- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 66,690
- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
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 egocentric 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
There's also been plenty of bad practical.
