Rollercoaster Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Rollercoaster Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 14, 2017

James Goldstone's "Rollecoaster" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Koch Media. 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 trailers. In English, with optional English SDH and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The watcher

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 Koch Media.

The release is sourced from the same master that the folks at Shout Factory accessed when they prepared the U.S. release in 2016. I like this master a lot. Aside from a few very small density fluctuations it has an all-around very solid organic appearance that makes it a pleasure to view the film on a large screen. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments and as a result close-ups as well as larger panoramic shots frequently boasts great delineation and very pleasing depth (see screencaptures (see screencaptures #1, 4, and 9). There are a few indoor sequences where ideally shadow definition should be better, but there are no distracting anomalies. I also like the color scheme a lot. Some nuances could be expanded, but the overall balance is very, very convincing. Image stability is excellent. 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-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B 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 3.1 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 3.1. Optional English SDH and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The U.S. was supposed to have Dolby True HD Sensurround track, but Shout Factory included English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English: Dolby Digital 3.1 tracks. This release has an English DTS-HD Master Audio 3.1 I assure that this was the audio track that should have ended up on the U.S. release. If I am wrong, please contact me and let me know.

So I went back and forth between the lossy track and the lossless track and compared plenty of different sequences with the rollercoaster (for example the footage from around the 00.11.30 mark) and I think that the separation and depth are excellent. On the other hand, had I not know that the U.S. release had DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track I most likely would not have noticed as the difference in my opinion isn't overwhelming. Nevertheless, if this is the mix that the film is supposed to be viewed with, it should have been the default option the U.S. release. The basic characteristics of this track are excellent.

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, with optional German subtitles. (13 min).

• German Trailer - original German trailer for Rollercoaster. In German, not subtitled. (4 min).

• U.S. Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Rollercoaster. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• U.S. Teaser - original U.S. teaser trailer for Rollercoaster. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

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

• Coaster Force - footage from a real contemporary rollercoaster ride shot at the same location where James Goldstone made his film. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Photo Gallery -a collection of vintage promotional materials for Rollercoaster.

• Cover Art - reversible cover.

• Photo Gallery -a collection of vintage promotional materials for Rollercoaster.

Rollercoaster Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shout Factory's release of Rollercoaster was supposed to have a Dolby True HD Sensurround track, but when it arrived on the market it had only a Dolby Digital 3.1 track (plus a lossless 2.0 track). This recent German release from Koch Media has a lossless 3.1 track and I am going to assume that it is the track that was supposed to be on the U.S. release. Earlier tonight I viewed the film with it and I think that the audio was first-class, but to be honest I also thought that the lossless 2.0 track was very good. The rollercoaster action is where things really heat up and there is definitely a difference, though I think that you should consider an upgrade only if Rollercoaster is one of your favorite films. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.