A Nightmare on Elm Street Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" presents a generally positive visual experience but is not without some notable issues. The 1080p transfer maintains a moderate layer of grain, contributing to its filmic quality, and demonstrates a lack of noise reduction. Detail is respectable, especially evident in facial textures, clothing, and more nuanced elements such as rain on glass and carpet textures. However, the overall picture is slightly soft, undermining potential eye-catching clarity. Colors align with the film's intended dark and greenish palette, remaining stable throughout, while blacks are deep but can sometimes present reddish flesh tones. Minor compression artifacts and banding are sporadically present, with banding most noticeable in a boiler room scene.

In the 2010 remake, the Blu-ray offers a brilliantly glossy 1080p/VC-1 encode at 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Despite some sequences where resolution dips and black levels lack depth, visibility in darker scenes is commendably maintained. The video boasts attractive details and impressive definition of finer background textures, delivering a sharp and cinematic quality with spot-on contrast. Colorful hues, particularly in the boiler room sequences, add vibrancy to this horror title. Although some night scenes can appear softer and flatter, the transfer provides remarkable dimensionality and depth of field in daylight exteriors. Facial complexions are natural and revealing in close-ups. Overall, the visual presentation of this "Nightmare" is solid, offering fans an aesthetically pleasing experience despite minor shortcomings.

The amalgamated review clearly highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the Blu-ray visual presentation for "A Nightmare on Elm Street." It underscores the technical details such as grain structure, color stability, and minor artifacting while ensuring a professional and engaging tone suitable for a discerning audience.

The Blu-ray audio presentation of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" excels with an engaging and immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The sound design opens with atmospheric, dreamlike music that is effectively distributed across the soundstage, enhanced by a tight, foreboding low end. This spatial awareness is critical in a horror film, setting the appropriate tone without overwhelming subtleties. The surround channels deliver both subtle ambient sounds and pronounced discrete effects, such as thunder, rain, and character impacts, creating a rich and dynamic auditory environment.

Channel separation and precise acoustical detail are impeccable, contributing to an active and convincing soundstage. During dream sequences, the mix utilizes subtle, discrete sounds distributed across all speakers to heighten immersion. The mid-range frequencies are expansive and sharply rendered, offering a sense of spatial depth that amplifies the film's eerie atmosphere. Pans and movement throughout the auditory landscape are smooth and persuasive, providing a robust sonic experience. Dialogue clarity is maintained even during loud scenes, although Freddy’s voice occasionally feels detached from the main track.

Moreover, the mid-range’s extensive rendering provides the soundscape with an otherworldly spookiness, essential for the film’s horror narrative. The low end is responsive and full-bodied, supporting the most intense moments with substantial power and weight. This careful balance of subtleties and dynamic range ensures the soundtrack's role as a crucial component in delivering a compelling and frightening viewing experience. Overall, this audio track is a significant asset to the Blu-ray release, enhancing the film's atmospheric tension and horror elements with technical precision and effectiveness.

The Blu-ray release of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" includes a comprehensive assortment of special features that provide deep insights into the film’s production. Highlighting the extra content is the WB Maniacal Movie Mode, an exemplary Picture-in-Picture commentary featuring filmmakers and cast delving into various aspects of the movie's creation, including practical and digital effects, set construction, and costume design. This Feature runs parallel to the entire movie with minimal interruptions, presenting an extensive, well-crafted supplement that fans will find more engaging than the film itself. Additionally, various Focus Points offer brief but informative looks into specific elements like makeup effects and costume design. The "Freddy Krueger Reborn" segment stands out as an informative piece on character evolution and unique cinematic techniques employed in this iteration.

Extras included in this disc:

• WB Maniacal Movie Mode: Picture-in-picture chronicling the making of the movie.
• Makeup Makes the Character: Brief insight into makeup effects.
• Micronaps: Exploration of the concept of micronaps.
• The Hat: Overview of the iconic Freddy hat.
• Practical Fire: Details on using practical fire effects.
• The Sweater: Examination of Freddy’s sweater design.
• The Glove: Crafting Freddy’s glove.
• The Victims: Focus on character victims.
• Freddy Krueger Reborn: In-depth look at Freddy Krueger's character and costume design.
• Alternate Opening, Deleted Scene, Alternate Ending: Additional cuts from the film.

The latest remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" delivers a strikingly disappointing experience, devoid of the essence that made Wes Craven’s original a horror classic. Jackie Earle Haley's portrayal of Freddy Krueger falls flat, unable to recapture the iconic menace Robert Englund brought to the character. While Haley deserves credit for taking on such a challenging role, his performance is ultimately unconvincing, compounded by makeup that leaves Freddy looking more alien than terrifying. The remake aims to replicate key scenes from the original, but these attempts feel more like cheap imitations rather than genuine homages. The special effects, although technically competent, fail to breathe new life into the film, coming off as soulless and routine.

The narrative follows a group of teenagers, including Dean (Kellan Lutz), Quentin (Kyle Gallner), Nancy (Rooney Mara), Kris (Katie Cassidy), and Jessie (Thomas Dekker), who discover that their dreams are plagued by a disfigured slasher named Freddy. This version of Freddy stalks them with razor-sharp blades attached to a glove, plunging them into a deadly race to stay awake. The characters' shared backstory with Freddy unfolds predictably, lacking fresh insight or engaging twists. Rooney Mara’s portrayal of Nancy is notably weak, characterized by a wooden performance that fails to evoke sympathy or fear.

Despite Samuel Bayer’s competent direction and Jeff Cutter's atmospheric cinematography, the movie suffers from a weak script and uninspired performances. The reworked storyline does little to innovate or breathe new life into the franchise. Ultimately, this remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" feels like a missed opportunity, devoid of the compelling narrative and emotional depth that defined its predecessor. It's a forgettable addition to the horror remake trend, overshadowed by its own lackluster execution and failure to capture the spirit of Craven’s original vision.

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (2010) falls short of its potential, failing to capture the terrifying essence that made the original a classic. While there are flashes of style in Samuel Bayer's direction and Jackie Earle Haley's commendable effort as Freddy Krueger, the movie is undermined by a lackluster script, poor acting, and a disjointed plot that struggles to add depth to its characters or their backstory. The film aims to modernize the 1980s horror icon but only manages to deliver a half-hearted retelling that lacks the original's psychological tension and urgency. The attempted backstory for Krueger and his victims feels both forced and underdeveloped.

On the technical side, Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release is a mixed bag. The 1080p transfer offers solid picture quality at a glance but exhibits some inconsistencies. The high-quality lossless soundtrack, however, effectively amplifies the scare moments, providing an audibly immersive experience. The supplemental features are a highlight; although the collection isn't expansive, it provides a selection of bonus materials exclusive to the Blu-ray format, enriching the overall package. These extras can be particularly enticing for fans of the remake despite the film's own shortcomings.

In conclusion, "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (2010) disappoints both hardcore horror enthusiasts and newcomers alike. While the Blu-ray boasts technical merits in audiovisual presentation and decent extras, the film itself misfires in essential areas such as narrative cohesion and character development. This remake is worth a rental at best for curious viewers or die-hard franchise fans, but it lacks the compelling fear factor and creative originality that should have been its backbone.