My Bloody Valentine 3-D – Blu Ray Review

The Film:

Jon: I was pretty pumped about seeing it. For one, I am a huge fan of the original 1981 film (yes, I bought the new Special Edition and watched it thoroughly) and I even own the original one-sheet (24×40) in near mint condition. While remakes have been a pain in a horror film fan’s ass as of late, I really didn’t mind that this film was being remade. I guess, I was beaten in submission by Hollywood, and the fact 2008 was such a weak year for theatrical horror. The trailer, the posters, the marketing, helped build excitement. I couldn’t wait to see it.

Serena: To be quite honest, I really wasn’t looking forward to this film. Creativity in the horror genre is extremely rare to see these days and I just couldn’t get excited about yet another needless remake. That was however until I heard the film was going to be shot in 3-D. This is a trend I have been hoping would be resurrected and thankfully I got to start off my new year with a 3-D experience.

Donny: I am not a fan of remakes, but like Jon I wasn’t upset about this one. In fact I was actually stoked to see it. 3-D is a treat that I grew up loving, and now that it’s making its way back onto screens I’m totally there. I guess what I’m saying is that I was really excited about this flick, although more for the 3-D aspect than the film itself.

Serena: I was amazed as to how well the 3-D effects were. The film exceeded my expectations from the very moment my date and I received our 3-D glasses. No longer do viewers have to endure the cheap cardboard blue and red glasses that would make one of your eyes hurt after the movie is done. We received high tech 3-D glasses that looked like dorky sunglasses, but man, were they impressive.

The 3-D effects were exceptionally done and Patrick Lussier knew exactly how to scare the audience with some truly memorable gags. (My favorite is particularly “jaw-dropping.”) I was surprised that the whole movie was going to be in 3-D. The amount of detail that just went into the simplest scene was amazing. Characters feel like they’re walking right in front of you. Pickaxes feel like they’re going to smash into your brain. Everything from gouged out eyeballs to jiggly breasts pop out at you. Never since Friday the 13th 3-D have I experienced such a fun horror movie experience.

Jon: I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical when they announced My Bloody Valentine was going this route. I thought it reeked of gimmick (which 3-D is anyway) and a desperate attempt to sell some tickets. I was completely wrong. When Harry Warden throws his pick axe early on in the film at a trucks windshield, I knew the rest of the film was going to be visually amazing. Please, please, if you’re going to see this, see it in 3-D.

Donny: I thought the film had its moments, but ultimately it fell short of surpassing the original. I did enjoy the 3-D, and the gore was outstanding. And I have to applaud the filmmakers for the extra long nude scene. Betsy Rue is smoking hot, and seeing her walk (and run) around in her birthday-suit was a treat for the eyes. The advertising campaign was pretty strong as well.

While I did have a good time at the movies, and I really enjoyed seeing Tom Atkins rock the screen again, I didn’t really care for the film as a whole. I thought it was pretty weak, and the characters seemed thin. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible, but it’s not a good as the original either. For me it was worth the coin to see blood and guts in 3-D, but it didn’t make the cut without that going for it (that and Betsy Rue’s rocking body).

Jon: I disagree with you Donny. My Bloody Valentine 3-D is nothing but a simple, fun, brutal slasher flick, something of a comeback of sorts for this subgenre. I know Hatchet got some love, but the reason we loved that film, was that it was simple, lean and mean. That’s what MBV 3-D is and with the added 3-D, I had an absolute blast watching it. Yes, the story was average, the twist was a little weak, and not too mention it opened up a few holes in the plot, but you are right on one thing Donny, the gore was a pleasure to see.

Now if they didn’t add the 3-D element to it, I would agree that it was mediocre at best. But by adding it, that tells us the audience that we are in for a ride. When we get on a roller coaster, we don’t sit around and look at the scenic background around the ride, we enjoy the thrills. Roller coasters are all about the loops, the speed; it’s lean and mean, and this roller coaster analogy best describes MBV 3-D.

Donny: Dude, if you think that without the 3-D element the film would have been mediocre then you agree with me sir. I think your confusing good and fun, but don’t worry I like bad movies so what do I know.

