COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - FLATLINERS (ARROW 4K)
Some films are bound to the time they were made more than others. Sure, technology and society evolve, but some stories seem to carry more longitude simply because they feel timeless. Beloved horror classics like JAWS and HALLOWEEN and a host of the UNIVERSAL MONSTER seem to carry on regardless of age. Some films are such a product of the time they were made so it can be hard to appreciate them out of that context. THE LAWNMOWER MAN and FEAR DOT COM are two that rode technological waves that woefully do not age well. In some cases, films are bound to the celebrity of their cast at a particular moment in time. JOHN HUGES’ (RIP) THE BREAKFAST CLUB was the epitome of 80s up-and-coming youngsters, and FLATLINERS was the 90s response. This cast had all the hottest names in roles made for them to shine their brightest. So much so that you can’t help but remember the cover for the film if you stepped foot into a video store at some point in your life. Thanks to ARROW VIDEO, FLATLINERS has received a brand-new 4K UHD upgrade and we in the crypt are here to see if those member berries are sweet or sour!
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
At the University Hospital School of Medicine, five ambitious students subject themselves to a daring experiment: to temporarily induce their own deaths, hoping to glimpse the afterlife before being brought back to life. But as competition within the group intensifies and their visions of the world beyond increasingly bleed into their waking lives, they’re about to learn that the greatest threat comes not from the spirit world but from the long-suppressed secrets of their own pasts…
HOW IS IT?
Prior to this viewing, I had seen FLATLINERS all the way through only once even though I had seen it in parts many times. In 1990 I was 5 years old, and during this first watch in over two decades I can easily understand why my younger self took so many tries to make it through this stylish mess. Now that I’m older, (hopefully) wiser, and slightly more patient in my film watching it was refreshing to revisit the transitional film bringing horror and pop culture into the 90s. While it’s far from perfect, there is something about this overly dramatic and medically incoherent thriller that dares to ask big questions about the afterlife while asking the audience, “why can’t we all just get along”?
To start with the story, we see the most attractive and dense group of medical students ever committed to screen. As someone whose spouse was in medical school and is now in residency, I can safely say that all those good-looking people would not be friends with each other especially if they were all the brightest. That said, the loose logic used to help us negotiate how the fuck this kind of thing could happen is something that is best left as is. The point is that they are trying to see if there’s an afterlife by medically dying and then being revived. It’s the kind of thing that makes sense on a surface level, but any deeper you run the risk of realizing just how silly the premise is. Nevertheless, this plays out more like a supernatural 90210 albeit with a better cast and way better filmmaking chops. Credit where credit is due, this cast really is entertaining to watch and without them, this entire film wouldn’t be half as watchable. The rest of the credit goes to the director JOEL SCHUMACHER (RIP), the cinematographer JAN DE BONT, and composer JAMES NEWTON HOWARD. The film is a visual and auditory spectacle and makes some rather dull moments feel much more full than they could have been.
What doesn’t work is that the film loses steam pretty quickly with how to keep things new and interesting. At 114 minutes there is a lot of the same thing happening for a good chunk of the running time. Different people experiencing death and the inevitable consequence of that exposure become a bit old after a while, especially when the resolution is so anti-climactic. That is the core issue with FLATLINERS, it isn’t as interesting as it wants you to believe it is. It’s an attractive film literally and figuratively, which does a good job hiding the bruises in a script that leans heavily on star power. This is not to say FLATLINERS is a bad movie, it is just a very average one with a makeover. The locations themselves feel like they could have been from Gotham City in Burton’s BATMAN. While this visually arresting it makes one wonder why the hell someone would put a medical school inside some of these beautiful old buildings with awful lighting. Maybe I’m just bitter my college classrooms were the farthest thing from this.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
One of the reasons FLATLINERS is so fascinating to look at is because of the lush dark scenery and bright neon splashes. ARROW knows this and they did a fantastic job restoring this 90s gem to its best possible version. The 4K UHD blu ray is presented in Dolby Vision and was restored from the 35mm original picture negative. The color grading was approved by JAN DE BONT and this is a perfect film for the UHD format. Considering how much of the film takes place at night in poorly lit places it’s a testament to the restoration team that there is a distinction amongst the dark hues that likely weren’t visible during my last watch in the VHS era.
Screenshots from the release are used throughout the review and are shown below:
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
One thing I wish ARROW and others would do is invest in new audio tracks to take advantage of newer capabilities such as Dolby Atmos. While the 5.1 DTS-HD track sounds fine, it would certainly sound better if having the advantage of spatial sound technology, especially for the scenes in the afterlife. That said, the audio options are sufficient and serviceable for the material.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
ARROW once again shows that when it comes to sourcing special features they are some of the best out there. The 4K UHD disc is loaded with a slew of interviews and a new commentary track to boot. One thing that is missing is any sort of interview with the cast themselves. It makes one wonder if there is a reason they didn’t, and perhaps the cast is part of the reason. Whatever the reason, the first interview, VISIONS OF LIGHT, was with the Director of Photography / Cinematographer JAN DE BONT and the Chief Lighting Technician EDWARD AYER. It was interesting to hear how inspired De Bont was by Verhoeven’s THE 4TH MAN and in particular the way it was shot. De Bont said it was intentional to shoot the movie like an action film and move the camera in different ways to give the film a pacier feel to it. Hearing how well the teams worked together with Joel is heart-warming considering how many great films he has put out, and you can tell that the film was truly a collaborative effort to get that distinct visual style.
The next interview, ATONEMENT, was with composer JAMES NEWTON HOWARD and was by far the best feature I saw on the disc. Listening to him talk about how he got into composing film scores, and most notably how JOEL SCHUMACHER was the person who got him into it despite a prior lack of interest. It was also insightful to learn about the ins and outs of how composers work with directors to capture the tone of the film. It’s undeniable that the opening of FLATLINERS is made by the way in which the score enters just as KIEFER SUTHERLAND says, “Today is a good day to die” and hearing how that still resonates with the composer is a testament to his love for the process.
The rest of the special features included with the release are listed below:
Brand new audio commentary by critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry
The Conquest of our Generation, a brand new video interview with screenwriter Peter Filardi
Visions of Light, a brand new video interview with director of photography Jan de Bont and chief lighting technician Edward Ayer
Hereafter, a brand new video interview with first assistant director John Kretchmer
Restoration, a brand new video interview with production designer Eugenio Zanetti and art director Larry Lundy
Atonement, a brand new video interview with composer James Newton Howard and orchestrator Chris Boardman
Dressing for Character, a brand new interview with costume designer Susan Becker
Theatrical trailer
Image Gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Amanda Reyes and Peter Tonguette
LAST RITES
FLATLINERS is all style and star power with minimal substance, and that’s okay. ARROW’s 4K UHD update is a welcome addition to the crypt for those looking to take a trip to the afterlife with now Hollywood acting royalty!
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you as always to the wonderful folks at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a copy for us to review. FLATLINERS is available NOW and can be purchased at MVD ENTERTAINMENT or ARROW DIRECT.
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