The Strangers: Chapter 1 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

"The Strangers: Chapter 1" boasts a native 4K UHD presentation courtesy of Lionsgate Films, utilizing a combination of ARRI Alexa Mini LF, DJI Action Cam 2, and RED Komodo cameras. The disc offers a native 3840 x 2160p resolution image in a theatrically correct 2.39:1 aspect ratio, employing 10-bit video depth, HDR, Wide Colour Gamut (WCG), and is HEVC (H.265) encoded for Dolby Vision and HDR10. The resulting image is exemplary in detail, with pin-sharp clarity throughout. Skin textures, clothing weaves, environmental elements like tree bark and leaves, and minute objects like hessian sacks and menus are depicted with precision. The digital grading renders colors naturally, with flesh tones appearing lifelike and reds and greens displaying boldly and lushly within their respective spectrums.

However, the dynamic range is a point of contention. Although black levels are predominantly pitch and impenetrable, occasional slight elevations may detract from the consistency of the image. The white scale delivers ample shape in low-light conditions, making torches, candles, and lights sharply edged yet somewhat lacking in intensity. As a result, scenes may lose some of their vibrancy, almost as if the dynamic range is slightly compressed, thereby flattening the overall visual impact. Despite this, the HDR/Dolby Vision implementation enhances shadow detail compared to the standard 1080 presentation, and color design exhibits impressive highlights with abundant yellows and teals. Digital artifacts such as compression issues are nonexistent, maintaining a pristine source throughout.

This UHD release of "The Strangers: Chapter 1" should satisfy viewers with its commendable delivery of fine detail and color vibrancy. While there may be slight discrepancies in dynamic range that could be improved, the transfer remains an overall crisp and visually engaging experience.

The English Dolby Atmos track on "The Strangers: Chapter 1" is impressively immersive, enhancing the film's eerie atmosphere with a deep sense of isolation and dread. Dialogue is crystal clear and naturally localized to the front channels, ensuring every whispered line and ominous hint is delivered with precision. Surround and overhead channels effectively convey ambient sounds, making viewers acutely aware of their placement within the foreboding environment. The spatial effects, whether it's the subtle rustling of leaves overhead or the chilling sound of someone creeping around the house, are meticulously crafted and accurately positioned in 3D space.

When the narrative moves outside, particularly in the film's opening vignette and during key moments throughout the story, there is a more pronounced engagement of surround and Atmos speakers. This shift significantly heightens the immersive experience. The score by Justin Caine Burnett complements the on-screen tension, enveloping the viewer with a dynamic surround bubble that supports the anxiety-inducing sequences perfectly. The bass performance is tight and impactful, adding weight to critical effects and enhancing overall immersion. Together, these elements create a cohesive and engulfing audio landscape that aligns perfectly with the film's suspenseful tone.

Overall, the Dolby Atmos track on this UHD Blu-ray is an exemplary demonstration of how effective sound design can elevate the viewing experience. Despite the movie's often claustrophobic settings, the audio remains engaging, detailed, and highly directional, ensuring that every creak and rustle contributes potently to the suspense. The inclusion of optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles further broadens accessibility while maintaining the cinematic intensity for a diverse audience.

The extras included in the 4K UHD Blu-ray of "The Strangers: Chapter 1" provide a comprehensive and engaging deep dive into the film's production. Highlights include an audio commentary with Producer Courtney Solomon and actress Madelaine Petsch, offering insightful behind-the-scenes details and personal anecdotes that enhance the viewing experience. "Reimagining a Classic: Making The Strangers: Chapter 1" features interviews and clips, though some discussed changes may not be apparent in the final product. "A Hostile Environment: The Visual Design of The Strangers: Chapter 1" stands out with contributions from Director Renny Harlin and Director of Photography Jose David Montero, supplemented by both on-location and set-bound footage, illuminating the film's atmospheric visual design. The trailer rounds out the extras, providing an enticing taste of the film.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary: With Producer Courtney Solomon and actress Madelaine Petsch.
• Reimagining a Classic: Making The Strangers: Chapter 1: Interviews and production clips.
• A Hostile Environment: The Visual Design of The Strangers: Chapter 1: Insights from Renny Harlin and Jose David Montero.
• Theatrical Trailer: A promotional preview of the film.

