Why So Blu?

Green Room (Blu-ray Review)

Spike your hair, throw on your combat boots, and get ready to dive into the mosh pit when the brilliantly crafted thriller Green Room hits Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) July 12 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.  Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier (who achieved critical success with Blue Ruin), Green Room is a film that critics are calling “the best screw-tightening siege movie of the year” (Rolling Stone).  The award-winning film stars Golden Globe^® nominee Patrick Stewart (X-Men: Days of Future Past) in a role ”that’s as cool as it is evil” (Bloody Disgusting) and will haunt audiences well past the closing credits.  The film also stars the late great Anton Yelchin (Star Trek Beyond), Macon Blair (Blue Ruin), Imogen Poots (Fright Night) and Alia Shawkat (The Final Girls).  The Green Room Blu-ray with Digital HD contains a full-length audio commentary with Director Jeremy Saulnier and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

 

Film 

Jeremy Saulnier’s previous film Blue Ruin was a unique and dark look at the effects of revenge in real life.  Told with a rich and somber tone, the film all but announced a writer/director to watch for.  Saulnier’s follow up Green Room is an equally well-staged homage to the almost extinct siege picture and again shows a real filmmaking audacity that permeates the entire flick.  (Especially for a film shot in a single location!)  Working within the confines of a small space, Saulnier has no problem setting the stage for some killer confrontations that show his visual and suspense picture panache.

Where the film loses it’s gusto is in the area of the people that inhabit the closed off and under siege ‘green room’ and those poised directly outside.  All are mostly forgettable characters that I frankly just didn’t care about.  (Which is death for this kind of movie!)  The under–the-gun rock band gang of ‘wrong place, wrong time’ misfits under house arrest simply don’t have any redeeming qualities or notable characteristics to make them people to root for.  (Where is a good Napoleon Wilson anti-hero when you need one?!)  Plus quiet lead baddie Patrick Stewart as the villain on the other side of the door adds nothing menacing or interesting as a single-expression skinhead.

If there is a saving grace in terms of acting here it’s definitely via under-appreciated Blue Ruin alum Macon Blair.  Creating a performance that’s a one-eighty from his turn as sullen spurned son Dwight Evans, but with equal amounts of character layering, Blair proves that his previously powerful work alongside Saulnier was no fluke and has me very curious what the dynamic duo will do next together.

Bottom line – while there’s no denying the visual prowess of Saulnier’s savvy for keeping the audience uncomfortably closed in, it’s the unmemorable folks inside that may have some running for the exits.

Video 

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Clarity/Detail: While the film is shot in a bleak and dark style, the picture here is still incredibly and surprisingly crisp. Meaning the Blu-ray keeps and at times enhances the quality of the dark visuals well in hand.

Depth: Spacing is damn good for a flick that takes place in a tight confined space. In some of the darker areas it may seem a tad more chaotic, but it’s merely Saulnier’s staging.

Black Levels: Black is like a second character in the Saulnier film – all colors work to enhance it.

Color Reproduction: Dull greens and dark greys – which are expected in a film set in the Pacific Northwest – work in tandem with the dark nature of the film nicely.

Flesh Tones: All somewhat muted – but very much on purpose.

Noise/Artifacts: Clean.

Audio 

Audio Formats(s): English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Dynamics: Saulnier’s sound mix is crystal clear from dog barks to human screams in Dolby 2.0, but even better in 5.1 DTS-HD.

Low Frequency Extension: A lot of deep base bumping going on especially during the metal rock band playing scenes.

Surround Sound Presentation: Getting a full around the room experience is even better in an enclosed smaller space.

Dialogue Reproduction: Fantastic – even when talking through a door.

Extras 

Green Room comes with a UltraViolet Digital copy of the film.

Audio Commentary with Director Jeremy Saulnier – A fantastic track that makes this the film better as Saulnier has a gaggle of great stories.  From low budget secrets within a bigger budget film (he may have had the hinges on a door switched after hours to avoid union costs!) to influences (he’s got a shot inspired by Kubrick’s The Shining!) and honesty galore (he made Macon Blair audition for his role in Green Room – and he knocked it out of the park!), Saulnier provides a super listen.

“Into the Pit: Making Green Room” Featurette (HD, 9:58) – A decent doc that shows everything from the harrowing weather conditions faced by cast and crew to the importance of locations.

Trailers (HD)

Summary 

Overall a decent disc featuring a film with sensational staging and a so-so cast of characters, but it’s the full-length commentary by writer/director Jeremy Saulnier that pushes this one into the realm of well worth checking out.

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