Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Paradise Hills Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 16, 2020

Alice Waddington makes her feature-length directorial debut with “Paradise Hills,” and it’s a stunner in many ways. She’s created a fantasy world of re- education with screenwriters Nacho Vigalondo and Brian DeLeeuw, finding a way to deal with gender submission troubles while creating a futureworld environment of hostility thinly veiled by hospitality. The production has its storytelling issues, happy to throw everything at the screen without explaining a great deal of it, but Waddington also strives for a visual experience, offering terrific design elements throughout. “Paradise Hills” has something to say about the state of oppressed females, heading into a sci-fi direction to explore a survival tale that’s loaded with screen detail and summons the eternal burn of frustration as it transforms into revolution.

Uma (Emma Roberts) is a “lower” being pursued by an “upper,” with her mother forcing her to marry an arrogant, rich man she doesn’t love. Uma isn’t listening to financial reason, inspiring her parent to send her to Paradise, an island re-education camp run by The Duchess (Milla Jovovich), an older woman who maintains order with male servants and a security force. Waking up in Paradise, Uma finds herself in opulent surroundings, joined by Chloe (Danielle Macdonald) and Yu (Awkwafina), who also only have a vague understanding of what’s in store for them. Uma is soon subjected to a beauty regiment, “mirror therapy” with The Duchess, and brainwashing sessions, where she’s forced to bend to the appeal of her suitor, training to become a complacent wife to someone she detests, preferring the company of her forbidden lover, Markus (Jeremy Irvine). Enraged by the program but unable to escape, Uma finds hope with Amarna (Eiza Gonzalez), a pop star and veteran of Paradise with access to a boat, soon mapping out a plan to ditch Paradise and live life on her own terms.

Paradise is an island where comfort is promised, allowing those sent to join The Duchess, seduced by tropical surroundings and attentive servants, while newcomers are presented with a makeover, giving them access to makeup and hair color that best encourages their confidence. For Uma, her hair is dyed pink and her face is softened, keeping her in style with the “Hunger Games”-esque look of the staff and residents, who stroll around in Elizabethan fetish gear, with costume designer Alberto Valcarcel providing a sharp sense of style for the production, coming up with wonderfully strange outfits. Paradise aims to disarm students with attention, and the first half of the movie does an excellent job with introductions, following Uma around the property, where she’s subjected to time in front of a mirror, sharing her deepest thoughts, fed a modest amount of food to keep thin, and strapped onto a carousel horse and sent flying into the air, subjected to a looping digital display of her betrothed’s attributes.

The goal of Paradise is to soften the hard minds that come there, most by force. Chole is marked for weight loss, with the program trying to make her more desirable for marriage. Yu has psychological problems, keeping her distant from society. Amarna has visited Paradise before, getting used to the submission required to excel on the island, but she grows attracted to Uma, offering her guidance as a chance to keep her close. Uma spends most of “Paradise Hills” incensed, brought to the location without her consent, searching for an escape route while dealing with The Duchess and her unusual powers. The screenplay offers time for Uma to file through her pain, in possession of a hologram locket that reminds her of the father she tragically lost, and Markus soon lands a gardener position on the grounds, reuniting with his stolen love. The details of therapy are fascinating, especially when they morph into conditioning, putting Uma against a system of psychological annihilation that’s guided by nightly sedation and reminders of class divide, with lowers shamed into becoming uppers, sold into marital slavery.

Paradise Hills Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.00:1 aspect ratio) presentation explores some wild environments in "Paradise Hills," which uses a wide range of color to express the ways of the island. Pinks and purples dominate throughout, but futureworld hues are just as pronounced, delivering strong blues, while The Duchess has a fondness for reds, making her stand out. Greenery is deep, and skintones are natural. Detail, showcased with inherent softness, also works well with the feature's interests in costume textures and facial surfaces, handling close-ups acceptably. Paradise tours are also dimensional and exploratory, providing a decent view of decorative aspects. Delineation is acceptable. Compression issues are periodic as banding is detected.

Paradise Hills Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers a commanding appreciation for the technical design of "Paradise Hills." Dialogue changes are intelligible and expressive, dealing well with immediacy and echoed interiors. Group activity is also appreciable. Scoring cues maintain consistency and support during scenes of discovery and suspense, while scenes of celebration carry some low-end weight. Surrounds also push out music, offering an enveloping listening event, and atmospherics are active, with periodic separation and panning effects.

Paradise Hills Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Story and Casting" (5:12, HD) offers reflections from the cast and crew of "Paradise Hills," with interviews conducted on-set concerning the production experience. Alice Waddington (who's unfortunately crippled by bad audio) explores how she put the ensemble together, and worked to protect the themes of the screenplay, while the actors discuss their characters and personal interpretation, along with the female energy of the shoot. Most valuable is BTS footage, offering a chance to understand the physical limitations of the sets and get a feel for the creative labor.

• "Creating a Unique World" (5:16, HD) returns to Waddington, who highlights the group effort of the production. We meet costume designer Alberto Valcarcel, makeup department head Caitlin Acheson, hair designer Jesus Martos, cinematographer Josu Inchaustegui, and production designer Laia Colet, with everyone sharing their individual contributions to the creation of "Paradise Hills." Artistic influences are shared, with the endeavor pulling ideas from everywhere, detailing the push to make something different.

• "VFX, Sound Design, and Music" (4:45, HD) highlights the layers of CGI used in "Paradise Hills," managing to make entire palaces out of greenscreen rooms. Technical achievements help to emphasize themes and create a grander world with carefully rendered opulence and occasional peril.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:42, HD) is included.

Paradise Hills Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While the feminist overtones of the material are compelling, "Paradise Hills" works just as well as a "Twilight Zone" tribute, watching as Uma experiences a sustained nightmare in a bizarrely emotionless kingdom, forced to fight for her future as she plans her escape. The second half of the picture becomes a prison break feature, and it also details what's going on behind the scenes in Paradise, which is the one area of the script that bites off more than it can chew. Waddington has her mystery to solve, and she's a capable helmer with an awesome eye for unreality, aided by cinematographer Josh Inchaustegui. "Paradise Hills" doesn't always have answers, but it retains extreme style and sharp performances, finding Roberts the most commanding she's ever been on the big screen. Perhaps in hindsight, the production's puzzle pieces don't add up, but Waddington beguiles in the moment, creating a subjugation odyssey that's potently female and appealingly weird.