Dead Again Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Dead Again Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released Director Kenneth Branagh's 1991 Thriller 'Dead Again,' starring Branagh, Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia, and Robin Williams, to Blu-ray. The film was previously released to Blu-ray in December 2020 through Australian label Imprint. I did not review that disc, nor do I have access to it, so I cannot comment on similarities between this transfer and that transfer, or how this Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack compares to that release's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 presentation. Supplements are close to identical; this release carries over the commentary pair and the trailer but does not include the featurette. See below for takes on this release's video and audio presentations.

Dead Again Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount brings Dead Again to Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer that doesn't necessarily impress but also doesn't necessarily disappoint, falling into a middling mid-tier that does probably favor the good side of the ledger more so than the bad. The image is certainly a far cry from the studio's best efforts from the past year so, which are legion (and include the likes of Vanilla Sky and The Haunting, two titles from the more prestigious "Paramount Presents" line; this is a basic release without so much as a slipcover to its name, never mind a fancy remaster or restoration).

The picture is, overall, nicely filmic. Grain is present and fairly even in density, appearing neither fine nor coarse but rather somewhere in the middle where the essential filmic structure is present and accounted for. The result is a relatively healthy and satisfying film-like image where the grain bolsters the essential textural elements like skin details and clothing elements, both of which lack intimate, pinpoint precision but which do reveal more than capable depth and density as necessary. Environments follow suit for good-not-great clarity and intricacy. The black-and-white segments, which are plentiful in the film, struggle to reveal the same sort of tangible, pinpoint definition but these scenes don't necessarily dramatically lag behind, either. Overall, textural finesse could be better, as could core stability; wobble accompanies the opening titles and the picture is littered with various pops and speckles and scratches, none of which are obscenely bothersome but do give the image that somewhat worn, vintage look.

Color reproduction satisfies. The picture is not too terribly faded but certainly colors have not been tuned for vibrance or punch. The picture favors a fairly warm temperature and unassuming contrast. There's decent health to skin tones, which often take on that warmer appearance, while brighter clothes, environmental accents, and the like enjoy crude, if not effective, color depth and density. Black levels could stand to be tighter and whites are more creamy than they are intensely bright.

Overall, this is not a bad effort; I did not review the Imprint disc and cannot make a definitive comparison, but simply and unscientifically perusing its screenshots gives the impression that this is not a radical departure (more than likely both using the same dated master) but rather that the Paramount disc appears to yield a more stable image with better compression.

Dead Again Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paramount brings Dead Again to Blu-ray with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track features some well defined and immersive rowdiness and raucousness during a black and white prison dream sequence early in the film, while booming thunder and intense score saturate the stage with good clarity and immersive surround integration moments later. Spacing is never wanting here, whether for score or sound effects, both of which integrate heathy back channel usage and find good foundational clarity through a wide range of piercing highs and deep lows. The track demonstrates excellent low end depth to score, particularly after a key revelation at about the 88-minute mark. These various high point exercises are peppered throughout the film; the track can be very expressive as it delivers amplified support that can border on sonic excess, but it's all presented with good clarity and positioning. Dialogue is the main mover and shaker and it plays well with firm front-center placement, good prioritization over any competing elements, and fine clarity.

Dead Again Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Dead Again includes three supplements: two commentaries and a trailer (note that the commentaries can be found under the "Settings' menu tab, not the "Extra" tab). Conversely, the Australian Imprint disc included a featurette that is nowhere to be found on this disc. See below for a specific listing of what's included and please click here for full coverage. Additionally, no DVD or digital copies are included. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Producer Lindsay Doran and Screenwriter Scott Frank.
• Audio Commentary: Actor/Director Kenneth Branagh.
• Theatrical Trailer (480i, 2:28).

Dead Again Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dead Again is a curiosity at best, a film that dabbles in high concept while trying to remain grounded in an audience friendly and approachable sort of way. It doesn't always, or even often, succeed, playing more jumbled than controlled, more frustrating rather than fulfilling. Nevertheless, it's well done from a technical perspective and the acting is terrific; it's a shame that Branagh, Writer Scott Frank, and Editor Peter E. Berger couldn't assemble a more coherent experience, even within the film's necessarily skewered perspective. Paramount's Blu-ray is far from perfect, sourced from a clearly dated master which still looks good enough. The audio is fine and the commentary tracks are worthwhile. Worth a look.