Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Return to Paradise Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 9, 2023

Joseph Ruben's "Return to Paradise" (1998) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Joseph Ruben; new program with composer Mark Mancina; archival interviews with cast members; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

I think it is fair to say that in America very few people, or any at all, went to see Joseph Ruben’s Return to Paradise (1998) with the awareness that it was something of a loose remake of Pierre Jolivet’s Force Majeure a.k.a. Uncontrollable Circumstances (1989). Interestingly, while there are some obvious similarities between these films, they deliver messages that resonate differently. I prefer the one of Return to Paradise because it appears more realistic to me. Of course, I could be misjudging it. However, I find it extremely difficult to discard the logic of this message, which is almost identical to the one that Alan Parker’s classic Midnight Express produces.

In Malaysia, best friends Sheriff (Vince Vaughn), Tony (David Conrad), and Lewis (Joaquin Phoenix) are having the time of their lives. They drink, sleep with local girls, do a bit of hashish, and soak up the sun. When one of them casually suggests that they might have reached paradise, the other two instantly agree. The friends are forced to split when at the end of the vacation Lewis announces that he has decided to stay in Malaysia and work with apes.

Two years later, while working as a limo driver in New York City, Sheriff is approached by Beth (Anne Heche), a lawyer, who reveals to him that in eight days Lewis is going to be hanged. Sheriff and Tony can save Lewis if they go to Malaysia and agree to serve a few years in prison for the large stash of hashish the local authorities accidentally discovered at their friend’s place on the day they flew back to America. They purchased the hashish and smoked it together, but it was Lewis that was caught with it after they had discarded it. Beth also reaches out to Tony, who is getting ready to marry the girl of his dreams (Vera Farmiga).

At first, Sheriff laughs at Beth’s offer and refuses to even consider the possibility of throwing away a few years of his life, but then slowly changes his mind. Tony struggles to endure a similar rollercoaster of emotions that threaten to collapse his relationship with his future wife too and eventually agrees to follow Sheriff back to Malaysia.

In an exclusive new program that is included on this release, Ruben explains his decision to alter the finale of Return to Paradise, which resets the message of his film. But there is a lot more that happens before it that draws an obvious line between Return to Paradise and Force Majeure. For example, in Return to Paradise personal responsibility is deconstructed differently and the drama that flourishes is used to target the classic Western definitions of right and wrong. However, instead of simply contrasting the Malaysian and U.S. justice systems, Return to Paradise chooses to focus on the old truth that for every action there is a reaction. The three friends then rediscover it in unique ways.

The drama is very nicely balanced. For example, Sheriff’s struggle to make the right decision as time expires quickly forces him out of his comfort zone and then rearranges his system of beliefs. But Ruben does not overdramatize the transformation. Instead, Sheriff begins acting like a chronic loner who has abruptly realized that he has been living a lie. His temporary nastiness is related to this discovery. Tony is overwhelmed by the enormous pressure of being right in a situation that offers him two losing options -- destroy his relationship with his future wife or betray and lose a dear friend. In his prison cell, Lewis can only pray that at least one of his friends will find the courage to do what is, at least as far as he is concerned, right.

Arguably the most common criticism that has been thrown at Midnight Express over the years is that it greatly embellishes and overdramatizes the consequences of a supposedly stupid error of judgment that is at the core of its story. This criticism makes sense only when it is produced by a party that has not been tested by the same or some of these consequences. The drama in Return to Paradise is unleashed by an almost identical error of judgment and the consequences of it are the same. However, the resolution of the drama in Return to Paradise is different.

Return to Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Return to Paradise arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The back cover of this release states that the release is sourced from a 4K master that was struck from the original camera negative. I do not know when this master was prepared, but on this release Return to Paradise has a rather dated appearance with some limitations that are usually present on older masters that are licensed from Universal. For example, most wider shots reveal traces of light sharpening that affect delineation and depth (you can see examples in screencaptures #4 and 11). Clarity is good but some of the effects of the sharpening tend to interfere in different ways. Most darker close-ups look good, but only because they tend to hide the effects of the sharpening adjustments. Colors are stable and most of the film looks very nice. However, saturation can be improved and several of the supporting nuances could look much healthier. Image stability is good. I did not encounter any serious surface imperfections to report in our review. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Return to Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I started viewing the film with the 5.1 track, switched to the 2.0 track, and then went back to the 5.1 track. I think that the 5.1 track handles the film's original soundtrack very well. However, there are several areas where the music is supposed to be producing memorable contrasts and it feels like it needs to be slightly more prominent. It is difficult for me to tell if this is how the soundtrack was finalized. The rest sounded sounded great on my system.

Return to Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Force Majeure: Directing Return to Paradise - in this new program, Joseph Ruben explains how his directing methods evolved as the budgets of his film became bigger, how he discovered Pierre Jolivet's Force Majeure a.k.a. Uncontrollable Circumstances and decided to make Return to Paradise, some particular changes that were as the screenplay for the film was finalized, and what the production process was like. Also, there are some quite interesting comments about The Counterfeit Traitor and how the finale in Return to Paradise was influenced by a key scene from the former. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• A Godless Place: Scoring Return to Paradise - in this new program, composer Mark Mancina recalls the exact moment when he was offered to score Return to Paradise and how te soundtrack he created different from his previous work on blockbusters like Speed, Twister, and Con Air. Also, there are some very interesting comments about the exact manner in which woodwinds are used in the soundtrack. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Archival Interviews - in these archival interviews, three of the four leads of Return to Paradise discuss their experiences during the making of the film. Joaquin Pheonix also discusses his involvement with Clay Pigeons. The interviews were conducted in 1998. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche. (5 min).
  2. Joaquin Phoenix (8 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Return to Paradise. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Return to Paradise Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sheriff and Tony's dilemma is the kind of litmus test that can define a person, or very quickly break and destroy a person. I have often wondered how I would react if I faced the same dilemma. I like to think that I would have avoided it by not making the consequential error that produced it, but there are strange scenarios from the real world where this relationship may become irrelevant. Joseph Ruben's Return to Paradise is a terrific film that feels like a close relative of Alan Parker's timeless classic Midnight Express. I used to have it on VHS and then DVD, so I am quite happy to see it on Blu-ray. Via Vision Entertainment's Blu-ray release offers a mostly decent technical presentation of Return to Paradise and has two excellent exclusive new programs with Ruben and composer Mark Mancina. RFECOMMENDED.