Blu-ray Review Altered States Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Citizen87645]

Another journey into the reaches of the mind comes courtesy of Warner Home Video, but like its release date companion “Brainstorm,” the ideas prove more compelling than the big screen execution. The film does get a fine Blu-ray presentation, though the bonus material will likely leave fans wanting.






Altered States


Release Date: July 10, 2012


Studio: Warner Home Video


Packaging/Materials: Blu-ray “Eco-Box” keepcase


Year: 1980


Rating: R


Running Time: 1:42:44


MSRP: $19.98







THE FEATURE

SPECIAL FEATURES



Video

AVC: 1080p high definition 1.78:1

Standard definition



Audio

DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1 / Dolby Digital: Spanish 2.0

Stereo



Subtitles

English SDH, French, Spanish

None





The Feature: 3/5


It’s going to be a long, strange trip for psychologist Edward Jessup (William Hurt). His personal eccentricities have led to a professional obsession with mind altering substances and experimental states of consciousness, which he believes will lead him to some great truth about human existence. It’s gone so far that his marriage to Emily (Blair Brown) has fallen apart, and his closest friend and sometime assistant Arthur (Bob Balaban) is starting to question his mental stability. Using a mysterious concoction he picked up in Mexico, Edward begins to experience more than just hallucinations during his time in the sensory deprivation tank, but what seems to be a full blown regression into a more primitive physical and mental state. Where once only his mind was at risk from the experiments, it’s now become his body and indeed his very existence.



“Altered States,” based on the novel by Paddy Chayefsky, explores some rather far flung ideas about the human mind and consciousness, but ultimately comes up short providing a satisfying payoff to the questions it poses. It’s not that the story requires some concrete explanation of what is happening to Edward; in fact it’s a rushed and overly sentimental conclusion that proves frustrating, not the ambiguity of it all. With the visual effects-laden middle act being so much stronger than the rest, it makes the movie seem like a mere excuse for bizarre imagery and special effects, when at its core it’s interested in (and capable of) being much more. Strong performances by Hurt and Brown add a necessary human dimension to the story, but the eventual overemphasis on their characters’ relationship proves to be the film’s greatest issue.


Video Quality: 4/5


Presented in 1080p with the AVC codec, the transfer approximates the 1.85:1 aspect ratio by filling the entire 16:9 frame and features deep blacks, pleasing depth of color and impressive detail in skin and fabrics. Contrast at the lower end of the spectrum looks a touch compressed, giving the image a lot of contrasty “pop” but it may not be the most pleasing to some. A few moments of softness look like focusing errors, but the picture appears free of artifacts from digital noise reduction or sharpening measures.


Audio Quality: 4/5


Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is consistently crisp, clear and detailed. Channel separation in the film’s early scenes sounds a bit too discrete, with highly localized room and crowd noises; however, by Edward’s first hallucination, the mix has a satisfying spread and balance throughout the array. Low frequency effects are non-existent, but the track exhibits pleasing depth and range throughout.


Special Features: 0.5/5



Theatrical Trailer (2:15, SD)


Recap


The Film: 3/5


Video Quality: 4/5


Audio Quality: 4/5


Special Features: 0.5/5


Overall Score (not an average): 3/5



Warner Home Video delivers a fine high definition presentation for a promising, but flawed, exploration of the human mind and consciousness. The meager special features won’t please fans looking for a little more behind-the-scenes, but should prove satisfactory to those just interested in owning the film itself.

 

[Coressel]

It would have been awesome if they could have included bonus features like some of the extended hallucination sequences that were cut for length. I've wanted to see those for years, and with Russell's death it would have been a nice hommage.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I bet Blair Brown would have been happy to do an audio commentary had they simply asked.

 

[Felix Martinez]

Thanks for the review. I adore this film and the score by John Corigliano. Amazing lossless soundtrack on the blu-ray. Truly wonderful to hear it this way. Finally.

Not so thrilled with the image. Viewed on a 42in plasma and 92in projection set-up, both calibrated. I won't say that the blu-ray is not a dramatic improvement over the DVD (which was released about 15 years ago), but I will say that the blu-ray has a black level that seems too high and is noticeably grain-managed - more than I think was necessary.

Oh well...

 

[Todd Erwin]

According to imdb.com:


Quote:

[COLOR= rgb(51, 51, 51)]One of the few films to be released theatrically with the "Megasound" sound system format. Megasound was a movie theater sound system created by Warner Bros in the early 1980s. It was used to enhance the premiere engagements of a handful of Warner features. Theaters equipped for Megasound had additional speakers mounted on the left, right and rear walls of the auditorium. Selected soundtrack events with lots of low-frequency content (thuds, crashes, explosions, etc) were directed to these speakers at very high volume, creating a visceral effect intended to thrill the audience. [/COLOR]

I think I may have seen this film in that format, because to this day what I remember most about the film was how "awesome" the sound was (I was 15 at the time).

 

[Richard--W]

Cameron Yee, I would argue that the emphasis on the human relationships is precisely the film's dramatic strength. Dr. Jessop has to hold onto his humanity or lose it.
I vividly remember the longer preview cut in San Diego. It was either at the Cinema 21 or the Valley Circle theater in 1980. It was absolutely wild. I'd never seen anything like it. When the film was finally released some months later, much of the story development with nudity and imagery had been cut. Warner Brothers simplified the story. The final edit is superior cinema, but the original was infinitely richer.
While I'm pleased to finally have the film on Blu-ray, once again I'm disappointed in Warner Brothers for not caring enough about the film to properly transfer and supplement it. The studio makes millions if not billions of dollars every year. They can afford to do a better job. It's a question of attitude. They just don't care.

 

[Dr Griffin]

I got the Blu-ray of this recently, and was impressed with the transfer. I saw the film in 35MM, but in a theater that had upgraded its sound system for Star Wars. I was straight (sober ) at the time, but I would have loved to have seen this blown-up to 70MM and in Megasound while under the influence of choice. The Blu-ray looks like a fairly good reproduction of the film. The sound has all the hallmarks of the Megasound track with some deep bass in a few appropriate spots, and the effect was more powerful that way (not like today where bass is almost overused throughout a movie). I think the special effects hold up well, better than some of that era. I enjoyed revisiting it.