s 1080p 3-D encode is the best I’ve seen for home viewing purposes so far but it does come with its fair share of problems. The depth of the transfer is incredible, reminding me of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Beowulf in the sense that you can see the 3-D effect working within the confines of the screen, creating a true sense of dimensionality. A handful of scenes, including a visit to an unmarked grave in the woods, really put you in the middle of the action. The Blu-Ray (and DVD) release comes with 4 sets of glasses with green and pink lenses. The discoloration caused by the glasses occurs on and off throughout the film, being very prevalent in scenes taking place in the mine and less so during daytime sequences, where I forgot I was even wearing them. Ghosting effects, which are unavoidable with 3-D films, mostly occur when there are three or more characters in a shot. Backgrounds seem to be clear and crisp, but the further back the character is in the shot, the more their image is distorted. As I previously mentioned, the 2-D transfer is immaculate and doesn’t feature discoloration or ghosting problems, though its flat nature defeats the purpose of watching the film in the first place. In both versions, the image itself is top-notch, as it was shot on digital; no noticeable digital noise reduction or compression artefacts. Lionsgate is one of the only studios to continually use 7.1 DTS-HD master audio tracks for their Blu-Rays and MBV 3-D is no exception. Despite some hollow sounding and poorly recorded dialogue early on in the film, the track is very solid. All speaker channels are used efficiently and heighten the gruesome nature of the death scenes. During the many scenes where victims are hacked away at with a pickaxe, you can hear each tendon and bit of flesh being torn apart. It’s a beautiful thing.
My Bloody Valentine 3-D might be a better experience than it is an actual film, but there’s something to be said about the fun time viewers will have with its 3-D gags and the laughs it inspires, both intentional and unintentional. It’s the kind of film that demands to be seen with at least four people – since that’s how many pairs of glasses come with the set – and a lot of beer, which will make way for plenty of great comments from the peanut gallery.
Special Features
Commentary – Director Patrick Lussier and co-writer/actor Todd Farmer deliver a track in which they spend too much time patting each other on the back and giving themselves more credit than they should; Citizen Kane this ain’t. The two commentators managed to illicit a few chuckles out of me (Farmer did write Jason X, after all) and they point out where scenes were removed and the reasoning behind it, as well as share on-set stories and point out some of the homages to the original MBV and other slasher films.
Deep Inside My Bloody Valentine (7:18) – A fairly standard EPK featurette, with cast and crew interviews which can also be seen on the uncut MBV DVD Lionsgate put out earlier this year. Having heard a lot of the same information on said DVD’s featurettes, this seems lazy in comparison. Sure, there’s some new footage and they toss out some interesting facts – they shot the film in an actual mine rather than on a set – but it’s not enough to really give any insight into the technology used in the film, the relationships between the characters and other things that a normal behind-the-scenes extra should. Also, definitely not enough Atkins on here for my taste!
Sex, Blood and Screams (5:47) – Special make-up effects designer/supervisor Gary J. Tunnicliffe explains and demonstrates how five death scenes in the film were done in regards to the practical effects. Although shorter than the previous featurette, this one is actually a bit meatier and does a good job showcasing all the work put into the film’s death sequences.
Deleted and Extended Scenes (18:00) – There are 15 deleted/extended sequences in all, none of which are really worth watching. Among the scenes included are an alternate opening, featuring two teens loading viewers up with a healthy dose of exposition that was conveyed more efficiently (and in a much more fun way) in the theatrical cut’s newspaper sequence; an alternate ending, which still employs the same 3-D gag but draws out the lead-in; and a few throwaway scenes, which don’t further the relationships of the characters or give any insight into, well, anything.
Gag Reel (2:16) – This is probably the worst gag reel I’ve ever seen. Sure, the actors mess up their lines but the film doesn’t have an improv angle so spontaneous profanity and dirty jokes – the stuff that makes most other gag reels funny – don’t show up here at all. No gore gags either, which really surprised me. In short, the miner loses his hat and Jaime King runs into walls for a little over two minutes. If that sounds like it’s bound to tickle your funny bone, then God bless you.
A digital copy of the film in 2-D is included on the second disc.
This is nothing more than a fun splatter experience. Dont take it seriously at all and its a riot with some creative deaths. Better than that other slasher remake thats about to hit dvd.
I bought it yesterday and watched it, very impressed with the DTS HD Master sound, I had the sucker cranked and when glass was shattering it was unbelievable! the kill scenes sounded awesome as well as you could hear the blood splatter and drip and the pick axe tearing through skin, I loved the audio! and the movie is exactly what it is, a fun watch in 3D.
Well, I can only watch it in 2-D, but I still really enjoyed the film. It's just a bloody good time. Plenty of kills, and gore. Does Tom Atkins have a deal to where he has to die in every horror movie he's in?
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