Lifeforce Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Lifeforce Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 19, 2013

Tobe Hooper's "Lifeforce" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on this release include original trailers; new video interviews with French actress Mathilda May, director Tobe Hooper, and actor Steve Railsback; exclusive new documentary; audio commentary with director Tobe Hooper; audio commentary make-up effects designer Nick Maley; and audio commentary with visual effects supervisor Douglas Smith. The release also arrives with a 28-page collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by science fiction expert Bill Warren, and a new interview with Oscar-winning visual effects artist John Dykstra by Calum Waddell, illustrated with original archive stills and posters. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Somewhere in outer space

While studying Halley's Comet, a space shuttle crew discovers a massive alien spacecraft. Inside the spacecraft, a small team of astronauts encounter giant bat creatures as well as three very beautiful humanoids placed in big capsules. The only person to return alive from the mission, together with the three humanoids, is Colonel Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback, The Stunt Man, The Survivalist).

Soon after, the shuttle is discovered in Earth's orbit. A new team of astronauts is then quickly dispatched to determine what has happened to its crew. They discover the humanoids and bring them back to Earth, where a group of scientists begin examining them. But one of the alien creatures - played by the gorgeous Mathilda May - suddenly comes alive and begins sucking the 'lifeforce' of anyone that is brave enough to cross its path. When the alien creature enters London, a deadly plague is unleashed.

Based on Colin Wilson's novel The Space Vampires, Toby Hooper's Lifeforce has to be seen to be believed. It is one of those films that simply defy categorization - it is utterly ridiculous, perplexingly ambitious, yet unquestionably very entertaining. Indeed, it is a big-budget mish-mash that only Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus could have greenlighted.

It is difficult to tell exactly what Lifeforce was meant to be. On one hand, it seems like director Hooper was going for a lavish sci-fi film that was at least partially inspired by Hammer's output. Indeed, stylistically the final act borrows a lot from Roy Ward Baker's Quatermass and the Pit. On the other hand, the more graphic visuals clearly suggest that there was a desire to infuse Lifeforce with the type of intensity that is typically found in straightforward horror films. Unsurprisingly, the final result is a very awkward hybrid of a film that feels like an unfinished experiment where random footage was quickly put together.

What makes Lifeforce even more amusing, however, is the fact that all of the above mentioned footage is frequently quite beautiful. It was done on a very large scale - the massive set designs immediately reveal that money was not an issue for Hooper and his team - and at least some of it creates the impression that while viewing Lifeforce one is in fact viewing a misunderstood epic film.

The acting is equally amusing. The likes of Aubrey Morris, Peter Firth, and Michael Gothard do a very respectable job and their characters look rather authentic. But Patrick Stewart and especially the very elegant Nancy Paul very much look out of sync in the film.

Possibly the biggest surprise, however, is the presence of a truly powerful orchestral soundtrack created by the legendary Henry Mancini (Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Pink Panther). From the opening credits until the lavish finale, the music is treated as a separate character. Occasionally, it is even used to completely redirect the entire film.

Lifeforce was lensed by cinematographer Alan Hume, who prior to joining Hooper's team collaborated with John Glen on Octopussy and A View to a Kill.

Lifeforce Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

Please note that Arrow Video's Blu-ray release of Lifeforce contains two versions of the film:

1. International Version, which runs at approximately 116 minutes (01:56:13) and appears on Disc One.

2. Theatrical Version, which runs at approximately 101 minutes (01:41:17) and appears on Disc Two.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Lifeforce was transferred from a 35mm interpositive. The film was transferred in High Definition on a Spirit Datacine at the Post Group in Hollywood, California. Audio was transferred from an original 35mm 2-track stereo printmaster mag. The colorist was Paul Schramm who acted with supervision from director Tobe Hooper. Mary Grace Nicolas assisted by Gary Teetzel managed the project for MGM.

Technical consultant: James White.
Production assistant: Louise Buckler."

