Urge Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "Urge," released by Lionsgate Films, features an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This visually stimulating film was likely digitally captured, offering a generally sharp and well-detailed image throughout. Director Aaron Kaufman and cinematographer Lyle Vincent occasionally employ tweaks to create a drug-induced visual style, which adds to the artistic flair of the film. Fine detail remains excellent even under various lighting conditions, with natural and nicely suffused palettes. There are instances where color grading results in a sienna or brown tone that skews intentionally to enhance the mood. Shadow definition excels in darker scenes, maintaining solid contrast and delineation between the story's varied atmospheres.

Overall, the 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer holds its own with pleasing clarity and good detail. The source material remains pristine, showing only minimal signs of aliasing, particularly around neon lights, and some slight grain-like noise. The imagery during the club scenes is vivid and high in contrast, reflecting the drug-enhanced ambiance effectively. Conversely, scenes outside the club may appear somewhat drab yet are convincingly rendered according to the film's stylistic intentions. Whites are well balanced, and black levels hold strong despite minor murkiness in nighttime beach scenes. Although certain shots expose the film's budget limitations—resulting in a flat digital look—the transfer maintains sharp details and is devoid of significant technical flaws, ensuring a solid visual experience throughout.

The Blu-ray of "Urge" features an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, showcasing a mixture of robust and uneven auditory experiences. Key party and club scenes deliver significant immersion with their buzzing atmospheres, where the soundscape, comprising both crowd noises and The Newton Brothers' score, is exceptionally rich. These sequences are marked by deep LFE, providing a powerful bass presence that successfully spreads music and effects around the listening area. At its best, the track offers clean and clear dialogue with solid prioritization.

However, the mix is inconsistent, occasionally struggling with balance issues. Certain dialogues, especially during the climactic beach sequence, can be overshadowed by the dynamic background effects and music, making it harder to discern spoken lines. While the audio design impressively capitalizes on moments requiring substantial environmental engagement, such as drug-induced trip sequences with creative sound elements, the general track outside these high-energy segments may feel somewhat restrained. Despite some well-placed immersive sound effects, the overall atmospheric engagement is less compelling in quieter scenes.

Overall, "Urge" presents a technically proficient yet somewhat variable audio experience that peaks during its high-energy scenes but falls short in maintaining an evenly engaging atmosphere throughout the entire film.

The Blu-ray release of "Urge" includes a small but insightful selection of extras that provide viewers with a glimpse into the making of the film. The main featurette, "Behind the Scenes of Urge" (5 minutes), offers interviews with the cast and crew, discussing key aspects of the story and characters, albeit with somewhat perplexing praise for the script. The featurette is presented in 1080p high definition with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio, ensuring a quality viewing experience. Additionally, the original trailer for "Urge" is included, running for approximately 2 minutes and presented in HD with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. These extras, while brief, enrich the viewer's understanding of the film’s production and promotional content.

Extras included in this disc:

Behind the Scenes of Urge: Brief behind-the-scenes featurette with cast and crew interviews. Trailer: The movie's official trailer.

"Urge" is a perplexing mix of stylistic ambition and narrative shortcomings, ultimately failing to deliver on its intriguing premise. The film opens with an excessively stylized credits sequence that sets an initial tone of vivid flamboyance. It evokes memories of "American Horror Story: The Complete First Season" costumes and includes a bacchanalian island sequence reminiscent of "Seconds," blending high-caliber references with B-movie aesthetics. Unfortunately, any claim to sophisticated homage is lost in a story that spirals into farcical territory. The plot revolves around Neil (Danny Masterson), a greed-driven character who invites friends to an island paradise for a weekend of debauchery, where they encounter a mysterious drug called Urge. Despite its visual flair, "Urge" stumbles narratively, rendering it more laughable than engaging.

The ensemble cast, headed by Pierce Brosnan as the enigmatic club owner known only as The Man, fails to evoke empathy or interest due to thin character development and exaggerated performances. The film takes a nosedive as characters, stripped of inhibitions by the drug, slide into predictable and extreme behaviors—evident in nonsensical acts such as making love to a cake or senseless violence. The transformation of these characters is stunted from the onset, leaving little room for meaningful evolution, as their initial portrayals are already unlikable and one-dimensional. Despite the movie's attempts at horror through Grand Guignol spectacles and gory excesses, its inability to craft compelling figures results in audience detachment.

Technically, "Urge" does have moments that shine in visual representation, particularly in early club scenes bathed in dynamic lighting and slow motions, creating a temporary illusion of depth. However, these elements are undercut by inconsistent direction and a ludicrous late twist that disrupts an already erratic storyline. Further complicating matters is an abruptly concluded narrative paired with a superfluous post-credits sequence. Though Brosnan's performance injects occasional entertainment value, these fleeting bright spots are overshadowed by the film's overall schizophrenia and lack of coherence. As much as "Urge" aspires to blend horror with social commentary, it ends up being a bewildering exercise in missed opportunities and superficial provocations.

'Urge' attempts to delve into the dark intricacies of human nature through a bizarre narrative and despicable characters. The film seemingly aims at providing an allegorical commentary on excess and desire, with hellish club scenes and a devil-like figure adding little substance to its chaotic storyline. Its pedestrian writing and thoroughly unpleasant character arcs fail to engage the audience on any meaningful level, leading to a largely random and disjointed experience.

On the technical side, 'Urge' delivers a solid presentation with strong video quality. The imagery, though intended to be surreal and hellish, is crisp and clear, capturing the movie’s aesthetic intentions effectively. However, the audio mix, while capable of significant impact during the more bombastic scenes, suffers from balance issues that occasionally detract from the overall experience. These technical merits may appeal to some aficionados but do little to save the film from its narrative shortcomings.

In conclusion, 'Urge' leaves much to be desired as a thriller, offering little in terms of compelling storytelling or likeable characters. The only supplementary feature—a brief and largely dispensable featurette—does not add significant value. Despite strong technical aspects for those considering a purchase, the film’s core deficiencies make it a low priority for most viewers.