6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The bizarre and musical tale of a girl who travels to another dimension through the gateway found in her family's basement.
Starring: Herve Villechaize, Susan Tyrrell, Gisele Lindley, Jan Stuart Schwartz, Marie-Pascale ElfmanDark humor | 100% |
Surreal | 88% |
Imaginary | 46% |
Musical | 21% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS 5.1
English: DTS Mono
Music: DTS 5.1
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 CD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Just in case there are any of you out there who may not have gotten enough black and white weirdness out of David Lynch’s Eraserhead, Forbidden Zone may fill that deficit more than handily, albeit on its own very strange terms. This 1980 cult outing was the brainchild of Richard Elfman, older brother to composer Danny (who in fact offered up his first film score for Forbidden Zone). As Elfman aficionados will no doubt know, the Elfman siblings had already made their mark with their traveling stage show The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, which in turn ultimately led to the more or less “music only” aggregation Oingo Boingo, which rather remarkably managed to get within striking distance of the Top 40 with their theme for Weird Science, despite the band’s shall we say eclectic sensibilities which were a bit out there even within the often hyperbolic context of New Wave in the 1980s. In a way, Forbidden Zone might itself be thought of as a cinematic equivalent to the New Wave, for it displays a (for want of a better term) twitchy ambience that relies on something akin to a constant sugar rush of energy to provide the momentum that typical elements like, oh, say, plot and character usually do. Forbidden Zone is an extremely peculiar film and will most definitely not be everyone’s cup of tea, as evidenced by the fact (recounted rather ruefully by Richard Elfman in the commentary track included on this Blu-ray) that the film was actually banned in such liberal enclaves as Madison, Wisconsin when some found its portrayal of racial stereotypes (including an early segment featuring a guy in blackface) as unavoidably offensive. For those who are willing to simply go along for the ride, though, Forbidden Zone is a journey quite unlike anything else in the annals of film.
Forbidden Zone is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This appears to be a more or less identical release to the British Blu-ray released by Arrow a few years ago. This release, like the Arrow release, offers the original black and white version of the film along with the colorized version done by Legend Films a few years ago. The black and white version has a slightly less processed look overall, with decent if not overwhelming black levels and similarly decently modulated gray scale. Detail is acceptable in midrange shots and somewhat better in close-ups, but the look remains nicely organic throughout the presentation, including a healthy grain layer that resolves naturally most of the time. The colorized version looks slightly softer, at least some of which is due to the actual hues being pasted on the imagery. As tends to be the case with Legend colorizing, the approach is commendably not overwrought, and in fact things look a little anemic in terms of a palette that "pops" vividly.
I'm wondering if someone along the way dropped the ball with this release, since the Arrow offering featured lossless DTS-HD Master Audio tracks, and this MVD disc offers the soundtrack in DTS 5.1 or mono. There's a somewhat boxy sound to some of the musical moments, with dialogue sounding somewhat clearer and better defined. The surround track opens up the music nicely, but the bulk of the film is anchored pretty consistently in the front channels. One way or the other, it's a little odd that this release does not have DTS-HD Master Audio options.
Forbidden Zone is completely sui generis and should appeal to those who are sick to death of cookie cutter entertainments. That said, the film is almost deliberately lo-fi, with an ambling narrative and less than polished performances by some of its large cast, and so a certain laissez faire attitude needs to be adopted to fully enjoy the outré delights that are in store. The film is manic, weird and unlike anything you've probably ever seen. This release seems to largely duplicate the now pricey Arrow release, though the lack of DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks is an odd oversight. That caveat aside, and for certain "discriminating" types, Forbidden Zone comes Recommended.
Collector's Edition
1992
Sorority Sisters / Sorority Succubus Sisters
1988
1986
R-Rated Version / MVD Rewind Collection
2000
1997
1952
1993
1988
1986
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1999
1980
1989
2010
1989
The Naughty Cut | Limited Edition
2015
1992
1985
1988
1953
Limited Edition of 1500
1976