Excluding some extremely light noise that occasionally sneaks in during some of the darker sequences, which is obviously inherited, the film really looks quite beautiful on Blu-ray. Daylight and well-lit close-ups, in particular, boast wonderful depth (see screencapture #2). Definition is also consistently pleasing, despite the fact that due to various special effects and frequent use of heavy colored lighting clarity occasionally fluctuates. Furthermore, there are absolutely no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Sharpening adjustments also have not been applied. Unsurprisingly, the entire film has a very solid and very convincing organic look. Compression is excellent. This is something that viewers with large screens or projectors should be especially pleased to hear as the image remains tight and crisp from start to finish. Finally, I noticed a few very tiny flecks, but there are absolutely no large debris, scratches, damage marks, cuts, or stains to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Lifeforce Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each version of Lifeforce arrives with two sets of standard audio tracks: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Each version also comes with a bonus Stereo Music & Effects track (LPCM 2.0). Also provided are optional English SDH subtitles. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

There is a pretty obvious difference between the 5.1 and 2.0 tracks. The former is more intense and has a better range of nuanced dynamics that give Henry Mancini's orchestral score quite a boost. During the action sequences, and especially during the final third of the film, dynamic intensity is also stronger. However, I personally prefer the LPCM 2.0 track. I think that the dialog and the music are better balanced on it. I also feel that the dynamic intensity is more appropriate for a film produced in 1985. Still, you should experiment with the two tracks and see which one you like better. For the record, the dialog is always crisp, stable, clean, and very easy to follow. Also, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

Lifeforce Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features are placed on Disc One.

• Cannon Trailer - original Cannon trailer for Lifeforce. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• TriStar Trailer - original TriStar trailer for Lifeforce. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Mathilda May: Dangerous Beauty - in this video interview, French actress Mathilda May, a former ballet dancer, recalls how she won the role of the Space Girl in Lifeforce and discusses her initial impressions of director Tobe Hooper. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Steve Railsback: Carlsen's Curse - in this video interview, actor Steve Railsback (Col. Tom Carlsen) discusses his contribution to Lifeforce and recalls how some of the footage from outer space was filmed. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Tobe Hooper: Space Vampires in London - in this video interview, director Tobe Hooper recalls how Lifeforce came to exist (as well as its current title), and discusses the business environment at Cannon at the time when the film was made, the work of crew the that assisted him, etc. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Cannon Fodder: The Making of Lifeforce - a fascinating documentary film that chronicles not only the production history of Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce, but also the rise and fall of Cannon. The documentary features various interviews with associate producer Michael J. Kagan, director Tobe Hooper, editor John Grover, art specialists Tom Adams and Roger Stewart, actor Aubrey Morris (Sir Percy Heseltine), and make-up artist Sandra Exelby, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (72 min).

• Commentary - audio commentary with director Tobe Hooper. There is interesting information about some of the more notable differences between the two versions of Lifeforce, the shooting of the film, the blending of different genre elements, and the structure of the film. Mr. Hooper also talks about his relationship with Golan-Globus Productions. The commentary is moderated by filmmaker Tim Sullivan.

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, make-up effects designer Nick Maley explains how he became involved with Lifeforce which presented him with a number of dilemmas, how many of the dummies used in the film were designed and made, etc. Mr. Maley also spends a great deal of time discussing his relationship with the legendary make-up designer Stuart Freeborn (Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey). The commentary is moderated by filmmaker Michael Felsher.

• Commentary - audio commentary with visual effects supervisor Douglas Smith. This is a very technical commentary with an abundance of information addressing the various designs and special effects used in the film. Mr. Smith explains specifically how many of the impressive sets were built (the sets seen in the prologue of the International Version were apparently as massive as they appear in the film). The commentary is moderate by filmmaker and scholar Howard S. Berger.

• Booklet - 28-page collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by science fiction expert Bill Warren, and a new interview with Oscar-winning visual effects artist John Dykstra by Calum Waddell, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

Lifeforce Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce truly is in a league of its own - it is utterly ridiculous, perplexingly ambitious, yet unquestionably very entertaining. If it happens to be one of your guilty pleasures, you are in for a very special treat. Arrow Video's technical presentation of Lifeforce is quite impressive. The Blu-ray release also arrives with a massive amount of supplemental features, some of which are as intriguing as the actual film. RECOMMENDED.