Fright Night (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) Reviews

What can I say?  I love 3D!  From the moment I began watching 3D content in my home I quickly discovered that I needed more content.  I suspect that those of you just purchasing your first 3D hardware will acquire the same ferocious appetite.  That's why I became the HTF 3D ADDICT.  I personally love images that pop off the screen and come inches away from your face without becoming overly gimmicky.  However, I certainly appreciate the nature documentaries that offer beautiful depth and separation.  These are not necessarily reviews of the film themselves.  I am not going to concentrate on story or supplements -- you can find the 2D reviews elsewhere on this forum.  My job is to let you know exactly what kind of 3D experience to expect from the titles that are being released.   As I will be receiving a handful of new product from the studios expect to see more title coverage.

 

 

 

 

FRIGHT NIGHT

 

Studio: Touchstone

Product Release: December 13, 2011

Ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. 

Running Time: 106 Minutes

Rating: R

 

 

ON A SCALE 0-5

Overall 3D Presentation Rating: 4

3D Separation: 3

3D In Yo' Face Factor: 4

 

 

I suppose, on its own, the 2011 version of  Fright Night is

the kind of fare that best appeals to today's teenage audiences

who have elevated vampires into teen idols thanks to shows

like True Blood, Vampire Diaries and The Twilight Saga films.  

However, for those of us who fondly cherish the original 1985

movie this remake tries so hard to improve upon, this is one

flick that is difficult to sink your teeth into.

 

 

Though this remake attempts to relocate itself and put an

entirely new spin on the original, most of the basic plot points

of the story remain unchanged.  Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin)

is your average teen who lives at home with his Mom (Toni

Collette) in a small suburban area just outside of Las Vegas.

Having recently shed his geekness, Charlie has miraculously

managed to hook up with the hottest girl in town (Imogen Poots),

alienating his former best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse),

who is convinced recent neighborhood disappearances are

attributed to a new neighbor named Jerry (Colin Farrell) who

just might be a vampire.

 

Of course, Charlie isn't easily convinced at first that he might

have a vampire living next door to him, that is, until a scream

in the night leads him to a gruesome discovery that makes him

realize that he's got a problem neighbor.  With nowhere else to

turn, he enlists the help of Peter Vincent (David Tennant), a

washed-up alcoholic Vegas Illusionist who claims to be the

world's foremost vampire hunter.

 

 

It's obvious from the start that this remake fails miserably

at recapturing the flavor of the original. Buffy vet Marti Noxon

knew her target teenage audience when she updated Tom

Holland's original screenplay.  All the original humor and charm

of the 1985 film has been reduced to bland storytelling set

against big-budgeted effects.  At least the original film enabled

audiences to connect with its characters, most notably, Peter

Vincent, played by Roddy McDowell in one of the most memorable

roles of his career as a cowardly, but sweet sweet individual who

rises to the occasion of becoming a vampire killer.  In this new

version, David Tennant's Peter Vincent is a complete asshole

that one wishes were the film's first victim rather than its savior.

Even Charlie's best friend, Evil Ed, immortalized by Stephen

Geoffreys who dominated the original, is reduced here to an

annoying nerd who disappears for 3/4 of the film.  The worst

offense of all is that this new Fright Night is not even casually

frightening.  

 

 

The transfer of this film is difficult to gauge -- especially watching

it in 3D.  For the most part, the picture lives up to the normally

expected high levels of detail that Blu-ray provides.  The problem

is, the only time you really take notice of its sharpness and detail

is within the few daylit scenes of the Clark County suburb. It is

these moments that you get the best sense of depth between

characters and backdrop.  The majority of the film takes place

indoors or at night which presented a lot of problems with the 3D
process.  The most major problem I saw was crosstalk that existed

in just about every scene of the film resulting in double imaging 

that traced the outlines of characters and props.   It's bad enough

that low-light levels reduce the overall effectiveness of showing

depth, but with the intentional murky look that many of these scenes

have been given, the film tends to feel more 2D than 3D.

 

 

I really need to applaud the attempts of the filmmakers to provide

a few really cool "In Yo' Face" 3D effects for audiences that shell out

the extra bucks for that kind of thing.  There is an abundance of 

post production effect work that, while probably unnecessary, kind

of makes this film more fun to watch than it should be.  I made a

rather long list of objects that get thrown towards the audience which

include shards of glass, splattering blood, an arrowhead and even

the claws of a vampire coming up beneath floor of a car.  Some of

the more prominent 3D projectiles such as a cross floating in water,

a pointed gun or an arrow hurled toward the screen are ruined by the 

excessive amount of crosstalk that blurs and doubles the image as

it reaches beyond the confines of the screen.  The best use of 3D
is the burning embers that float like flakes of snow inches before

our eyes.  It's a great effect that gets used several times throughout

the film without one getting tired of it.

 

This Blu-ray features a 7.1 DTS-HD MA track that was downcoverted

to 5.1 on my system.  Coming across powerfully and directionally

authentic, this is an immersive sonic experience.  The film's ominous

score is supplemented with just the right amount of low-level LFE and

carefully placed effect and dialogue -- all of which does an admirable

job of raising the level of pending danger.  

 

 

Fright Night arrives as a 3-disc combo package that features both

3D and 2D Blu-ray versions of the film as well as a DVD with digital

copy. The set is encased in lenticular packaging.

 

Extras included here is a gag reel, music video, frightful facts and

terrifying triva, 5 deleted scenes, Peter Vincent: Swim Inside My Mind,

and The Official How to Make a Funny Vampire Movie Guide.

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

This re-imagining of Fright Night isn't the worst thing that you

could rent on Blu-ray, but it falls drastically short of everything

that made the original a classic.  The film makes great use of

post production 3D effects, though some of the projected images

are blurred thanks to a modest level of crosstalk. 

 

As long as you can refrain from comparing it to the original (unlike

I was able to do), this may make for a moderately interesting

watch.  Otherwise, skip this and watch the 1985 version instead.

 

 

Images are for illustrative purpose only not representative of the picture quality of this disc. 

 

Equipment

 

LG 60PX950 THX Certified 3D display

Oppo BDP-93 3D Blu-ray Player

Denon 3311CI Receiver

Atlantic Technology H-PAS AT-1 fronts, 4400 center; 4200 rear speakers

SV Sound Subwoofer