Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Big Trouble in Little China Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 10, 2014

John Carpenter's "Big Trouble in Little China" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include brand new interviews with the American director, Kurt Russell, director of photography Dean Cundey, producer/first assistant director Larry J. Franco, actor and stuntman Jeff Imada, and visual effects producer Richard Edlund; deleted scenes; extended ending; isolated score; trailers and TV spots; production stills; and more. The release also arrives with a booklet featuring new writing on the film by John Kenneth Muir, author of "The Films of John Carpenter:, a re-print of an article on the effects of the film from American Cinematographer, illustrated with archive stills and posters. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"We may be trapped!"

Truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell, Escape from New York) gets in a lot of trouble when he agrees to help his good friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun, The Last Emperor) free his kidnapped fiancee. After they enter San Francisco’s Chinatown, the two men are forced to confront a gang of ruthless Chinese killers and the 2000-year-old wizard Lo Pan (James Hong, Chinatown, Blade Runner), who is looking for a young green-eyed girl that will help him become mortal again. Jack and Wang are joined by the very curious beauty Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall, Live Nude Girls, Sex and the City: The Movie) and the good local magician Egg Shen (Victor Wong, Prince of Darkness, Year of the Dragon), who has previously clashed with Lo Pan.

When in 1986 Twentieth Century Fox agreed to produce John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China, the top people in the studio apparently expected a film similar in style and tone to Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. What Carpenter delivered, however, was an exotic adventure film that was clearly inspired by the classic Chinese martial arts films from the ‘60s and 70s. In other words, Big Trouble in Little China was too exotic and too ambitious to be properly supported by the studio. Unsurprisingly, the film was quickly ditched. (According to director Carpenter, the Fox’s marketing campaign for the film was so poor that it effectively killed it).

Nowadays Big Trouble in Little China has the status of a cult classic precisely because it was not a copycat. It is a very stylish, at times irresistibly funny film that simply does not play by the rules. It consistently evolves and has a very sarcastic tone that essentially validates everything that happens in it. In other words, for the duration of the film the bizarre, the silly and the crazy make perfect sense.

At the time when Big Trouble in Little China was shot Carpenter and Russell were already very good friends. I think that the positive effect their friendship had on the film is very easy to recognize. There are hilarious sequences throughout the entire film whose energy and tone are simply perfect. For example, consider the sequence where Cattrall kisses Russell and leaves half of her red lipstick on his lips. Russell now looks goofy but is still very relaxed. Now pay attention to the camera movement. It is equally relaxed but at the same time very precise, making the most out of the goofiness not cheapening it. This perfect visual understanding between Russell and Carpenter makes Big Trouble in Little China quite fascinating to behold because even the most bizarre 'surprises' feel just right.

The special sets, decors, masks and pyrotechnics used in the film are also terrific. Indeed, during the second half of the film, where Lo Pan gathers his exotic characters to witness the ritual that will make him mortal again, one cannot but admire the beautiful period rooms, full of striking statues, masks, vases, and mirrors. The action sequences, quite a few of which have top-notch lighting and pyrotechnics, are also very well choreographed.

Big Trouble in Little China is also complimented by an excellent soundtrack which was created by director Carpenter and Alan Howarth (They Live, Escape from New York). Some of the music themes are dark and hugely atmospheric ("Lo Pan’s Domains"), while others are edgy and full of 80’s synth-rock energy (listen to "Pork Chop Express" and see how the edgy guitar solos interact with the synthesizer solos).

