Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Razorback Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 2, 2023

Director Russell Mulcahy makes his dramatic directorial debut with 1984’s “Razorback,” an Australian offering that’s based on a novel by Peter Brennen, but basically hopes to do with a giant pig what “Jaws” did for sharks. At the time of production, Mulcahy was a hotshot music video helmer, transforming pop songs into cinematic adventures, most notably for Duran Duran, who enjoyed a surge of success after working with the director on “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Rio.” Mulcahy’s style is mighty, favoring sweeping camerawork and ornate lighting to bring images to life, and this approach for short-form videos is transferred to the feature-length demands of “Razorback,” which is meant to be a scrappy study of horror and survival, but Mulcahy doesn’t really pay attention to the essentials of suspense. He treats the endeavor like a director’s reel, downplaying the roughness of the story to deliver a shiny, overly processed understanding of Aussie isolation and beastly dangers.

Beth (Judy Morris) is a journalist focusing on animal welfare issues, recently making a name for herself in America. She’s been summoned to Australia to cover the senseless slaughter of kangaroos for PetPak, a food processing plant, leaving husband Carl (Gregory Harrison) behind as she travels to the small town of Gamulla to investigate what’s going on with local wildlife. Hoping to get close to the working experience at PetPak, Beth exposes her true intentions, triggering revenge plans from the locals, with employees vicious types looking to get rid of outsiders. Beating the baddies to the punch is a monstrous boar, known as a Razorback, who kills Beth, inspiring Carl to travel to Gamulla and figure out what happened. Determined to pursue the PetPak gang, Carl realizes he’s in over his head, soon meeting Sarah (Arkie Whiteley), a friendly naturalist, while hunter Jake (Bill Kerr) is also roaming the area, seeking revenge on the Razorback after the beast murdered his grandson, with the community believing the old man committed the crime.

Jake’s saga of unimaginable pain serves as an introduction to the world of “Razorback.” A loving grandfather, Jake puts his grandson down for bedtime, retreating to the living room just as the Razorback attacks, bursting through the house, killing the child. This event sets up a revenge scenario for the screenplay (by Everette De Roche), with Jake dragged through a courtroom battle, fighting off accusations that he’s the one who killed the boy, gradually turned into a hardened man of rage once he returns to society after being set free due to lack of evidence. This opening provides a surge of screen adrenaline and a path for B-movie escapism, but “Razorback” doesn’t pursue Jake’s mission in full.

The tale soon turns its attention to Beth’s complications during her visit, mixing it up with the locals, with a few of them particularly nasty types employed at PetPak, which is home to a ghastly scene of animal slaughter. Carl eventually claims the lead role of “Razorback,” representing a second revenge story for the picture, which isn’t easily managed by the screenplay. Characterization soon falls away, with Mulcahy more invested in the visceral impact of “Razorback,” working to give the offering a defined style that favors color extremes, smoke-filled frames, and unnatural lighting. Carl’s a flat personality to begin with (Harrison’s blank performance doesn’t help), leaving the bulk of “Razorback” to Mulcahy’s directorial overkill, aiming to transform every scene into an extravagant display of cinematographic might, working with Dean Semler (“Dances with Wolves”) to achieve a special look for the endeavor. However, this attention to visual detail often overwhelms the feature, which spends too much time on the art of filmmaking than the needs of storytelling, finding Carl’s odyssey into the outback and his relationship with others lacking depth as Mulcahy gradually detaches from the human element of the tale. The sheer production effort is obviously respectable, but style isn’t enough to keep the movie compelling.

Razorback Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Previously issued on disc by Umbrella Entertainment in 2018, "Razorback" returns via Shout Factory, who work with what appears to be the same master as the earlier release. The AVC encoded image (2.38:1 aspect ratio) presentation deals with the extreme lighting and timing of the endeavor, which favors a nuclear palette to communicate harsh terrain and spooky evenings. Colors appear to be intact, with some reddish/orange push during daylight encounters, while nighttime events are soaked in blues. Costuming offers some alert primaries, and skin tones are as natural as possible under the director's style. Blood reds remain potent. Detail registers to a degree, with a sense of battered skin particulars and general sunbaked decay and filth. Town tours are dimensional, reaching into distances. Interiors offer exploration of decorative additions. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is adequately resolved. Source is in good condition.

Razorback Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Umbrella Entertainment release provided a 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix for "Razorback," which is retained here, creating an immersive, thunderous listening experience with good clarity on sound effects and dialogue exchanges. The default track on the Shout Factory release is a 2.0 DTS-HD MA track, which could represent the original theatrical mix (information isn't offered on the disc). There's obviously less intensity with the 2.0 listening event, requiring some volume boost, but intelligibility isn't threatened, and scoring supports with a decent instrumentation.

Razorback Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features director Russell Mulcahy.

• Commentary #2 features film historians Lee Gambin and Jarret Gahan.

• VHS Version (95:01, SD) is included.

• "Jaws on Trotters" (73:43, SD) is a 2005 making-of for "Razorback," featuring interviews with creature designer Rob McCarron, producer Hal McElroy, director Russell Mulcahy, composer Iva Davies, and actors Judy Morris and Chris Haywood.

• Audio Interview (30:58) chats with actor Gregory Harrison about his career path and experience making "Razorback."

• Interview (24:13, HD) discusses "Razorback" with critics Alexandra Heller-Nicolas, Emma Westwood, Lee Gambin, and Sally Christie.

• Deleted Scenes (2:31, SD) can be viewed with or without commentary by director Russell Mulcahy.

• Image Gallery (12:00) collects film stills, BTS snaps, poster and VHS art, newspaper ads and stories, and soundtrack and book covers.

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:33, HD) and a VHS Trailer (2:01, SD) are included.

Razorback Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Razorback" delivers some rampaging animal action, and the production does a competent job obscuring the puppetry and robotics required to bring the central creature to life. The actual threat of the Razorback is debatable, but the beast definitely causes plenty of property destruction during the run time. And yet, with a giant boar on the loose, "Razorback" spends more time with distorted locals and their quest to take care of trouble started by Carl and Beth. Extended screentime with goons isn't as compelling as a rampaging Razorback, and Mulcahy's general indifference to storytelling needs tends to grind down the viewing experience, replicating the helmer's music video work to an intrusive degree. "Razorback" is relentlessly flashy and showy, but it doesn't sustain as a nightmare machine, strangely putting the needs of B-movie action on the backburner so the director can use the endeavor as a display of his filmmaking fetishes.