Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Sixteen Tongues Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 16, 2023

The world is in ruins in 2003’s “Sixteen Tongues,” but we don’t get to see it. It’s a shot-on-video production from writer/director Scooter McCrae, and he doesn’t have the money to explore just how awful things have become for humanity. Instead, he remains in the tight confines of hotel rooms with the picture, which follows three characters in extreme states of agitation, each dealing with their own psychological and corporeal corruption as they navigate a corrosive reality that’s soaked in pornography. “Sixteen Tongues” has some ambition to be wild with characters and explicit with its visuals, but it’s hard to shake the inertia of the endeavor, with McCrae trying to stretch what appears to be an idea built for a short film into a feature-length presentation of madness. Some spikes of extremity work as intended, but the helmer doesn’t have enough story to carry the viewing experience, and the general vibe of the shot-on-video effort tends to register more as a private fetish video than a bold creative statement.

In a dystopian futureworld, Adrian (Crawford James) is a rogue cop dealing with his robotic innards and his mutilated flesh. He survived a bomb blast years ago, with doctors using tongues to help with skin grafts, transforming Adrian into a man driven mad by sensory overload, taking his rage out on those he arrests and imprisons, using these captives for his sexual gratification. He lives in a fetish hotel, where sex workers, ruined people, and confused types gather for shelter and dangerous encounters, with every inch of the building covered in pornography. Living in another room is Ginny (Jane Chase), who’s also struggling with her identity, wrestling with her history as a test tube baby programmed to murder while dealing with clitoral stimulation implanted in her eyelids, making life almost unbearable. Alik (Alice Liu) is Ginny’s lover and a hacker trying to navigate a world of dark information, learning more about Adrian and his connection to her brother, who was killed while in custody. Losing patience with it all, Ginny seeks out Adrian for comfort, with the pair’s sexual experience unlocking something in everyone, threatening to provide clarity about purpose and past that could drive them all insane.

Adrian is not well, and his introduction in “Sixteen Tongues” captures his extreme abuse of a sexual slave inside a cage, becoming a master with no intent of taking it easy on his fully bound and mummified partner/victim. The scene offers an initial feel for the character’s viciousness, especially with sexual violence, and it provides viewers with an immediate understanding of the film’s tone, which doesn’t get sunnier from here. McCrae is out to explore the end of it all with the material, but he mostly sticks with vivid sexual transgressions and graphic imagery, aiming for a little shock value while attempting to find a dramatic path for the movie.

Everything in “Sixteen Tongues” takes place in the hotel, a hellhole teeming with unsavory people and wallpapered with pornographic imagery. Inside the rooms, porn plays at full volume from televisions that require a credit card to turn off (unplugging these machines doesn’t seem to be an option), keeping guests fully immersed in perversion and titillation as they try to go about their daily business. For Ginny, an identity crisis emerges as she deals with her killer instinct and clitoris eyelids, scrambling her brain. Alik has awareness but also fights insanity while handling hacker business, entering areas and minds she’s unprepared to deal with. Adrian’s permanently inside his own head, working out his aggression through sex. It’s a cocktail of broken people, but “Sixteen Tongues” aims to be more sci-fi than dramatic, with McCrae straining to dream up hard-boiled dialogue and charged confrontations, and he’s not very inviting with details, preferring to stay in a hazy place of understanding when it comes to the state of the outside world and the tech that drives this society. There are more shots of Adrian’s erect penis than moments of exposition that could help viewers get involved in this bouillabaisse of illness.

Sixteen Tongues Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.35:1) presentation provides an acceptable view of the SOV production. Fine detail isn't an option, but a general sense of frame elements is present, including strange skin surfaces on Adrian and specialized costuming. Porno-tastic decoration is also open for some examination. Colors are basic, with a primary push on advertisements, while darker hues emerge from costuming. Skin tones are within the realm of natural. Source is in decent condition, with a few blips of damage.

Sixteen Tongues Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix is a basic understanding of the feature's aural achievements. Dialogue exchanges remain intelligible, and argumentative behavior doesn't slip into distortive extremes. Scoring supports with a passable synth sound, and musical emphasis is appreciable. Sound effects retain some snap.

Sixteen Tongues Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features writer/director Scooter McCrae and producer Alex Kuciw.

• Commentary #2 features writer/director Scooter McCrae, producer Alex Kuciw, and production designer Dan Ouellette.

• Isolated Music Track is included.

• "Fantasia or Bust" (21:35, SD) examines the experience of "Sixteen Tongues" as it made its debut at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2003. It's a video diary from writer/director Scooter McCrae, who tries to put on a show for the viewers, keeping the mood light as his picture is finally brought in front of the masses. Q&As are offered, post-screen reflection is provided, and Godzilla makes an appearance.

• On-Set Production and Bloopers (26:10, SD) takes a long look at make-up work for the main character, with artists working to cover his body. Moviemaking mistakes are also collected, including splatter problems with a bullet hit.

• Visual Effects Breakdown (2:45, SD) is an interview with post FX supervisor Robert Morris.

• Make-up and Costume Featurette (21:53, SD) is a BTS look at "Sixteen Tongues," observing the creation of the central monster and the fitting of fetish gear.

• Deleted Scenes (9:31, SD) are presented, including Alternate Opening Title sequences and rejected computer animation sequences.

• "I See the Dark" (3:47, SD) is a music video.

• Image Gallery (5:45) collects light paintings, publicity shots, and BTS snaps.

• Intro (10:52, HD) is a conversation with writer/director Scooter McCrae, who began his moviemaking journey at Purchase College, barely making it through the director's program. Meeting Dan Ouellette, McCrae found his guy, with the pair sharing creative and cinematic interests. Production ingenuity is shared, with the men trading jobs on their short films, helping to create no-budget worlds for their ideas.

• "Saint Frankenstein" (17:23, HD) is a 2015 short film by writer/director Scooter McCrae.

• Image Gallery (4:30) collects BTS snaps from "Saint Frankenstein."

• Additional Short Films (HD) include "DB" (22:46) and "Only Hell" (11:37), with the latter featuring an option audio commentary by writer/director Scooter McCrae.

• And a Trailer (1:47, SD) is included.

Sixteen Tongues Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Something of a plot emerges with Alik's realization that her brother may have been murdered by Adrian, but "Sixteen Tongues" doesn't jump at the chance to tell a story. McCrae would rather have his atmosphere, lingering on pornographic images and poorly defined body horror, trusting the strangeness of it all will carry the viewing experience. He ends up with a fairly dull endeavor, but one determined to deliver style over substance.