5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Following the death of his father, nine-year-old Joey finds himself at the center of a frightening series of phenomena, including telekinesis, phone calls from beyond the grave and one very sinister ventriloquist dummy with extremely homicidal instincts. But when the authorities arrive to investigate Joey's gifts, they unknowingly unleash a horrific supernatural force that no scientist can comprehend and only one boy can hope to stop.
Starring: Joshua Morrell, Eva Kryll, Tammy Shields (I), Jan Zierold, Barbara Klein (VIII)Horror | 100% |
Supernatural | 7% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 1.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Today, we know director Roland Emmerich as a craftsman of Hollywood blockbusters, eagerly attempting to achieve massive success with big- budgeted fantasy actioners. He’s had a rough period recently, guiding massive disappointments like “Independence Day: Resurgence” and “White House Down,” but Emmerich appears to love the possibility of big screen scale, trying to make escapism with as much noise and stupidity as possible. However, he wasn’t always like this, with 1985’s “Making Contact” (a.k.a. “Joey”) returning to a time in the helmer’s early career when all he wanted to do was ape his creative inspiration, Steven Spielberg. Armed with enough homage to make Amblin Entertainment lawyers nervous, Emmerich sets out to create the best “E.T.” and “Poltergeist” rip-off he can, using “Making Contact” to share as much Spielberg love as possible, shamelessly lifting every move from the maestro, down to cinematographic moves and the setting of suburban America. In true Emmerich fashion, he’s made a spectacular mess of everything, and while his heart is in the right place, his filmmaking vision is cross-eyed at best, as little to nothing about this tedious feature makes any sense.
The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers all the Spielbergian cinematography securely. It's a clear look at the feature, with agreeable detail throughout, picking up on facial particulars and set decoration, finding it easy to scan Joey's room and admire his packed collection of toys from the 1980s. Textures are also welcome on monsters and Fletcher, and costuming retains fibrous qualities. Colors retain their exaggeration, with bright, bold reds and blues to accentuate fantasy elements. Greenery is secure, and skintones are natural. Delineation isn't troublesome. Grain is fine and filmic. Source is in great shape, without over damage. A few moments of banding arrive during the climatic struggle.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is crisp and full, leading with pleasant management of scoring needs, which carry sequences with precise instrumentation, offering a range of volume to support fantasy and horror moods. Dialogue exchanges are sharp, and while dubbing is present, intelligibility is never threatened. Sound effects are active throughout the listening experience, hitting all kinds of electrical zaps and robot whirs, while more aggressive creature effects offer some heavier movement.
As innocent as it hopes to be, "Making Contact" isn't really for little kids. It's dark, dealing with demonic possession, murder, and untrustworthy adults. Emmerich even threatens children in the grand finale, which presents a bewildering test of bravery for Joey and the town bullies, who enter Fletcher's labyrinth, confronted by things they fear most. For one poor overweight kid, this means an intimate encounter with a hamburger monster (but why would he fear what he loves to eat?), and there's a Darth Vader cameo as well. The ending is nuts, but more for the way it just throws everything at the screen to see what sticks, teasing heavenly visions and grim dramatic punctuation that, thankfully, isn't permanent. Again, "Making Contact" was significantly trimmed to make it easier for American audiences to digest, and perhaps those missing minutes provide necessary connective tissue and characterization. However, considering Emmerich's track record, something tells me the cuts have probably improved the movie.
1990
1992
2007
2010
1957
2013
1964-1965
1986
1964
1941
Warner Archive Collection
1964
Five Million Years to Earth
1967
Uncut
2003
2013
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1991
2016
Ultra Turbo-Charged Collector's Edition
2015
1959
2005
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1961