Jon: Basically, when I sit down to watch a slasher whether it’s something from the Golden Age of slashers or a new one, I’m not looking for more than what it promises. Expecting anything more is rare (and if a film maker wants to add subtext and themes go ahead). I really just wanted a fun time and that’s what I got.

Serena: Was this a good movie? No. Not all. Although, that was not the director’s intention. I truly believe this was a movie made to make people feel nostalgic for the days of good old school American slashers. (Ironic, since the original MBV is Canadian.) I agree with Donny that it was kick ass to see Tom Atkins “thrill me” with his on screen presence and the blood and gore was extremely awe-inspiring, but overall the movie is nothing new. In 2-D, this movie would have shocked audiences back in 1998 when horror slashers of this caliber (such as Urban Legend) reigned the box office, but without the 3-D gimmick, this movie would have been severely punished by critics. The dialogue was laughable, the middle portion of the film dragged, and Jensen Ackles’ performance was also unintentionally funny, but like Jon said, MBV-3D is a wild roller coaster ride (that starts off surprisingly quick) and it’s is best experienced on a date or with a bunch of intoxicated friends.

It has a faster pace than the original and has an awesome “stalk and chase” sequence in a grocery store that effectively homaged Scott Spiegel’s Intruder and it had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I do believe though, this film should and probably was only made to be watched in 3-D. Watching this film in 2-D will definitely leave viewers disappointed. See if last year’s atrocious Prom Night was in 3-D, horror aficionados would not have been as outraged as they were. If you’re going to make crappy remakes, at least make them fun to watch. Patrick Lussier definitely made MBV-3D a fun watch.

Donny: No! I don’t even think that it is a pimple on the ass of the original. And while I agree with Serena that if all remakes were done in 3-D they would be more fun, I still don’t really care for remakes.

Jon: This is a tough question and one I think some horror fans will ask. For some reason, I still prefer the original 1981 film, but this one wasn’t a remake that totally shamed its good name. I think any slasher can be remade and done well, even though some haven’t done that, I think MBV 3-D is at least a pretty good attempt. I didn’t care for everything they changed, but I enjoyed some of the fun winks to scenes from the original. The twist is a bit convoluted and I could take it or leave it. The 3-D is by far some of the best I’ve seen and it was a rocking good time.

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: You will get the 2-D version as well, but we’re all here for the 3-D. Sadly, its been reconditioned to anaglyph 3-D, meaning, you’ll watch it in the green/red 3-D process. That’s a shame, because with this new RealD 3-D process Hollywood has been touting, it looked amazing theatrically. So it’s a bit hard to judge the film properly, but it looks good. Detailed, sharp, but color loss is to be expected due tot he anaglyph process. If one has a LCD TV, a dark room, and sits in front of the TV as much as possible, the 3-D works pretty good. Not as good as the theater sadly; we still see some halos around images, but it’s still fun seeing murder in 3-D. I doubt if many buying this will be disappointed. But please, follow my instructions to maximize the 3-D experience.

Audio wise, in the theater this film rocked, and thankfully, it kicks here on home video. The bass, the surrounds, are all deep, loud, and present. Sometimes, the dialogue sounds odd, but this is probably given the nature of the recording technology, and I doubt if many will notice. LGF did a good job, but wonder why they can’t bring the newer 3-D technology to Blu?

Commentary: Patrick Lussier and writer Todd Farmer give us a track full of fun, although they do get into that phase of saying how awesome everyone was. They talk about the film with regard for the sub genre, a refreshing take, so fans will dig it.

Deep Inside My Bloody Valentine: A glossy, 7 minute EPK. Nothing revealing here.

Sex, Blood, & Screams: Gary Tunnicliff is the focus here on his FX work for the film. Too brief (5 mins.), but interesting.

Deleted Scenes: More character moments and an alternate take at the ending, all of which have been great exercised from the film.

Gag Reel: One of minute of flubs and whatnot. Eh.

Trailer and a Digital Copy round out the extras.

Conclusion: I think fans of the slasher genre will have fun, even if its just a one-time watch. Slim extras though, but we’re here for the 3-D and that’s fine to see represented in HD. I dug it under certain expectations, Donny and Serena thought it was okay at best, making Killer Film offer this as a rental first.

Rating: