6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 2.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
For Sarah, moving to Los Angeles is just another chance to be an outsider. She is all alone among the tightly-knit student body of St. Benedict's Academy... until she meets three young women who also have found themselves banished to the outermost reaches of high school's inevitable pecking order. Nancy, Bonnie and Rochelle will never fit in with the "in" crowd. They barely fit in with each other. But together with Sarah, their outer and inner lives are about to change in ways they never suspected. They are about to learn that being an outsider has its own kind of power. They are about to learn "The Craft."
Starring: Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True, Skeet UlrichHorror | 100% |
Supernatural | 31% |
Teen | 22% |
Thriller | 8% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
"Carrie Meets Clueless" may be misleading billing for this decidedly bloodless, less-than-witty supernatural teen thriller (R-rated though it may be), but there's something to The Craft the years haven't been able to whittle away. Maybe it's the cast -- Neve Campbell, unknowingly prepping for the Scream stardom that would come just seven months later, and Faruka Balk, as weird and wonderful a snarling villainess as ever -- or maybe it's the idea of everyday witches cursing bullies and enacting dark justice on schoolyard antagonists that gives the teenager in my brain a bit of vicarious fantasy-revenge on people I've long forgotten. Or maybe it's just the midnight movie glee of a coming-to-power tale replacing the typical coming-of-age story. Whatever the case, and believe me, The Craft isn't a hallowed classic or a perfect '90s gem, the film remains a blast in its own small stakes, big witchy energy kind of way, beating Diablo Cody to the Jennifer's Body punch by more than a decade.
"Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble..."
Hoo boy, has the 4K release of The Craft been the cause of a forum war. You'd think it was Helen of Troy.
Multiple Blu-ray.com members have reported excessive artifacting that is, by several impassioned accounts, obvious and easy to spot, even when
watching the film
at distance and at speed. The determination? A poor encode. Truth be told, and maybe I'll regret saying so later, but my experience couldn't have
been more different. I did catch sight of the tiniest of artifacts during the opening credits and in some of the optical FX shots. I suspect because I was
directed at exactly the right spots, to the second, and because I took time to watch the boring opening credits and its floaty sky/cloud reel. And I
agree, in later scenes you can and should delineate between the reduction in quality you see with 1990s optical effects (which shouldn't negatively
impact an evaluation of a transfer) and encoding issues found in a modern transfer (which should). However, and this is a
big however, I just don't see how any of what we have here spoils the presentation. The slightest of dents? An asterisk noting a known, albeit minor
problem? Sure. A major
issue worthy of the internet's outrage, a recall and fix, or so much exaggerated, overly broad, hypertensive criticism? Hardly. At least not to my
tastes or my eyes. And here comes the real
kicker. My only struggle was in deciding whether to score The Craft's illuminating 4K video transfer a 4.0 or a 4.5. I recorded a 4.0, but let's
call it a 4.25, which is more accurate.
Other than the handful of instances detailed ad nauseum in the forum, I didn't encounter any other significant blocking, banding or unsightly issues,
other than perhaps the film's strong grain field, which I don't consider an "issue", rather a sign that the team responsible for the 4K disc took its time
with the original elements and gave The Craft a proper remastering that's (mostly) faithful to its every last speck of grain. It can
be a tad inconsistent from scene to scene (blame flashes of lightning in drearily dark scenes or the near-pitch black or midnight blue moments that
frame some of the girls' outdoor rituals), but even when a shot's lighting was challenging and I expected a massive dip in clarity, what I discovered
was the opposite. The image and, yes, the bitrate stood true. Don't misunderstand, at no point does the film look like anything other than a
rejuvenated teen thriller from 1996 with a $15 million budget. Nor does its cinematography ever fully break free of some suspiciously TV-esque
trappings. And I'm not dismissing the screenshot hunters' artifact safari and offending screen-captured shots. However, the print is
clean as you could hope for, the palette is teeming with life and energy, shadow detail is quite good (considering how heavy the darkness can
occasionally fall), and even the film's FX shots -- which do show their seams more readily in 4K, as is the case with most, if not all optical effects of
the era -- hold up pretty well, even under 4K scrutiny.
Colors shift from warm, beautifully saturated, firelit interior hues to crisp, even chilly tones that remain natural whatever the lighting and register as
lifelike as anything else in the film. Skintones are lovely and on point, as is contrast, which lends welcome depth and dimensionality to an image that
every so often shows how flat the image could be (lightning strikes, I'm looking at you again). Black levels do exhibit a touch of crush on occasion,
though nothing that suggests all that much shadow detail is being obstructed, and primaries every so often lack some of the kick they boast in the
vast majority of scenes. But each instance of weakness appears to trace back to the source, not a faulty or lesser encode, or worse, a shoulder-shrug
of a remastering effort. Detail, meanwhile, is excellent. Illuminating even. The film benefits
(and then some) from the more refined grain, the
crisper, halo-free edge definition, the terrifically resolved fine textures (particularly in close-ups), and other improvements. And again, I just didn't
come across any substantial signs indicating a lackluster encode. I can study graphs, track bitrates and go pixel by pixel all day long. What matters to
me
is what a film looks like in motion at a proper viewing distance, at proper speed, with proper home theater lighting, and a properly calibrated
display. The Craft's 4K transfer should only encourage a purchase. Its briefly apparent issues are few and mostly negligible.
As to the forum arguments surrounding this particular 4K encode, add my (idiot's) opinion to the canon, light the fuse and fire away. I leave it to all
of you to battle it out...
*Raises head out of foxhole* Are they gone? Is it safe? As far as I can tell, no one is arguing about The Craft's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which seems to be the same decent lossless mix featured on both the 2009 standard edition and 2019 Collector's Edition Blu-rays. From the 2009 review: The brief witchcraft scene prior to the opening title sequence delivers a nice sense of atmosphere as wind blows, thunder claps and girls chant; followed by a steady and strong presentation of a rock song that delivers a satisfying, room-filling listen. These scenes set the tone for the remainder of the film, with surround speakers being nicely engaged throughout. Student chatter (as heard during Sarah's initial arrival on campus) fills the soundstage nicely and does a good job of placing the listeners in the midst of the hallowed halls. A thunderstorm in chapter five delivers a full experience that takes advantage of the entire soundstage, placing booms of thunder and steady rain all around the listening area. The track also features problem-free dialogue reproduction and a wonderful collection of more subtle ambient effects, particularly during several outdoor scenes that are almost good enough to fool the listener into feeling a part of the environment. An explosion (of sorts) rocks the listening area in chapter 13 with a prodigious wave of bass; while the low end isn't a consistent companion throughout the film, it's used to good effect when called upon.
It's been a long time since I waded into the waters of video quality debating (hello Fellowship of the Ring!) but when I saw that the 4K release of The Craft had slipped through the cracks, I had to bite. Go easy on me, gents. It just isn't really that bad. In fact, the video transfer is quite good; borderline excellent even. Sure, a few minor encoding anomalies enter the fray, but blink-and-you'll-miss-em infrequencies shouldn't undermine how much of an upgrade this release represents. Add to that a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and a full package of extras and you have a 4K release that doesn't deserve any of the hate some are so eager to pour over it. My take? 99% of fans -- as well as 98% of even the most eagle-eyed videophiles on the net -- will be most pleased with the overall results.
Director's Unrated Cut
2017
Special Edition
1980
2018
25th Anniversary Edition
1997
2006
2016
Collector's Edition
2003
2014
1999
Collector's Edition
1976
2000
2006
2019
2009
Unrated Version
2008
2014
Collector's Edition
1982
1993
1986
Uncut
2008