Renny Harlin's "The Strangers: Chapter 1," a 4K UHD Blu Ray release, attempts to reboot and extend the 2008 original, leveraging an unsettling yet familiar formula. The film's narrative centers on protagonists Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Guiterrez), who find themselves trapped in a remote Oregonian cabin plagued by masked intruders. Harlin's direction captures the uneasy ambiance with commendable technical precision, particularly in the use of camera angles that amplify the tension. However, the film’s pacing and buildup of dread suffer from being overly predictable, failing to deliver the abrupt tonal shifts that made the original a cult favorite. This persistent sense of unease from onset diminishes the potential for true shock and terror.

While the actors deliver adequate performances, shared chemistry between the leads fosters some empathy for their harrowing plight. Yet, their logical responses are occasionally marred by clichéd eye-rolling moments. The 'strangers', although sufficiently eerie, lack the visceral menace that should underpin a film of this genre. Instead, their actions feel surprisingly restrained, likely a strategic decision to leave room for more intense sequences in forthcoming sequels. This calculated moderation, though, risks underwhelming the current audience’s engagement and fails to establish compelling reasons to follow the trilogy further.

Contributing to the movie’s struggle is its inherent derivative quality. Despite technological advancements reflected in the 4K UHD format, the narrative does little to innovate within the home invasion subgenre. Echoing influences from films like "You're Next," the storyline adheres to genre conventions with alarming rigidity—'nice norms' stranded in an ominous locale only to be preyed upon by cryptic lunatics donning eerie masks. While supplemental materials strive to accentuate the film’s realism, they paradoxically undermine it with cliché-ridden backdrops and character machinations chosen seemingly for convenience rather than genuine narrative ingenuity.

Renny Harlin’s "The Strangers: Chapter 1" offers a revisitation of the 2008 horror classic with mixed results. While it maintains some of the eerie ambiance of its predecessor, the film struggles to stand out due to its unremarkable execution and lackluster narrative. Despite being rooted in a textbook premise of home invasion dread, the movie fails to invigorate or innovate, leaving viewers desensitized to its predictable scares. It lays the groundwork for future chapters but lacks the intrigue needed to entice viewers back for the subsequent installments.

From a technical perspective, Lionsgate’s 4K UHD release is a blend of excellent and middling. The picture quality boasts sharp details and vibrant color grading but is marred by a compressed dynamic range, resulting in an image that appears relatively flat. However, the sound design is exemplary, with immersive effects and robust bass that heighten the overall tension. The supplementary materials add an extra layer of engagement, offering insights into the remake's conceptualization but sometimes hinting at a film that diverges from what was ultimately produced. This contrast can be intriguing for potential buyers who appreciate behind-the-scenes content.

Overall, "The Strangers: Chapter 1" is an adequate, if not entirely compelling, reinterpretation that feels more like a missed opportunity than a successful reboot. The 4K UHD package is solid but doesn’t compensate for the film’s narrative shortcomings. With more depth and originality, future installments might correct these faults, but for now, viewers may find the film wanting.

"The Stranger: Chapter 1" is Renny Harlin’s revision of the 2008 classic, that tries to be different but keep things exactly the same, and in doing so becomes a neutered beginning, which, while leaving options for the next two parts, fails to really engage and thus allows no enticement to view the already taped sequels. The whole thing just needs more. More The 4K UHD from Lionsgate is an ok set, the picture is well detailed with good colouring but seems to have a compressed dynamic range leaving to a fairly flat image; while the sound is a tour de force of effects, engagement and bass. Extras tell a little about the thinking behind this odd choice of remake. The Strangers: Chapter 1 4K Blu-ray arrives on 4K Ultra HD™ from Lionsgate on 5 August 2024