Rumours Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Rumours Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 29, 2025

Experimental filmmaker Guy Maddin has spent his career creating peculiar movies for art-house audiences. He’s in love with the dreamlike possibilities of cinema, maintaining a sense of humor and bold visuals to bring his creations to life. He’s been away from screens for quite some time (2017’s “The Green Fog” was his last project), and he returns with perhaps his most accessible undertaking yet in “Rumours,” examining the strangeness of an apocalyptic event occurring during the G7 gathering of world leaders. Maddin doesn’t come alone, joined by collaborators Evan and Galen Johnson, and the trio is out to craft a disorienting journey into ego, power, and panic with the effort, which also aims to be a comedy, at least for the most part. “Rumours” is a little bit of everything, and while it does get a tad fatigued, it remains a periodically hilarious and fantastically performed offering of oddity from a helmer who just loves the stuff.

It’s time for the G7 forum in Germany, and spirits run high while the world is enduring a “present crisis.” The attendees include Hilda (Cate Blanchett), the Chancellor of Germany; Edison (Charles Dance), the President of the United States; Maxime (Roy Dupris), the Prime Minister of Canada; Sylvain (Denis Menochet), the President of France; Antonio (Rolando Ravello), the Prime Minister of Italy; Cardosa (Nikki Amuka-Bird), the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and Tatsuro (Takehiro Hira), the Prime Minister of Japan. The leaders gather to draft a statement concerning current issues, retreating to a gazebo at Dankerode Castle to interact and get to work. Instead of making progress, the meeting turns into something dangerous as a dark fog covers the area, forcing the attendees to figure out a way back to the castle, only to encounter an undefined threat in the darkness and a giant brain in the woods.

The G7 is meant to be a place where countries can enjoy an open dialogue with one another, getting together to address world issues. There’s something going on during “Rumours,” but such undefined trouble isn’t of too much concern to the leaders, who are here to enjoy their surroundings and pose for the press. The story encounters an unnerving discovery in the opening act, observing a 2,000-year-old mummified body dug up on the grounds, and it just so happens to have its penis cut off. The finding plays into a bigger problem found later in the movie, as “Rumours” quickly moves over to the gazebo, where a pleasant afternoon of statement construction is planned for the members. However, while pleasantries are the name of the game, for Maxime, emotions are barely concealed, finally reuniting with Cardosa, a woman he had an affair with during the last summit.

The theme of this forum is “regret,” putting the leaders in touch with mistakes from their own past, and the writing gradually explores all the different personalities present here. This includes Edison, an elderly American who enjoys cat naps and welcomes death. Antonio is prepared for doom, keeping meat snacks on him at all times. And Hilda is trying to be a welcoming host and leader for the day, but she can’t resist a chance to spend some alone time with Maxime, who’s distraught and confused, unable to handle his passions. Maxime’s cartoonishly hot-blooded ways is one of the highlights of “Rumours,” which eventually contacts the unknown, as the gazebo is shrouded in darkness, while Sylvain learns more about potential dangers in the area, inspiring a journey to a raft to find safety. It’s during this mission where hidden desires are exposed, brainstorms commence, and Celestine (Alicia Vikander), the Secretary-General of the European Commission, is found. She’s unsettled, speaking a strange language, and located next to a giant brain, creating a second act mystery involving the discovery’s origin and intent.

Rumours Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Rumours" does battle with Blu-ray's natural enemy: fog. There's a constant haziness to the feature after the first act, and compression struggles, exposing some banding along the way. While the movie is shot with a certain level of softness, detail remains understood during the viewing event, picking up on skin particulars and textures on strange encounters involving the large brain and muddier threats. Distances retain depth. Colors are stable, delivering defined primaries on costuming and greenery, while the survival portion of the film introduces floods of purple, blue, and red. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory, doing fine with extensive night activity.

Rumours Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix provides a fresh sense of dialogue exchanges. Performance choices and accents are distinct throughout the listening experience, and group activity is easily followed as the characters work out their political and survival ideas. Scoring supports with defined instrumentation, offering emphasis with more suspenseful interactions and thunderous speechifying. Emotional moods are also understood. Atmospherics are inviting with a milder sense of outdoor movement and naturalistic position. Some panning and separation effects are utilized to explore character divide. Low-end isn't challenged, with a milder feel for heavier organ stings and physical activity.

Rumours Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Teaser Trailer (:32, HD) is included.

Rumours Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's the bigness of eccentricity in "Rumours" to keep it inviting, but the production is more interested in messier bits of arrogance, as these self- important types work with their worthless political training to survive the night. A few bits are outrageous and hilarious, including a team effort to answer a text sent by a little girl asking for help, and she may or may not be an A.I. chatbot looking to capture pedophiles. Later in the feature, cyanide capsules found in a gift bag for the attendees contain IKEA-like instructions. Maddin and the Johnsons get wacky when they want to, offering a clever understanding of the characters and their habits and heroism. "Rumours" isn't always interested in pursuing defined shenanigans, and the writing loses its way from time to time, but laughs are there, along with a cheeky appreciation for hubris, which is often expertly performed by a game cast.