Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

The Blob Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 5, 2017

Chuck Russell's "The Blob" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and a video interview with director Chuck Russell. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"What the heck..."

Remakes are very rarely better than the films that inspired them. Just about all contemporary remakes, for instance, have a serious ideological defect -- they are conceived with the idea that more action and bigger and more elaborate special effects immediately create the framework for a better film. So instead of focusing on great characterizations these remakes typically become preoccupied with technical material and projection standards. In the digital era this ideological defect is also responsible for the destruction of the overwhelming majority of original films, which is why there are fewer and fewer of them that do not look like unusually long promo pieces for fancy video games. It is a sad state of affairs and with digital technology becoming more sophisticated each year it is only a matter of time before quality acting becomes an outdated practice.

Chuck Russell’s remake of Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.’s classic horror film The Blob is something of an anomaly because it actually does quite a few things better than the original film. I know exactly why that is -- Russell is a genuine film lover first and then a director, and his love and respect for the original story never leave the remake -- though I think that he was also lucky to shoot it at a time when the majority of special effects artists in Hollywood were still doing beautiful work with their hands rather than with their keyboards.

The core of the story is the same and I assume that you have already seen the original film, so I am going to explain in what ways Russell’s film is superior. First, the casting choices are better and the age issues from the original film are immediately eliminated. Also, there is a better chemistry between the two leads (Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith) and once they realize what they are facing their dilemmas become a lot easier to accept as legit. Second, there is a better balance between the action and the drama; there is still a dose of the shlock that gave the original film its identity, but here it is tamed and spread out more evenly. Third, the new blob is nastier and smarter. There are a few silly scenes but this is a much darker film that makes it very clear that none of its characters are invincible -- the naïve and stupid ones either get injured or die in spectacular fashion. Finally, all of the action works for the story, not the other way around, and there is no doubt in my mind that Russell should be credited for this.

In the original film the music is integral part of its period atmosphere. This isn’t the case in the remake, though there are a few excellent ‘80s tracks that can be heard in it. The best one came from Swedish rockers Alien and is titled “Brave New Love”.

Russell worked on the script for the remake with award-winning writer, director and producer Frank Darabont. Their first project was A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors which they completed a year earlier for New Line Cinema.

The Blob Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Chuck Russell's The Blob arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment

My one and only criticism pertains to the encoding. Some optimizations could have been made because there are a few light compression artifacts that occasionally try to sneak in, but even on very large screens they are quite difficult to spot. Other than that I think that the film looks quite wonderful in high-definition. The release is clearly sourced from the same Sony Pictures master that was used for the U.S. release and while there is some very light crush detail, clarity, and depth are wonderful. I also like the color scheme -- the primaries are always healthy and there is a wide range of very nice nuances. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is excellent. There are no large distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.0. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

The Blob Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. (You have to use your remote control to access them).

The lossless track is excellent. I cannot imagine that a remastering job could introduce any noticeable improvements. Depth and clarity are great and there are absolutely no balance issues whatsoever. The dialog is always stable, clean, and very easy to follow. There are no age-related anomalies to report either.

The Blob Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Chuck Russell - in this video interview, dierctor Chuck Russell recalls how the idea for the remake of Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.'s film came to exist and how eventually the remake was greenlighted, and discusses its production history and visual style of his film, some of the major similarities and differences between the original film and his film, and his relationship with Frank Darabont. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for The Blob. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - reversible cover.

The Blob Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that Chuck Russell's remake of Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.'s classic film The Blob is a lot more entertaining. Its style is different, but the film remains respectful of the original story and actually genuinely improves a few aspects of it. The cast of the remake is better as well. This release from Australian label Umbrella Entertainment is sourced from the same master that Sony Pictures has licensed to other boutique labels in North America and Europe. I think that it is very good and the film looks lovely in high-definition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.