5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran, brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks and his rookie partner take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
Starring: Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisol Nichols, Dan PetronijevicHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 45% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When Lionsgate released both a "new, improved" 1080 version and a UHD version of the first film in the venerable Saw franchise with their Saw 4K outing, I mentioned in our Saw 4K Blu-ray review how I personally couldn't help but feel the release was at least in part a marketing ploy attempting to elevate interest in Spiral: From the Book of Saw. One of the excellent supplements on the Saw 4K release was a rather in depth history of the franchise called Game Changer: The Legacy of 'Saw' which provided a fascinating overview and which, along with the supplement entitled The Consequences of Your Actions: Creating 'Spiral' on this disc, might help to give fans an inkling of what the creative crew that has been involved with this franchise for years, and in some cases from the very beginning, have sought to create over the course of several years. The fact that Saw became an annual event, typically linked to releases around Halloween, made the Saw films "appointment viewing" for some fans, even if an individual rendezvous might have been a bit of a disappointment. The Saw team frankly tried to "reinvent" the (tricycle?) wheel a few years ago with Jigsaw, and that Blu-ray release also had a rather excellent featurette called I Speak for the Dead: The Legacy of 'Jigsaw' which offered some of the same talking heads explaining what that reboot was attempting to do within the context of the overall Saw story arc. All of the foregoing is to perhaps help indicate that the team working on Saw for so many years has, kind of like some of the victims in the series, had its back to the wall and, at least with regard to the initial yearly outings, may have earned a little slack in terms of having to come up with material over and over. But that aspect aside, since Jigsaw didn't exactly set the world on fire in terms of "reinventing" Saw, some may wonder why there's this "new, improved" (?) attempt to do much the same thing, albeit in a somewhat different direction.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 Blu-ray.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.38:1. As I mentioned in our Spiral: From the Book of Saw of the 1080
version, the IMDb reports that Sony CineAlta Venice cameras were utilized, which capture at up to a 6K source resolution, and that a 4K DI was
prepared. The 1080 version of this film set a baseline for general excellence, and the good news is this 4K UHD version ups the ante, at times
considerably. While detail levels are definitely improved throughout, what repeatedly struck my eye was the improvement in shadow definition in the
many dark scenes (the opening sequence in the subway tunnel is a notable example, but a later showdown involving a female police captain played by
Marisol Nichols is another). The other huge plus here is the added nuance to an already impressively saturated palette that HDR brings to the viewing
experience. As I mentioned in our 1080 review, this is a film that is stylistically almost in John Wick territory in its use of deeply vivid purples, greens and other tones,
and the 4K version offers a noticeably wider range of interstitial hues, especially on the blue end of the spectrum. The sepia toned flashbacks have a
slightly dustier, more tan or ochre look in this version.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw features a nicely immersive Dolby Atmos tracks that gets its overhead mojo working as soon as some of the production mastheads. There are numerous examples of great surround activity, beginning with the cacophonous carnival setting that quickly becomes claustrophobic in an underground subway tunnel, and some of the trap scenes provide good engagement of all of the surround channels, with one especially disturbing sequence involving shattered glass bottle shards spewing out of a fanlike object and into the body of a hapless victim being one of the more notable Atmos moments. Charlie Clouser's score also wafts evocatively through the side and rear channels and provides a good subliminal boost of the angst factor at key moments. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw offers Rock a good showcase for more dramatic skills, but the film's story is almost willfully derivative and some may wonder why anyone thought this needed to be a "Saw film" in the first place. Technical merits are excellent and the supplementary package very interesting, for those who are considering making a purchase, and if you are considering making a purchase, my personal advice is to spring for this 4K UHD version, as the uptick from the already excellent 1080 video is noticeable.
2017
Extended Cut
2021
2023
Saw 3D
2010
Uncut Edition
2009
Unrated Director's Cut
2008
Unrated Director's Cut
2007
Unrated Edition
2006
Unrated Edition
2005
2022
2021
2022
2018
2016
2004
Collector's Edition
2019
2021
2023
2022
2019