7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 3.7 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A girl unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.
Starring: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, William Katt, John TravoltaHorror | 100% |
Supernatural | 24% |
Psychological thriller | 15% |
Thriller | 15% |
Teen | 7% |
Coming of age | 4% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English, French, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional)
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
I've been invited to the prom.
One could write a book on the complexities, undertones, and social commentary of
Carrie,
citing the simple portrayal of all its characters despite the extremes each of the primaries
represent.
Brian De Palma's (Mission: Impossible)
film is a mesmerizing experience for its simplistic look at how everyday life may go
horribly awry, focusing on the dangers of nonsensical confrontation and the heartache it causes,
of
course intertwined with an element of Horror that punctuates the message. Adapted from
the
Stephen King novel of the same name, Carrie is an elegant film despite its oftentimes
static, rather
pedestrian direction that is punctuated by moments of unique vision,
but the more unremarkable element is what makes the confrontations and the climax so
intriguing
yet utterly painful to watch. De Palma's style reflects that of his primary character, Carrie White
(Sissy Spacek, JFK), who is an
unassuming, shy, and innocent young lady that has been sheltered from the ways of the world.
Despite her rather homespun countenance and humble demeanor, she harbors inside of her
something special, something unique, and something worth understanding that sets her apart
from
everyone else. Indeed, Carrie is a complex film bathed in simplicity, and it works on
numerous levels thanks to its smart story, fine acting, and steady direction.
It's a very nice dress, Carrie. It would be a shame to ruin it.
MGM presents Carrie on Blu-ray with an underwhelming 1080p, MPEG-2 encoded transfer and framed inside a 1.85:1 window. Blu-ray fans uninterested in transfers that feature heavy grain fields and excessive noise will want to avoid this film completely. Grain is ever-present, clearly noticeable in every scene, and serves as the transfer's most noticeable characteristic. Some scenes do clear up a bit, the outdoor shot of Carrie walking home after her dismissal from school early in the film serving as one example. The transfer also appears generally dim and dull, with faded colors, minimal detail, and little in the way of absolute clarity. Blacks are also less-than-stellar, generally ranging between acceptably dark and stable to a medium shade of gray. The film also sees a tremendous amount of overblown whites and a glow about much of the transfer, but these characteristics, like the grain, seem inherent to the source. The prom scenes feature a rather harsh red-tinted lighting scheme that dominates the sequence and compliments very well what is to come for Carrie as the night wears on. Carrie does enjoy mostly stable-looking flesh tones. No doubt Carrie's transfer will be a source of contention amongst Blu-ray fans as they try to balance source material and director intent with the film's Blu-ray presentation. It's likely that the film will never look much better than it does here.
Carrie fails to ignite Blu-ray despite the inclusion of a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless mix, presented in conjunction with the film's monaural audio track. This presentation is front heavy, sometimes sounding detached from the picture. Music plays with a bit of a harsh edge, as do the many screams heard in the film. The track barely sees an improvement over the mono offering; it certainly doesn't spread far from the center channel and offers minimal improvement in clarity. Some rock music played at the prom offers slightly more clarity and realism than does the music heard previous; it delivers some nice lows and spreads out a bit further from the center than do the track's other elements. Only near the end of the film does the track manage to place discrete effects all around the soundstage. It picks up in intensity over the last 20 minutes, sounding fuller and more aggressive than it did before. Of course, this segment offers the only true "action" moments in the film that call for more aggressive use of sound. Dialogue is adequately delivered with no distortions or difficulties with discernment and is the highlight of the track. Carrie isn't meant to sound like the latest and greatest Action movie, and like the video, it's likely presented here about as well as it ever will be.
Carrie fizzles on Blu-ray, offering viewers only a pittance of bonus materials. 1080p Trailers for Carrie, The Amityville Horror and The Terminator are all that's included.
Carrie is one of Brian De Palma's best films. It's a fantastic character study that adds to the mix an element of Horror that only reinforces the plot rather than serving as the focus of the story. The story is one of despair and loss, the tale of a terribly misunderstood and mistreated young girl who only yearns for the most basic of hopes and dreams -- to be normal, to fit in, to be accepted. Instead, she is ridiculed for the sins of those around her rather than her own, and therein lays both the tragedy and the message of the film. MGM presents Carrie on Blu-ray with underwhelming results. The video transfer fails to impress, though it is likely never to look much better than it does here. The same may be said of the audio presentation. Where the disc falters is in the absence of bonus materials; only a few trailers are available, certainly a missed opportunity and a disappointment to say the least. Carrie is a film well worth seeing, but only those that don't mind the absence of extras and do not already own the film on DVD will want to buy this edition.
1976
San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Exclusive
1976
1976
w/ 2017 Halloween Faceplate and Coloring Book
1976
1976
Collector's Edition
1976
Deluxe Limited Edition | Limited to 2000 - SOLD OUT
1976
1976
1976
1976
Collector's Edition
1976
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1976
w/ Enamel Pin Set+Exclusive Poster
1976
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1976
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2013
2009
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1980
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1986
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1983
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2003
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1998
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1973