Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Crimson Peak Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 5, 2016

Skilled directors are easy to find, but skilled directors who are also cinematic visionaries are significantly more rare. At, or very near, the top of that exclusive collection of today's top filmmakers is Guillermo del Toro, a man whose ability to craft both successful mainstream films like Pacific Rim alongside thematically darker and artistically stylish films like Pan's Labyrinth demonstrate not just versatility, but command of the medium and all of its applications. Crimson Peak is a bit of both mainstream and elegant, heavily favoring the latter -- his more deeply stylish and dramatically complex side shines in this "Gothic Romance"-inspired film -- but also finding a broader commercial appeal as it tells a story of love, murder, mystery, madness, heartache, and otherworldly spirits. Though not as commercially successful as either Pacific or Pan, the film is nevertheless an artistically successful and dramatically absorbing work of art that only disappoints in an uninspired conclusion to an otherwise brilliant film.

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Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is an aspiring novelist who is haunted by frightening visions that bear an ominous warning. She's the daughter of a wealthy businessman (Jim Beaver) who is approached by an Englishman named Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) who is seeking investors for his invention that he hopes will facilitate mining red clay. Not only does Sharpe's sales pitch fall on deaf ears, but his budding romance with Edith is cut short when Edith's father digs up his past and blackmails him to break things off with her. Soon thereafter, Edith's father is murdered. With little left of her life, and with Sharpe confessing that her father forced their breakup, the two wed and, with Sharpe's sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) in tow, return to his dilapidated mansion that sits atop the red clay. Edith learns that the place is called "Crimson Peak," the very name that has been haunting her nightmares since her mother's death some years ago.

Crimson Peak is elegantly reminiscent of Bram Stoker's Dracula in both the practical terms of the general timeframe in which the movie takes place and, much more apropos to Del Toro's film, its technical skill and assemblage. This is a film of enormous style that's practically bursting at the seams with a lovingly assembled and gracefully photographed narrative that's enhanced by the use of color, visual metaphor and motif, and striking digital and practical effects. The movie expertly blends artistic grace with unsettling imagery and horrific scares, all of which only serve to enhance one another; no single element dominates another, at least when the movie is considered in its entire context rather than in the inherent beauty of individual shots, scenes, and sequences. The house, which serves as the movie's central location in its second and third acts, represents the proverbial nonliving character. Del Toro has crafted it in a graceful state of disrepair in which it literally "bleeds" from the floor while pure white snow gently drifts down from a hole in the roof and piles inside. But it's the larger context of the story around it that transforms it, and indeed every other piece of the puzzle, from resplendent curiosity to central element in a much more complex story.

While the film exists amongst a rare breed that could successfully stand on its own merely as a visual curiosity, its painstaking technical and production craftsmanship are only enhanced by the foundational support of a solid story. The film is filled with various dramatic twists and turns that are uncovered in due course and which reinforce the reasoning behind the picture's elegant façade. Crimson Peak is akin to multiple organisms living in symbiotic relationship, disparate in many ways but similar in others and always one in need of the other to work. Del Toro never simply tosses ingredients together but instead ensures a carefully conceived story -- which he co-wrote with Matthew Robbins (with whom Del Toro shares a writing credit for Don't Be Afraid of the Dark) -- in which exacting continuity between the broadest story elements and most intimate details alike are recognizable but seamlessly integrated. Combined with several strong performances -- Tom Hiddleston, known for portraying the cunning Loki in various Marvel movies, is particularly excellent as the charming but mysterious Thomas Sharpe -- the movie is a powerhouse of entertaining and spooky story meets nearly unmatched style meets artistic ingenuity meets a master craftsman at the top of his game.

