Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Uzumaki Blu-ray Movie Review

Uzumaki (Spiral) is a Japanese horror film (commonly referred to as J-Horror in North America) with a brooding and tense atmosphere. Uzumaki (Spiral) is based on the acclaimed manga by Junji Ito. Executive produced by Mitsuru Kurosawa (Dead or Alive: Final, The Detective Story) and Toyoyuki Yokohama (Audition, Love Exposure), Uzumaki (Spiral) is a dark exploration of obsession. Produced by Sumiji Miyake (Ichi the Killer, Tomie: Replay) and Dai Miyazaki (Seto and Utsumi, Blue Spring), Uzumaki (Spiral) stars Eriko Hatsune, Fhi Fan, and Ren Ôsugi.

Kirie Goshima (Eriko Hatsune) is a beautiful teenage schoolgirl who finds herself becoming the girlfriend of the obsessive and brooding Shuichi Saito (Fhi Fan). Kirie also ends up spending some time around her boyfriend’s father, Toshio Saito (Ren Ôsugi) – who is obsessively videotaping the slow progress of a snail moving across the wall. The entire town has become obsessed with spirals. This odd phenomenon has caused quite a stir as the citizens have become obsessive with drawing circles, watching spirals, and analyzing objects with any resemblance to the form.  

One could argue the entire town has become cursed with insanity. The spiral obsession is causing everything to spiral madly out of control. As everything reaches towards even more insane heights of madness, the town encounters some gruesome and strange deaths. What fate will befall the beautiful Kirie?

The performances are one of the main highlights of Uzumaki. Eriko Hatsune delivers a superb leading performance in the film. The role is one that required her to walk a fine line between the madness spiraling in the city (with everyone becoming obsessed with spirals) and the supposed normalcy surrounding her in her school life and day-to-day activities. Fhi Fan is also impressive as the odd, obsessive, and strange boyfriend. The performance is sometimes disturbing and becomes a lot more unnerving by the end of the film – when the horror element of the film takes over in spades.

The production design by Yûji Hayashida (Shin Godzilla, 13 Assassins) is an effective element of the feature- film. The designs by Hayashida are fantastic and eerie. The design aspect is something to appreciate for its surrealistic quality and the strange quirkiness it adds to the entire production. Outstanding effort from Hayashida.

The special effects by Tomoo Haraguchi (Death Kappa, Ultraman Ginga) are impressive and eerie, too. The effects are certainly compelling aspects of the production. The effects are nightmarish and quite strange. As the spiraling element of the story unfolds, the frightening visuals are enhanced by these eerie effects. The effects work becomes even more complex during the last act of the film and the creative visuals offer an almost Burton-esque quality that is impossible to ignore.

The cinematography by Gen Kobayashi (Climbers High, Piece: Kioku no kakera) is outstanding. The stylistic flourishes of the cinematography add a lot to the production. The dark and brooding visual atmosphere is something that enhances the entire experience. Uzumaki (Spiral) offers a dark green and brown atmospheric cinematographic style and the subdued colors highlighted throughout the film provide a dream-like quality that is often nightmarish.

The score composed by Tetsuro Kashibuchi (A New Love in Tokyo, Totto Channel) and Keiichi Suzuki (The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi, Tokyo Godfathers) is compelling and works well with establishing the mood. The score is impressive in capturing the essence of the madness spiraling out of control during this strange tale. The music fits the horror genre enormously well while also highlighting the more quiet, serene dramatic elements as well.

The screenplay by Takao Nitta (Bloody Night a Go Go, Fantasma: Noroi no yakata) is perhaps the weakest element of Uzumaki (Spiral). The script is sometimes a mess and it doesn’t have the best storytelling prowess. The script is average and doesn’t have as much imagination as the filmmaking suggests. The character arcs aren’t as compelling as they could be and the entire script seems fairly typical for a standard genre picture without offering all the right ingredients for a more compelling screenplay.

Even despite the average screenplay quality, the directing by Higuchinsky (Tokyo 10+01, Fantasma: Noroi no yakata) is an exceptional part of the experience. Uzumaki (Spiral) is well directed and the results are outstanding. Director Higuchinsky provides Uzumaki with haunting visuals that will stay with viewers long after the end credits have rolled. The filmmaking paints a nightmarish picture and this is one that is full of imagination. The creepy and disturbing atmosphere of Uzumaki impresses and makes the film stand out as something special.

Uzumaki Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Uzumaki is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in a theatrical aspect ratio of 1.77:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation is quite disappointing. Unfortunately, the presentation for Uzumaki leaves a lot to be desired and this is an underwhelming presentation is virtually every respect. The transfer seems to have been sourced from an older and outdated master as this print looks average-at-best throughout. The encode seems lower in quality than average and there are many elements of the presentation that appear underwhelming.

Clarity and detail are average and often appear only marginally better than a standard-definition DVD. This is quite the surprise and is a clear indication of the transfer used on the release not meeting the modern standards I have come to expect for the Blu-ray format. On a positive note, the colors on the release are pleasing. The color reproduction is excellent and appears to capably showcase the visual style of the film. The encoding capably highlights the cinematographic style – even if the transfer is average in other respects.

Uzumaki Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality on the release is somewhat underwhelming. The soundstage is decent enough but the track is average overall and doesn't sound as crisp or engaging as expected. The sound design by Hitoshi Tsurumaki was quiet and reserved for the most part (though the audio design occasionally has experimental qualities in regards to the eerie sound effects). The track sounds serviceable but is certainly not as impressive as on the best lossless audio presentations. I was a little disappointed by the audio quality on this release.

Uzumaki Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a stunning o-card slipcover featuring impressive artwork. The inner sleeve for the package includes reversible art so one can display unique artwork underneath the slipcover. This design element adds a nice design quality to the release. The package will look great on the shelf.

Director's Audio Commentary Track (presented with English subtitles). The director explores in the audio commentary track the unusual style of the filmmaking and questions if viewers who didn't enjoy the film or its ending might consider the possibility of the film not even having an ending – perhaps a suggestion of a 'spiral' itself. These comments were quite interesting.

Behind the Scenes (SD, 10:44)

Camcorder Footage (SD, 4:16)

Trailer (SD, 1:10)

Uzumaki Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Uzumaki is an outstanding Japanese horror film with an incredible sense of style throughout the entire feature. The cinematography by Gen Kobayashi (Climbers High) is brilliant and capably uses the color aesthetic elements for a haunting and eerie atmosphere. Directed by Higuchinsky (Tokyo 10+01), the filmmaking is experimental and does a good job of taking audiences on a mind-trip with plenty of odd and eerie visuals to haunt one. The atmospheric style of the filmmaking is the highlight of the viewing experience. Uzumaki also features an impressive lead performance by star Eriko Hatsune.

The Blu-ray release is a bit underwhelming. Unfortunately, Uzumaki has received an average-at-best Blu-ray release with a somewhat lackluster video and audio presentation. On the bright side, the package also includes a director's commentary track (subtitled in English). Japanese horror fans may wish to indulge and check out the film even despite the somewhat underwhelming quality of the release. Consider these aspects of the release before making a purchase decision. Recommended.