6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When a group of rich 20-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, a party game turns deadly in this fresh and funny look at backstabbing, fake friends, and one party gone very, very wrong.
Starring: Lee Pace, Rachel Sennott, Pete Davidson, Amandla Stenberg, Maria BakalovaHorror | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Director Halina Reijn overtly states she knows nothing or next to nothing about horror films and considers Bodies Bodies Bodies to be an "update of Clue", but really neither description adequately captures the madness, mayhem, and, perhaps unexpectedly, mirth that ensues when a bunch of bickering overly privileged young folks get together for a "hurricane party" and launch into the titular game, which some may know under any number of alternate titles including Werewolf. Bodies Bodies Bodies might initially seem like it's going to riff on "teenage slasher" entries after the first victim dies from a rather gruesome neck wound from a kukri (a kind of curved knife - sword type blade), but what actually ends up happening is a deconstruction of how absurdly helpless those who have things handed to them their entire lives become when confronted not just by the possibility that there's a real murderer in their midst, but perhaps more saliently (and comically), when a loss of power deprives them of any use of their cellphones other than as flashlights. If any perceived horror element is therefore really not all that germane to either the narrative or in fact how it's presented, the Clue side of things is also not exactly straightforward, since at least in the original board game formulation there's only one victim and a slew of suspects, whereas Bodies Bodies Bodies does live up to its title with an aggregating corpse count, and therefore a diminishing group of potential perpetrators.
Bodies Bodies Bodies is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films and A24 with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb doesn't yet have technical information on this, but I found interview with Director of Photography Jasper Wolf where Wolf discloses the Arri Alexa Mini LF was utilized. I have not been able to independently verify a 4K DI, but have no qualms believing there was one. This is a really impressive looking transfer for the most part, and I'm perhaps relieved to announce that despite a prevalence of really dark scenes that have things like cellphone flashlights aimed directly at the camera, there is little to no banding on this release, something that has plagued a number of Lionsgate releases recently and been bad enough that I've actually been able to take screencaptures of it. In fact the gradations of lighting and the tightness of this encode are typically very consistently handled, and as a result detail levels can be surprisingly fulsome even in some pretty low light situations. The palette pops very vividly in the bookending sequences which take place in daylight, but even in a number of rather dark scenes there can be deeply saturated bursts of color. There are some slightly noisy looking moments in very low light situations, probably most noticeable toward the end of the second act and beginning of the third. The digital grain just starts to look a little dirty, especially against some of the green backgrounds, for whatever reason. Otherwise, though, this is a strong transfer of a uniquely lit and shot production.
Bodies Bodies Bodies has a surprisingly subtle at times Dolby Atmos track that nonetheless delivers noticeable surround activity before the imagery even kicks in, with some inviting birdsong and background breeze rustling through leaves as the story opens. Later moments are expectedly more bombastic, as in the first torrential downpour the hurricane delivers, and later moments, including a kind of scary-funny panicked run through the violent wind and rain several characters take clearly engage the surround channels, delivering a really impressive enveloping listening experience. The ostensibly "quieter" moments in some of the house scenes can still have almost comical scuttling panning effects as characters scurry to and fro. A propulsive score also is nicely spacious and delivers some forceful low end at times. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.
Bodies Bodies Bodies is occasionally a little too obvious (you know a light left on in a car is going to come back to bite someone in the butt), but it is never quite what you expect it to be, which turns out to deliver some nice off kilter moments. I have to say the final few seconds of this film had me laughing more heartily than I have in a while, and kudos to Maria Bakalova for one of the more memorable line readings (given the context of the situation) in recent memory. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements, while slight, appealing. Recommended.
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