Big Trouble in Little China Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

The basic characteristics of the high-definition transfer are identical to those of the high-definition transfer Twentieth Century Fox used for their Blu-ray release of the film in the United States back in 2009 - and this is certainly very good news. During close-ups definition and clarity are consistently very pleasing. Even the darker footage from the second half of the film where Jack Burton and his friends clash with all sorts of different exotic characters looks very good (see screencapture #11). The panoramic shots with the special decors also convey pleasing fluidity (see screencapture #15). Contrast levels are stable. Furthermore, there are no traces of compromising degraining corrections. Sharpening adjustments also have not been applied. Color reproduction is very good. The special effects with the vibrant neon lights and some of the explosions look particularly good. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review. Finally, compression is good, though I noticed a couple of sequences where very light artifacts try to sneak in (see screencapture #2). All in all, this is a competent presentation of Big Trouble in Little China that should please its fans. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Big Trouble in Little China Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Arrow Video have also included an Isolated Score DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. For the record, optional English SDH subtitles have provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The 5.1 track and the 2.0 track are both very good. I lean towards the 2.0 track as it is clearly the better balanced one, but the 5.1 track also opens up very well a number of the key action sequences. The one where the giant neon mask/head is destroyed, in particular, sounds wonderful. However, dynamic intensity is fairly similar on both tracks. The dialog is equally crisp, stable, and very easy to follow. Again, experiment with both, but I personally prefer the 2.0 track.

Big Trouble in Little China Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interviews - a collection of brand new interviews produced by Severin Films.
  
  1. John Carpenter - in this video interview, the director of Big Trouble in Little China talks about his professional relationship with Kurt Russell and the different films they did together. Mr. Carpenter also discusses the difficult production history of Big Trouble in Little China and the unfortunate treatment the film was given by Twentieth Century Fox. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).
  
  2. Kurt Russell - in this outstanding new video interview, Kurt Russell discusses his professional relationship with John Carpenter, and recalls how he was approached to play Jack Burton, the various improvisations he did during the shooting of the film, the disappointing advertising campaign for the film in the United States, etc. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).
  
  3. Dean Cundey - director of photography Dean Cundey recalls his work on a number of John Carpenter's films, and specifically Halloween and Escape From New York. Mr. Cundey also discusses the very unique production design of Big Trouble in Little China, the different looks of San Francisco's Chinatown and the world beneath it and how they were lensed, etc. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).
  
  4. Larry J. Franco - in this video interview, producer/first assistant director Larry J. Franco discusses his professional relationship with John Carpenter (there are some great comments about his contribution to Elvis and The Fog as well as Mr. Carpenter's desire to have Kurt Russell play Snake Plissken in Escape to New York), the casting of The Three Storms in Big Trouble in Little China, Mr. Carpenter's dissatisfaction with the studio system, etc. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).
  
  5. Jeff Imada - in this video interview, actor and stuntman Jeff Imada recalls his contribution to Big Trouble in Little China (Mr. Imada played a number of different characters during the action sequences). In English, not subtitled. (13 min).
  
  6. Richard Edlund - in this video interview, visual effects producer Richard Edlund recalls how some of the most unique masks and special effects that were used in the film were done. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Deleted Scenes - gallery of deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Airport
  2. The Dragon of the Black Pool
  3. The White Tiger
  4. Gracie's Office
  5. Thunder's Tour
  6. Beneath Chinatown
  7. Lava Sequence
  8. Six Demon Bag

• Extended Ending - in English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Isolated Score - isolated music score (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1).

• Vintage Featurette - this featurette also appears on the U.S. Blu-ray release of Big Trouble in Little China. It contains comments from various cast and crew members as well as raw footage from the shooting of the film. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Music Video - the original Big Trouble in Little China music video. (4 min).

• Trailers - original trailers for Big Trouble in Little China. In English and Spanish.

• TV Spots - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Remember
  2. Who Is...?
  3. Adventure
  4. Beneath
  5. Pay-Per-View
  6. Teaser

• Gallery - a collection of production stills and stills from the film. (5 min).

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary by John Carpenter and Kurt Russell also appeared on the U.S. Blu-ray release of Big Trouble in Little China.

• Booklet - booklet featuring new writing on the film by John Kenneth Muir, author of The Films of John Carpenter, a re-print of an article on the effects of the film from American Cinematographer, illustrated with archive stills and posters.

Big Trouble in Little China Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China arrives on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom rather late, but I think that fans of the film residing there will be quite pleased with Arrow Video's new release. The film looks great and there are some excellent new special features produced by Severin Films on this release. I really enjoyed the new video interviews with the American director and Kurt Russell. Buy with confidence, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.