5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Set nine years after an apocalyptic event that killed millions and left the world inhabited by ghosts.
Starring: Bella Thorne, Dermot Mulroney, Richard Harmon, Amy Price-Francis, Hugh DillonThriller | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
One of the problems with films that have some kind of murder mystery is that there are always going to be smart aleck viewers (ahem) who parse the entrance of every character and wonder, “Why is he/she in the film?”. Making things even more perilous for screenwriters trying to keep big “reveals” at bay until the intended moment is the fact that some films have relatively small casts, and therefore relatively small pools of potential suspects. It’s interesting to note in this regard that according to one of the featurettes included on this Blu-ray as a supplement, the source novel from which this film was culled, Break My Heart 1000 Times by Daniel Waters, evidently identified the culprit fairly early on, and in fact part of the book was evidently written from the murderer’s point of view (this is all based on what I’m assuming is my correct understanding of what they talk about in this featurette, which admittedly I may not be, since this aspect is referred to almost kind of tangentially). Now the other interesting thing to note about I Still See You is that the whole serial killer aspect kind of crops up as a sidebar in the early going, with the first part of the film instead devoted to outlining a kind of post- Apocalyptic world outside of Chicago, where some kind of lab experiment went horribly wrong, leading to a huge calamity that has left spectral presences of victims known as “remnants”, which appear for moments here and there, replaying brief snippets of their erstwhile lives in what amounts to a tape loop.
I Still See You is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. Once again the IMDb doesn't offer much information, but I tracked down some press materials for the film where it's mentioned that cinematographer Simon Dennis utilized Arri Alexa cameras to digitally capture the imagery, and I'm assuming everything was finished at a 2K DI. This is a rather striking looking feature, though some of the central CGI depicting "The Event" is on the hokey side (thankfully, it's brief, and is offered in a kind of whirlwind montage where it's hard to make a lot out since the shots are so brief). The main effect of the remnants going up in poofs of smoke is quite effective, as are several scenes where Ronnie actually walks (or bikes) through some remnants. There's quite a bit of grading going on in various moments, with several scenes rather dark and almost burnt umber in appearance. Some other sequences are in almost The Shape of Water teal territory, and probably the majority of the film tends to be rather cool, emphasizing slate grays and pale blues. All of that said, rather nicely detail levels remain quite strong throughout the presentation. There are a few noticeably murky moments, including a long tunnel sequence with Ronnie and Kirk where spectral fish "swim" through.
While I Still See You certainly has sci-fi elements, and there is The Event to contend with at various moments in the film, the sound design here tends to be a little reserved, at least for those looking for nonstop surround activity and floorboard shattering LFE. Immersion is subtle but consistent, including things like the background noise in school environments, or outdoors, including some nice ice skating sequences or some of the scenes between Ronnie and Kirk. There's some really good effects placement in a key scene when Ronnie and Kirk manage to get into the "no go" zone. Dialogue, effects and score are all rendered cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.
I'm frankly still a bit confused about several elements in I Still See You, but for those willing to cut the film a little slack, there are some interesting ideas here, even if the central premise of the film ends up being kind of like the flip side of Flatliners. Performances are generally quite good, but the writing could have used some clarification. Stylistically, the film is often quite interesting, and technical merits are strong for those considering a purchase.
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