Crimson Peak Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Crimson Peak's digital photography pushes a little flat, but it beautifully captures all of the intricate details of both its opening act Buffalo location and its second and third act dilapidated mansion location. Of note is the transfer's ability to precisely reproduce all variety of ornate details, whether fine fabric and stitching textures or very rough, yet elegant, interior details in the house, all of which are critical in shaping the movie's very specific atmosphere and conveying important visual cues, even if many are ultimately subconscious, that tie the themes and imagery together. However, the movie can be rather dark, and to such an extent that heavier clusters of darkness and shadow tend to swallow up details, whole. On the plus side that adds a sense of dread and inescapability to the movie, on the other it drowns out some of the gorgeous detailing that appears throughout. Colors are excellent, though push fairly warm with a dominant golden/bronze tint in the first act and colder and darker afterwards, until the final few minutes and with the exception of the movie's overpowering use of red, but only at several critical junctures. The image does appear to carry a bit of noise in places, too, but other maladies like banding and macroblocking are absent. The transfer is very effective, for the most part, but at the same time a bit frustrating as well.

Crimson Peak Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Crimson Peak is one of the first Blu-ray releases to feature the new DTS:X object-based sound format (other titles include The Last Witch Hunter and Ex Machina). It also contains a more traditional "core" DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack, reviewed herein. The track plays with superb detailing and stage placement. Immersion is fluid and obvious, even without the added overhead channels. Music flows about the stage with elegant placement and instrumental definition. It effortlessly wraps into the backs and enjoys an even, but hefty, low end support element. There's good, complex, bustling din in several of the early Buffalo locations. Ambient effects like rainfall are easily immersive around the stage, steam rushes through, creaky doors moan, and heavy doors rumble open. Spectral sounds rush through the listening area to excellent effect. The track features a few good directional effects; a bouncing ball images from front to back around the 46 minute mark. Dialogue delivery is firm and focused in the center, boasting effortless clarity and sure-handed prioritization.

Crimson Peak Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Crimson Peak contains numerous extras, including deleted scenes and an audio commentary track. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are also included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): The Park (1:00), Thomas' Presentation (0:54), Father Consoles Daughter (0:45), Thomas Sees a Ghost (0:49), and Lucille at the Piano (0:59).
• I Remember Crimson Peak (1080p): A four-part feature that examines a few of the movie's key locations with discussions centered on inspirations, design, implementation, purposes, and the secrets they hold in the film. Included are The Gothic Corridor (4:06). The Scullery (4:24), The Red Clay Mines (5:18), and The Limbo Fog Set (5:42). Each begins with a text-based "key," quoting Del Toro, that help the viewer better understand the movie's finer points, including inspirations and allusions (more of these appear at the beginning of other supplements beyond this one).
• A Primer on Gothic Romance (1080p, 5:36): Del Toro and cast share the genre's history, themes, and how it defines this film.
• The Light and Dark of Crimson Peak (1080p, 7:53): An examination of the film's setting and its descriptive color schemes.
• Hand Tailored Gothic (1080p, 8:58): A closer look at Crimson Peak's costumes and the complexities thereof.
• A Living Thing (1080p, 12:11): A detailed examination of the house featured in the film, from initial design to final touches and textures.
• Beware of Crimson Peak (1080p, 7:51): Tom Hiddleston gives a guided tour through the house.
• Crimson Phantoms (1080p, 7:02): An exploration of the film's practical and digital apparitions.
• Audio Commentary: Co-Writer/Director Guillermo del Toro calls this "one of the three best films I've done." He discusses the film's misleading marketing, its genre, visual style, story, the importance of colors, music and sound mix, his desire that the audience give the movie its full attention, production design, the blending of elements, and much, much more. This is a thoroughly informative track, very well spoken, and a veritable two-hour film class as a master dissects a complex work. The disc is worth a purchase for the commentary alone.

Crimson Peak Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Crimson Peak is a work of art on its surface, but the movie's excellence lies in the way Del Toro manages to integrate everything -- story, characters, themes, imagery, composition, and style -- into a coherent and cohesive whole. The movie is beautiful, dotted by graphic violence and frightening imagery that accentuates themes, even through the grotesque façade. Strong performances support, and while the climax feels a little too routine in light of what the rest of the movie has to offer, it remains a fantastic piece of filmmaking that excels well beyond the fairly generic Hollywood standard. Universal's Blu-ray features good video, excellent audio, and a healthy allotment of extra features. Very highly recommended.