Crimson Peak - Blu-ray Review

Details: By Loron Hays; 16 October 2015

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Crimson Peak - Movie Review

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Writer/director Guillermo del Toro returns to the gothic and raids it like an undiscovered goldmine in his latest film, Crimson PeakBe warned, though.This is not the horror film you are expecting as the trailers are a bit misleading. This is horror by way of serious-minded novelists like Henry James and Emily Brontë. It is romantic and bookish with a few scares sprinkled throughout. Crimson Peak is an experiment in gothic isolation where the detailed environment consistently beckons but isn’t quite full of the frights you were expecting.

Forming a pyramid of strong performances, Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain might be considered the stars of the narrative but they are mere puppets on strings when standing against the film’s lush backdrop. In a very positive way, Crimson Peak is total eye candy. It is a lavish film that is so visually striking thanks to the artistic efforts of cinematographer Dan Laustsen, production designer Thomas Sanders and costume designer Kate Hawley that the atmosphere damn near engulfs the performances.

Co-written by del Toro and Matthew Robins, Crimson Peak follows one young author (Wasikowska), who grew up believing in ghosts, as she falls in love with and marries Sir Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) only to discover that he is not the man she thought he was. (This happens to every woman, I’m sure.) There is something dark and deceptive hiding within his family. Sharpe and his mysterious sister, Lady Lucille (Chastain), do their best to keep the long shadows of their family’s crumbling mansion from descending upon Cushing’s brow but the skeletons in their closet are not content to stay hidden for very long.

Both mysterious and romantic, Crimson Peak isn’t without its flaws. Once Wasikowska establishes herself in the Sharpe mansion, the gothic tale becomes a bit too predictable and turns into a spook show as she runs from one expected horror scene after another. Who really cares, though?! This is a detailed work from a master filmmaker who is clearly in love with the genre and with its history. The pacing is skilled and unfolds in such a manner that allows audiences to appreciate the extra moments in Cushing’s childhood and, alternatively, shock us with scenes of violence that become an artistic statement in and of itself.

Very few filmmakers are on the same level as del Toro and fewer more actually will appreciate the influences that run throughout much of what lurks within the walls of Crimson Peak. While the storyline becomes foreseeable, the firm hand of del Toro guides the film successfully through a type of gothic tale that today’s filmmakers fail to understand. This is not unlike a Hammer Studios film; otherworldly, lavish, deliberate, and not tremendously scary.

If you are disappointed by the lack of scares in Crimson Peak, you have only the makers of the film’s trailers to blame. True Gothicism, where shadows linger as long as the emotions do, does not make for a truly marketable product.

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MPAA Rating: R for bloody violence, some sexual content and brief strong language
Runtime: 119 mins
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston
Genre: Drama | Fantasy | Horror
Tagline: Beware.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Where I come from, ghosts are not to be taken lightly"
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Official Site: http://www.legendary.com/film/crimsonpeak/
Release Date: October 16, 2015
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: February 9, 2015.
Synopsis: The filmed account of a large Canadian rock festival train tour.

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Crimson Peak - Movie Review

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - February 9, 2016
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS:X; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit); English: DTS Headphone:X; Spanish: DTS 5.1; French: DTS 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD); UV digital copy; iTunes; digital copy; Digital copy; DVD copy; BD-Live
Region Encoding: Region-free playback

Contrasting the rich golden brown tones in the beginning of the film with the dark blue in the final parts, Crimson Peak is gloriously presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal and Legendary Pictures with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 for its premiere release. This is a classy-looking production that crystalizes the experience of watching it at home with a detail-driven lens. Black levels are exquisite. Contrasts are good, too. Some of the exterior shots could be more crisp but large parts of the interior shoot are riddled with texture. Shadows never merge with backgrounds. Equally charged is the rousingly strong DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 which most receivers will default to. I say default because DTS is continuing their new super-sized sonics (DTS X). I’m sure it is excellent but my receiver couldn’t play it so it switched to 7.1.

Supplements:

Commentary:

Co-Writer/Director Guillermo del Toro provides a commentary track that is worthy of the purchase. Seriously. He loves this film and the attention to detail that he provides in this informative commentary is spellbinding.

Special Features:

Highlighting the history of the gothic romance in the movie, the haunted house, and Tom Hiddleston, there really are no boring featurettes on this release. We get looks at the practical and digital effects of the movie and a look at how some of the ghosts were captured on the film. This is a good release and should please people who want to take another look at the film that the marketing fools bungled. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are also included with purchase.