6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A woman opts for a cloning procedure after she receives a terminal diagnosis but when she recovers her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail, leading to a court-mandated duel to the death.
Starring: Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale, Theo James, Maija PaunioThriller | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
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 SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Writer/director Riley Stearns' Dual is a sci-fi black comedy that's both deeply thought-provoking and purposely obtuse, the kind of film you want to fully absorb while it keeps you at arm's length. It's not all that surprising given the ins and outs of his last effort, 2019's impressive The Art of Self-Defense, which starred potential living cyborg Jesse Eisenberg as a timid young man whose sudden self-confidence and physical toughness leads to disaster. Dual adds a headier twist to the proceedings: sad sack Sarah (Karen Gillan) decides to clone herself after a grim diagnosis points towards certain death in the coming weeks. Her double spends time learning all of Sarah's likes and dislikes while cozying up with her boyfriend Peter (Beulah Koale), ready to make the full transition once she finally succumbs to her illness.
Like The Art of Self-Defense, Dual has a lot to say about the human condition and, to its credit, remains emotionally engaging during its entire first half as it raises interesting questions about mortality, personal identity, and of course self-improvement. It's ironic, then, that the film's least compelling narrative element by far is the duel itself, which threatens to turn this otherwise engaging drama into some sort of goofy Hunger Games variant. Luckily the film plays some cards better than expected, presenting us with a more character-driven climax instead of going into full visceral fight mode. Yet Dual still feels thin, like an air-tight short movie stretched to feature film length, and its reliance on quirky gags and robotic line delivery -- or as I call it, the Eisenberg principle -- ultimately work against it.
Other elements of this production also keep us guessing, for better or for worse. The events of Dual are not identified by a particular year but obviously feel either present day or slightly near-future, a notion confirmed by writer/director Riley Stearns himself (during an accompanying audio commentary) as an "alternate universe" of current times. While bigger films like Her are able to use decent-sized budgets to create a convincing sci-fi backdrop, the more modestly made Dual has no choice but to cut corners with things like custom phone/computer interfaces and other aspects of its production design that end up distracting rather than enhancing any sort of futuristic spell. (Other special effects, like the camera tricks that enable Karen Gillan to convincingly play both parts simultaneously, are quite impressive.) As a whole, Dual obviously shows flashes of brilliance that make it worth seeking out, but it would most likely have worked more seamlessly with greater resources to support its surprisingly lofty narrative ambitions.
For slightly more positive take on the material, please see Brian Orndorf's theatrical review. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray edition of Dual offers a respectable amount of support for the main
feature (especially for its current price point), including an outstanding A/V presentation and a few extras that may boost your opinion of the film.
I am unsure of Dual's cinematographic roots but this Blu-ray's 1080p transfer is inarguably a fine effort from start to finish, boasting a clean and razor-sharp image with excellent color saturation and respectable fine detail. If it's an all-digital affair then grain has obviously been added, but not to a distracting degree as it largely enhances the film's visual effectiveness rather than distracts. Black levels and shadow detail are quite good, even in oddly-lit indoor sequences like Trent's lesson in front of an overhead projector (above - remember those?) and a dark morgue where an unsettling discovery is made (below). Other scenes, like the violent cold-open dual on a soccer field at night and a climactic meeting of the minds squished inside a kid's playhouse (screenshot #5) offer equally dim environments whose visual effectiveness isn't compromised by a lack of natural light. It's overall a very strong visual presentation that's almost impossible to find fault with, aside from a few fleeting moments of banding during fades or around harsh gradients. This is a fine-looking Blu-ray indeed, and one that likely runs laps around any streaming version.
The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio plays it mostly straight, offering an appropriately reigned-in sonic atmosphere during a movie that's surprisingly light on action and overall suspense. Those stray moments of heightened activity obviously bring more noticeable surround activity and discrete panning effects to the table, as does the sporadic original score by Emma Ruth Rundle, but for the most part this is a largely front-loaded experience that gets the job done with no real problems. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only if you need them.
This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a promotional insert. Bonus features are minimal but appreciated.
Riley Stearns' Dual takes another stab at black comedy -- this time laced with "alternate universe" sci-fi -- and while it doesn't connect on all levels, it shows occasional signs of brilliance. The end result is a fitfully engaging but somewhat thin emotional endeavor that, at the very least, offers an interesting performance by Karen Gillan that honestly makes us believe she's got a twin sister. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray offers support with a strong A/V presentation and a few solid extras, making this a potential blind buy... but it's more strongly recommended to established fans only.
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