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5/19/09 at 9:07pm
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MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3-D 2-Disc Special Edition





Studio: Lionsgate
Year: 2009
Rated: R
Film Length: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Release Date: May 19, 2009

The Movie
( ½ out of )

My Bloody Valentine 3D is a remake of the 1981 slasher film of the same name (sans 3D). The villain (or hero, depending upon whose side you are on) is the Miner, a cold-blooded killer in a miner’s hat wielding a pickaxe who plucks out the hearts of his victims. Kerr Smith (Dawson’s Creek) plays Axel, a local boy who later becomes the local sheriff. Jaime King (Sin City) plays Sarah, Axel’s wife. Unknown to Sarah, Axel is cheating on her with Megan (Megan Boone). Meanwhile, Sarah’s ex-boyfriend Tom, played by Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) has returned to his hometown after 10 years and is immediately suspected of being the killer, even though he was nearly the victim himself of the Miner before Tom left town years ago.

My Bloody Valentine 3D is directed by Patrick Lussier who, among other things, acted as film editor on the Scream series of films. Screenwriters Todd Farmer and Zane Smith have adapted the Scream style to this remake and have created a screen story inhabited by a cast of characters who the audience has an opportunity to become emotionally invested in before their ultimate demises. My Bloody Valentine 3D is better than average for this genre of film and may appeal to audiences who normally shun slasher flicks. This remake does many of the same things right that the Scream series did right, and will inevitably be followed by a sequel. This reviewer was not optimistic about the quality of this film prior to seeing it, and was pleasantly surprised by its entertainment value.

Video
( out of )

The movie is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Most of the movie takes place at night or in dark places and the color palette is muted deliberately for dramatic effect, with blue as the dominant tint. Black crush is unfortunately an issue here as well as macroblocking which is most glaring in the darker images, which is basically 90% of the film.

This edition has the movie in both 2-D and 3-D versions, and comes with 4 pairs of 3-D glasses. The 3-D format is in the traditional anaglyphic process with the green lens over your left eye and the purple lens over your right eye. The film was shown theatrically in the Real D process, which is superior to the anaglyph process but is not yet available on home video. That being said, the anaglyph process on this DVD is serviceable although it pales in comparison to the 3-D effects on the Blu Ray version. The director deserves credit for creating numerous action sequences that take full advantage of the 3-D process without seeming overly contrived in the effort. Although colors are muted when viewed in 3-D, the entire palette is muted deliberately. This is apparent when comparing the 2-D version to the 3-D version, which reveals that the clarity of images is not compromised in the 3-D version.

Audio
( out of )

The English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is employed to full effect for all kinds of ambient sounds from every speaker that lends itself extremely well to the mood created for this film. The dialogue is primarily front and center with sound effects and music emanating from every speaker.

Special Features
( ½ out of )

With the exception of the audio commentary and the theatrical trailer on Disc 1, the special features are located exclusively on Disc 2.

The special features on Disc 1 include the following:

Audio Commentary: The commentary is provided by director Patrick Lussier and co-writer Todd Farmer. Lussier and Farmer provide a lively and interesting commentary which is much better than average.

Theatrical Trailer (0:38): Short red band trailer for My Bloody Valentine 3D.

On Disc 2 are the following special features:

Deep Inside My Bloody Valentine (7:18): Cast and crew are interviewed regarding making the movie along with some behind the scenes footage.

Sex, Blood, and Screams (5:47): Cast and crew provide some behind the scenes footage of some of the more gruesome special effects.

Deleted and Extended Scenes (18:16): Some of these scenes are very good and arguably should have been left in the film. This feature is presented in matted widescreen format unlike the other special features which are all anamorphic.

Tom, Pick, and Harry: Alternate Ending (1:03): This is actually an alternate edit of the original ending.

Gag Reel (2:16): This is a short collection of line flubs and jokes by the cast.

Also From Lionsgate: Trailers for Crank 2, The Haunting In Connecticut, My Bloody Valentine Special Edition, Transporter 3, Saw V, The Burrowers, Seventh Moon, and Break.com. These trailers also show automatically at the beginning of the disc.

Conclusion
( ½ out of overall)

My Bloody Valentine 3D is a better than average slasher flick that avoids some of the faults in this genre even while it fails to avoid all of the cliches of the horror genre. The 3-D effects are excellent in spite of their limitations and enhance the entertainment value of this film. The 3-D effects on this DVD are average for the anaglyph process. My Bloody Valentine 3D may not transcend its genre but it succeeds to entertain. It may not make any converts out of people who normally shun slasher flicks but fans of this genre will find much to like here.
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