Rollercoaster Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Rollercoaster Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 15, 2016

James Goldstone's "Rollecoaster" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Shout Factory. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new video interview with writer/associate producer Tommy Cook; original radio spots; collection of studio stills; and original trailer. Also included with this release is a reversible cover with original poster art. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Where do I go next?

The camera casually observes a young man (Timothy Bottoms, Operation Daybreak) who derails a rollercoaster with a bomb. A close-up of his face reveals that he is pleased with his work, perhaps even proud of it. He remains composed, then casually walks away. Elsewhere, some men gather in an office and begin discussing the tragedy. One of them, Harry Calder (George Segal,The Hot Rock), a safety inspector, becomes suspicious, but the group concludes that there must have been an accident.

For a while, life returns to normal. But when a fire starts in another theme park in a different state, Calder quickly realizes a pattern is emerging -- one that points to a very different explanation for the new 'accident.' Soon after, Calder discovers a stranger is blackmailing the owners of the five companies that manage the biggest theme parks across the country. The stranger wants them to pay him one million dollars in untraceable bills. If they do, he will quietly disappear. But if they refuse, he will unleash bigger and more spectacular ‘accidents’ just in time for the Fourth of July. The stranger then demands that Calder deliver the money to Virginia’s newest theme park.

James Goldstone’s Rollercoaster is effective in two ways. On one hand, it is structured as a tense thriller in which two very intelligent men try to outsmart each other in a relatively short period of time. They engage in plenty of action, and there is more around them, but the focus is actually on their thought processes and the specific decisions they make while under extreme pressure. As a result, the action -- and the drama that flourishes with it --becomes very authentic. (Walter Hill’s The Driver, which premiered a year after Rollercoaster, is effective for the same reason).

Rollercoaster also works well as one big show-off piece. Indeed, it is based on an original story by Tommy Cook that gradually transforms the rollercoaster into a major character and begins treating it with the respect it gives the terrorist and Calder. As a result, the rollercoaster's architectural design(s), speed, and thrills it offers to its fans become very important. This isn’t to imply that Rollercoaster acquires a personality and appearance suitable for a documentary feature right in the middle of the cat-and-mouse game. However, there is an obvious desire to present an authentic sense of what it feels like to be on one of these monsters and be entertained by it — or, as is the case here, feel helpless and utterly terrified as it comes alive.

The cast is impressive. Segal is terrific as the jaded inspector running out of time and ideas to stop his opponent. Bottoms looks calm and confident under pressure, exactly like an utterly delusional terrorist would in an identical situation. Richard Widmark is believable as a veteran FBI agent whose methods repeatedly prove ineffective. Henry Fonda has a small part as a senior safety executive who demands results in a seriously tense environment. A very young Helen Hunt also has a small part.

Cinematographer David Walsh gives Rollercoaster a surprisingly modern appearance. The rollercoaster footage is impressive even by current standards. (Folks who already feel nervous about riding a rollercoaster with friends or family members should probably avoid this film).

A dynamic soundtrack by Oscar-nominated composer Lalo Schifrin does plenty to enhance the desired atmosphere.

Rollercoaster Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, James Goldstone's Rollercoaster arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.

The film must have been remastered fairly recently because the Blu-ray release is sourced from a master with some very strong organic qualities. Indeed, there are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening corrections -- and specifically of the type that frequently plague older transfers that emerge from Universal's vaults -- and fluidity is very pleasing. A few very small density fluctuations pop up, but otherwise depth and clarity are excellent. Many of the close-ups during the tense phone conversations, for instance, look terrific (see screencaptures #8 and 9). The color scheme boasts solid and healthy primaries and a good range of nuances. Some of the nuances could be expanded, but I feel that the existing variety and balance are already very good. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are a couple of tiny flecks and dirt spots, but there are no large cuts, debris, damage marks, stains, or warped frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Rollercoaster Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English Dolby Digital 3.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The release promotes (on the cover and on the main menu) a Dolby True HD Sensurround track, but the second track is indeed a lossy one. I viewed the film with the standard DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track and was quite impressed by it. It has excellent depth, clarity is terrific, and during the rollercoaster action separation is actually very effective. The dialog is also exceptionally clear and easy to follow, never sounding even remotely flat or muddled. It would have been interesting to hear what type of improvements a lossless 3.1 track could have offered, but as it is the viewing experience is indeed terrific.

Rollercoaster Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Tommy Cook - in this archival program, writer/associate producer Tommy Cook recalls how the original story that inspired Rollercoaster came to exist and discusses some of the changes made during its production and James Goldstone's direction. The program was produced by Shout Factory. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Radio Spots - original radio spots for Rollercoaster. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Still Gallery - a collection of original studio stills for Rollercoaster. Black-and-white and in color. (5 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - original trailer for Rollercoaster. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Reversible Cover - reversible cover with original poster art for Rollercoaster. See screencaptures.

Rollercoaster Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Goldstone's Rollercoaster is a tense and wonderfully acted '70s thriller with a fantastic atmosphere. Somehow I missed it when it was released on DVD and I am really glad that Shout Factory added it to their Blu-ray catalog. The technical presentation is very good. In fact, I think that this is one of the best looking Blu-ray releases of a catalog title produced by Shout Factory. Buy with confidence, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.