Demolition Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Demolition Blu-ray Movie Review

About Mitchell.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 2, 2021

Despite her long and eventful career as a groundbreaking psychiatrist and author, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross may, for better or worse, be forever best remembered as the crafter of the so-called “five stages of grief”, namely denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. While other, later, analysts added various other stages to Kübler-Ross’ foundation, including a stage called “reconstruction”, Demolition seems to suggest there’s a rather long lived stage that might be called deconstruction. Demolition follows the trials and tribulations of a Wall Street type named Davis Mitchell (Jake Gyllenhaal), who, in the film’s opening vignette, survives a devastating car crash that takes the life of his wife, Julia (Heather Lind). Still bloody and in shock in one of those garishly lit hospital corridors that seem expressly designed not to provide comfort to the afflicted, Davis is first kind of set upon by Julia’s father Phil Eastwood (Chris Cooper), who also happens to be Davis’ boss, and then, to add insult to injury, when Davis tries to buy some M&M’s from a vending machine, the thing malfunctions and simply takes his money. Now, in the wake (no pun intended) of losing a spouse, some may feel that not being able to get some candy would fade into the background, but this one event becomes an almost obsessional force in Davis’ life, and in fact in a weird way looms large in that “bargaining” stage, since Davis begins to draft a letter to the vending machine company explaining not just the lack of having received his chocolate fix, but the whole context of why he was there next to that particular vending machine to begin with. The upshot is that, kind of like a number of other films that feature “long distance” relationships, Davis ultimately befriends a customer service representative at the vending machine company named Karen Moreno (Naomi Watts), albeit without the (ostensible) benefit of the two ever meeting in person.

In terms of an addled guy attempting to keep in touch either via phone or writing with an unseen customer service representative, Demolition might rather oddly recall an element in RED, wherein the character played by Bruce Willis kept more or less inventing opportunities to contact the character played by Mary-Louise Parker. Something at least somewhat similar is at play with regard to Davis and Karen in Demolition, but another completely different film, About Schmidt might be a better overall referent for at least a couple of reasons. While Davis Mitchell and Warren Schmidt are two very different characters, they are both widowers who have taken their dead spouses for granted and who are attempting to deal with that guilt by engaging in a supposed "voyage of discovery", whether that be an actual road trip or, as is the case in this film, a weird desire to either take things apart or smash them to bits. They also both find out that their inattention to their wives' needs has resulted in extramarital affairs on the part of the wives, and in the case of Davis, there turns out to be even more to the story.

The particular plot conceit in Demolition of a guy intent on destruction or at least deconstruction may make some feel the film offers a metaphor in search of an actual story, but the interplay between Davis and Karen, who of course ultimately do meet, and then, somewhat later, between Davis and Karen's son Chris (Judah Lewis), features some decent moments, even if some of the dialogue here is alternately wooden and overarch in about equal measure. This was a rather interesting choice for director Jean-Marc Vallée after Dallas Buyers Club and Wild (two films the trailer for this film loudly trumpet), but this story doesn't have the immediate emotional impact of Dallas Buyers Club or the kind of unavoidable scenic grandeur of Wild to aid in its presentational aspects. Too much of this outing seems overly contrived, and the result, while offering good showcases for the principal cast, kind of falls apart, a victim of its own self imposed demolition.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf had about the same overall reaction to Demolition that I did. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

Demolition Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Demolition is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox (remember them?) with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. While the closing credits roll feature a "Kodak film" logo, which I'm assuming may have pertained to some of the release prints, the IMDb discloses that the film was captured with various Arri Alexa models, with a 2K DI. While there's nothing very mind blowing about the visuals here, this is a nicely sharp and well detailed looking presentation for the most part, one that is refreshingly free of any stylistic grading choices, though a number of moments in the film still utilize color and lighting rather evocatively. The garish lighting of the hospital is rendered accurately enough to provoke discomfort, and later urban scenes like several vignettes on a commuter train have a nice if slight drab yellowish quality. Fine detail on everything from fabrics to the textures of some of the items Davis destroys in his home is typically excellent. There are a few dimly lit scenes, notably a climactic showdown between Davis and his erstwhile father-in-law late in the film, that are kind of swathed in an umber-brown tone that may slightly mask fine detail levels. I noticed no compression anomalies of any import.

Demolition Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Demolition features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that provides a surprising amount of sonic "oomph", considering what a kind of dour, introspective offering this film often is. From the opening vignette which ends with a calamitous car accident, to the later escapades involving Davis and everything from a sledgehammer to a bulldozer, there are great opportunities for both forceful low end activity as well as realistically placed discrete effects. The film also has a rather eclectic assortment of source cues that crop up with fair regularity, and those frequently also provide a nice spacious bed of sound for several scenes. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in a number of languages are available.

Demolition Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Gallery (HD; 2:03) offers either an Auto Advance or a Manual Advance option. The timing is for the Auto Advance option.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:07)

Additionally, both a DVD and Digital copy are included.

Demolition Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Demolition is a rather odd film from any number of standpoints, but a committed cast can't quite overcome the artifice of Bryan Sipe's writing. Fans of Gyllenhaal and/or Watts will find a lot to like here most probably, though some may feel that young Judah Lewis walks away with the acting honors for the film. Technical merits are solid for those who are considering a purchase.