6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts—the birthplace of the infamous holiday.
Starring: Milo Manheim, Gina Gershon, Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Karen ClicheHorror | 100% |
Mystery | 5% |
Holiday | 3% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The world needs more holiday horror movies. Zero sarcasm. I'm serious. Not horror movies set during holiday seasons, or unfolding around holiday gatherings. Real holiday horror flicks that dig in, chomp down hard and have some gory, cheeseball fun chewing through a big ol' meal of a slice-and-dice romp with all the trimmings. In other words, give me more movies like Eli Roth's Thanksgiving. Not that it's a great film. Honestly, most people probably won't think it's a particularly good film either. But it's a whole lot of mashed-potato fun, and I don't even know how "mashed-potato" works as an adjective. That's how much fun I had laughing at the sheer gory ridiculousness of a Turkey Day slasher starring a masked killer who, I kid you not, dons a mask of Mayflower pilgrim John Carver and wields one of the best-looking murder axes this side of Friday the 13th. So shut off yer brains, me babbies, and give t'anks for Roth's gravy-boat take on pulpy, indulgent, guilty-pleasure holiday horror.
From the desk of Eli Roth, Summer 2024: "Dear viewer, it is with the deepest pleasure and gratitude that I present you with 'Thanksgiving' in all
its
glorious, *gorious* details, lovingly mastered in 4K. This is the highest quality and the most spectacular viewing experience short of crawling inside
the actors'
skin and re-enacting the film. (Which I do not recommend. It's very sticky.) We put so much detail and love and blood into every scene and now you
can enjoy it for all of eternity. Or at least until robots ban the film thousands of years from now. I recommend watching on the biggest screen you
can,
played nice and loud, or at least loud enough for your neighbors to think you are roasting someone in an oven... See you at the dinner table."
Thanksgiving already looked terrific on standard Blu-ray. So what does Sony's 2160p 4K video presentation have to offer? Tastier second
helpings. And before you ask: yes, reds are bolder, splashier and more visceral than before, while the darkest shadows are more absorbing and
natural.
Just what the horror hounds among ye ordered. Colors retain their vivid, lifelike qualities throughout, but look no farther than the third act to see
what
sweet desserts 4K brings to the table. The roasty, toasty firelit hues of Carver's murder oven are at full, blazing heat, with a convincing richness
and
depth to both flame and darkness that bring the movie's final kills as close to life as it gets. Delineation is even a marginal notch better than with its
predecessor, creating a sicker, more sinister atmosphere to surround the madness that builds as the blood really starts to flow. Likewise, detail is
improved as well, though not as jaw-droppingly so as other films might allow. Thanksgiving gets dark. Plenty dark. And the ensuing fog of
war
isn't the most revealing. Fortunately, such things don't involve wayward crush. It's all by design, and the refined results allow for plenty of visible
genre
fun in the otherwise unforgiving pitch black of night. Edges are sharp enough to suggest malicious intent and textures are beautifully resolved,
particularly when the sun is out or the lights are up, and what teeny tiny hint of grain there is -- and it's not much -- fares slightly better than it did
in
1080p. The image subjectively appears to have an even slicker digital sheen than its 2K counterpart, which, again, is all a tad strange considering the
film's Grindhouse aspirations. But intention reigns and Roth has made his distinctly 21st century aesthetic choices. Even so, there isn't a hint of
blocking, banding or other unsightly business, and the encode holds its own regardless of what challenges are tossed its way.
Am I having a bigger blast with Thanksgiving this time around? Apparently so. It snuck up on me. What didn't sneak up on me, though, was Sony's Dolby Atmos experience. How could it? It's got so much swagger. So much power. So much murderous intent, and none of it is exactly subtle. But this is neo-Grindhouse, and the film's new surround track is a delight. You can almost hear the sound designers giggling in the booth. Dialogue is intelligible and naturally grounded in the mix, prioritization is spot on, more nuanced sound effects are reproduced with perfection, and blah blah blah. You don't care about that anyway. What you do care about is the soundfield, which is so effective and immersive that, even with this being my second viewing, I jumped a helluva lot more. The surround channels are full of engaging, hair-raising activity; all of it a bit too effective. Moreover, pans and directionality are downright eerie, making Carver's appearances more menacing and, inevitably, more frightening. You can even hear the sizzle of roasting skin all around, with the track dropping the listener right in the middle of an oven. Shivers. And dynamics? So, so good. Punchy, powerful... the sort of LFE support you expect from a modern release and certainly deserve, especially when it comes to pulpy, squelchy horror. Ax strikes come with a wildy and weighty thunk that you can feel deep in your chest, while the film's score bum-bum-bumps along like a heavy heartbeat. Atmos is the way to hear Thanksgiving and Roth's every last little bit of devilish deviance.
Mmmm. Not my favorite flick, but what a fantastic SteelBook. Matte black. Subtly raised lines on the cover art. Gold lettering. Blood as dark as pitch
on the head of a wood ax buried in a deliciously dressed turkey. Flip it over and you get Carver's fire-licked mask. Mm. Simple, striking design, front
and back, inside and out. This might just be one of my favorite SteelBook designs of the year; minimalistic, classy throwback elements and all. Enjoy!
Switch off your brain's critical core. Thanksgiving is a bloody good time. Nothing more... maybe something less, if grindhouse throwback isn't your thing. Walking the fine line between parody and homage, Roth at least entertains, which for those willing to buy into the film's premise should prove to be enough. Sony's 4K release is even better, with perfect UltraHD/Atmos AV quality and a solid selection of extras (two of which are exclusive to this edition).
2022
2022
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1981
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2021
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