Green Room Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Green Room Blu-ray Movie Review

Nazi punks fuck off.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 30, 2024

Jeremy Saulnier's potentGreen Room landed with a splash upon its release almost a decade ago, shocking audiences with a brutally violent story about a hardcore punk band's deadly encounter with neo-Nazis at a small show somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Led by strong performances and even some well-placed stunt casting in the form of a certain former Star Trek: TNG alumnus, Green Room has held up well since 2015 and, unfortunately, feels more relevant than ever with the recent resurgence of racist imbeciles infecting our current public and political landscape.

For a synopsis of Green Room, please see Jeffrey Kauffman's review of Lionsgate's 2016 Blu-ray. The UK-based boutique label Second Sight, a leader in deluxe editions of classic and contemporary films, has issued separate 4K UHD and (Region B locked) Blu-ray versions of this film, as well as a more sizeable Limited Edition combo pack.

Green Room Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The bottom line regarding Second Sight's Region 1080p transfer is that, unlike its 4K UHD counterpart, at a glance it looks very similar to Lionsgate's 2016 Blu-ray. (This isn't surprising, as it very likely uses identical source material to that older disc and Green Room was in fact finished at a 2K digital intermediate.) There are improvements, however, and they'll be more evident if you have a medium to large display: encoding is perhaps the most obvious difference, as Second Sight's reliably solid track record for great-looking discs (here handled by Fidelity in Motion) is maintained with yet another Blu-ray that features no glaring compression artifacts and excellent handling of the film's often challenging visual aesthetic. Many scenes are minimally lit, employ unusually-colored lighting schemes, or are filtered for a specific appearance, which occasionally has a tendency to flatten out fine detail and textures. This might also normally lead to black crush or loss of shadow detail, but it's surprisingly well maintained here -- not that the older Lionsgate Blu-ray was a slouch in that department -- but it looks superior in motion as fluidity, density, and overall stability are better handled. Simply put, this seems to be a tighter and more consistent presentation of what came before; while that may not be enough reason to upgrade if you're not equipped for 4K, there are other factors to consider.

Green Room Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The terrific DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track included here sounds basically identical to the same-formatted mix found on Lionsgate's 2016 Blu-ray, so please refer to that review for more details. Please note that Second Sight's release lacks optional Spanish subtitles, but at least retains a set of similar English (SDH) subs during the film only.

Green Room Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase and feature brand-new artwork as well as a thoughtful assortment of mostly new retrospective extras, many of them featuring participation from original cast and crew members. They're listed below in name only; for full details, please see my review of the Limited Edition combo pack.

• NEW! Audio Commentary with Prince Jackson and Reyna Cervantes

• 2015 Audio Commentary with writer/director Jeremy Saulnier.

• NEW! Going Hardcore (32:08)

• NEW! Punk Rock (15:45)

• NEW! Rocking Out (15:26)

• NEW! Going Green (15:05)

• NEW! Nazi Punks Fuck Off (14:40)

• Into the Pit (9:57)

Green Room Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jeremy Saulnier's unforgettable Green Room finds the writer/director in top form, with its thrilling subject matter and often breathless efficiency creating a potent and nightmarish atmosphere that rarely lets go. Expertly constructed and well-acted with a terrific original score, it's a very capable effort that frequently flirts with greatness. Second Sight's Region B locked Blu-ray edition, also available as part of their deluxe Limited Edition combo pack, outpaces Lionsgate's 2016 Blu-ray but its visual improvements may not be all that noticeable on a smaller display. Still, the assortment of brand-new extras may be worth the price of admission for die-hard fans who aren't equipped for 4K.