Blu-ray Review Open Windows Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Open Windows Blu-ray Review

A quite ingenious idea for an up-to-date thriller gets something of a muddled execution in Nacho Vigalondo’s Open Windows. With social media and modern technology allowing people to put themselves almost anywhere in the world via the internet, it’s no surprise that a suspense movie could utilize these communication tools to fashion a gripping thriller. The film loses its focus about two-thirds of the way through making for a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion, but when it’s working, it’s quite an exhilarating ride.

Studio: Other

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA, English 5.1 DTS-HDMA

Subtitles: English SDH

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: 1 Hr. 40 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray

keep case

Disc Type: BD25 (single layer)

Region: All

Release Date: 01/27/2015

MSRP: $19.97

The Production Rating: 3/5

Blogger Nick Chambers (Elijah Wood) who has a dedicated website devoted to popular actress Jill Goddard (Sasha Grey) wins a contest that takes him to Austin, Texas, for a one-on-one meeting with Jill during a publicity jaunt for her new sci-fi thriller Dark Skies. But Jill’s campaign manager Chord (Neil Maskell) phones Nick with the disappointing news that the meeting has been canceled at Jill’s request. Knowing how disappointed Nick will be and feeling betrayed by Jill for his having to break the bad news, Chord sets up a series of hacks which allows Nick almost unlimited access to Jill through her telephone, tablet, and security cameras. Nick is at first titillated by his ability to eavesdrop on Jill’s private life, but before long he understands that Chord has his own scenario at play and now that Nick is involved, he must do as he’s told for fear of discovery by the police. When it’s clear that Jill’s life depends on Nick following through with Chord’s diabolical plans, Nick doesn’t know which way to turn.

With the omnipresence of video cameras everywhere in the modern world from phones, tablets, laptops, surveillance cameras, and the like, it’s not too surprising that director Nacho Vigalondo’s screenplay can make such convenient use of them to tell his story. The film is mostly set up in a series of overlain windows on a laptop screen with various activities happening in them during the course of the movie. It’s quite ingenious how attention can be made to shift from one window to the next to see all of the various characters at play in the story even when the viewer is aware that he’s being rather shamelessly manipulated by the director to certain windows while possibly important events are transpiring in other frames we can’t quite see. As with previous thrillers like Eagle Eye and Phone Booth, the film’s protagonist finds himself being maneuvered by an outside voice which he inevitably must obey, and even when Nick sees his antagonist, it doesn’t do him any good since the primary purpose is still to save the actress he cares so much about. Things start to fall apart during an overly extended chase sequence as Nick tries to trail the car (keeping one eye on the road and the other on the screen for instructions) where Jill is bound in the trunk while a group of French hackers called Triops argue in another window of the screen about whether they should help or drop the entire matter (their purpose is really an irritant that could have been avoided). Vigalondo also pulls a last minute twist that likewise seems more irritating than ingenious leading to the unsatisfactory conclusion, but there’s no denying that the first half of the film is pretty much unlike anything else seen in the cinema lately.

This isn’t the first film in which Elijah Wood has found himself at the mercy of a controlling, manipulative voice, but he’s as effective as always as he struggles with his own emotions to do the right thing and emerges as a decent action star in this. Sasha Grey is merely adequate as the movie star being stalked, and she must take part in an uneasy sequence of disrobing before a camera that, despite her past career in adult films, seems deliberately cruel and unnecessary. Neil Maskell has a field day as the over-the-top cyber villain running the show with diabolical finesse. Adam Quintero as her agent/secret lover and Iván González as her on-screen boy friend both do fine with small roles.

Video Rating: 4.5/5  3D Rating: NA

Framed at 1.78:1 and presented in 1080p using the AVC codec, the transfer is almost from beginning to end a series of overlapping windows shifted around on various computer screens, all sharp enough when they need to be but looking digital when the need arises. Black levels are quite good, and color has been solidly maintained with believable skin tones. The movie has been divided into 12 chapters.

Audio Rating: 4.5/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix offers very good fidelity of real-time events despite the computer screen nature of the visual presentation. Sound effects get effective split treatment in all available channels, and the driving music by Jorge Magaz likewise receives its due in the fronts and rears and features excellent bass reproduction. Dialogue has been well recorded and can be found in the center channel (possibilities for directionalized dialogue are plentiful but weren’t used).

Special Features Rating: 2.5/5

The Making of Open Windows (15:51, HD): director Nacho Vigalondo, producers Enrique Lopez Lavigne and Ricardo Garcia Arrojo (all of whom speak Spanish and are subtitled), actors Elijah Wood, Sasha Grey, and Neil Maskell, and special effects supervisor David Heras discuss making the unique film as a kind of 21^st century version of Rear Window.

Visual Effects Reel (1:14, HD): several brief scenes from the film are shown pre- and post- effects.

Theatrical Trailer (1:20, HD)

Overall Rating: 3/5

While the film doesn’t really work from beginning to end, Open Windows has a unique premise and a decent amount of execution to hold one’s attention for its 100 minutes. With another script revision to solve some of the awkwardness and implausibility of the third act, the film could then have been one of the great thrillers. As it is, it still holds a certain fascination and might be worth a rental.

Reviewed By: Matt Hough

Support HTF when you buy this title: