...when a movie can pull off making viewers spring from their seats more than a handful of times, it certainly speaks volumes in itself.
Both of the stars and the caliber of their performances are what really exceeded my expectations in "P2." Not only is Nichols easy on the eyes, she's emerging to be quite the talented actress and had me believing the wave of fear that overwhelmed her character. More than once, she was able to turn on the waterworks having her eyes well up with real tears streaming down her cheeks, and I was impressed by her ability to force herself to physically shake from the extreme trepidation. Bentley on the other hand, often switched back and forth from being a warmhearted and compassionate person to a completely demented maniac with ease, and that alone made the film even more terrifying since it brought along the unknown factor of Thomas snapping at any given moment.
Video:
The video for "P2" is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Angela's bright red coat at the onset of the flick was vividly striking, while most of the other coloring seemed to be intentionally dull and dreary. There were only a couple of spots that were a little darker than I would have liked, and some of the poorly lit scenes also had a mild touch of graininess to them. That said, the picture quality still wasn't bad at all for a standard DVD release.
Audio:
The overall Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound (with optional English and Spanish subtitles) was above satisfactory, but the balancing could have been tweaked a bit. I had to crank the volume on my Onkyo quite a bit higher than normal to hear the softer dialogue being fed from the center speaker more clearly, but after that I didn't notice any further sound issues. On the plus side, a side effect of pumping up the volume sure made the startling moments that much more effective, which could have been a subliminal plan all along.
Extras:
Three short featurettes are included on the disc. "A New Level of Fear: The Making of P2" runs for approximately twelve minutes and contains interviews with the cast and crew about the film's production. "Designing Terror" concentrates on the set and stunts for about three minutes. Lastly, "Tension Nouveau: Presenting Franck Khalfoun" is a five-minute long piece focusing heavily on the director.
All three featurettes have the same style as if they were originally intended to be a single piece, and I thought that each of them really went overboard when it came to filling in the gaps with clips from the movie. I strongly suggest saving these until you've seen the film first unless you don't mind major spoilers.
The best extra is an "Audio Commentary by Franck Khalfoun, Alexandre Aja, and Gregory Levasseur." It's just a standard commentary with the director and producers laced over the entire film from beginning to end, but Khalfoun had some pretty witty remarks and the trio offers a much more detailed look at the production than the "Making of..." bonus feature.
Finally, there are trailers for "P2" and "Never Back Down."
The Final Cut:
Stalker films have a difficult time breaking the mold surrounding their foreseeable outcomes and often tend to drown before reaching the climax, but "P2" still manages to stay afloat while keeping its head above the water. What we have here is a popcorn flick containing unrelenting suspense, capable acting, a touch of bloodshed, and the odd humorous line thrown in for good measure. Plus when a movie can pull off making viewers spring from their seats more than a handful of times, it certainly speaks volumes in itself.
Video:
The video for "P2" is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Angela's bright red coat at the onset of the flick was vividly striking, while most of the other coloring seemed to be intentionally dull and dreary. There were only a couple of spots that were a little darker than I would have liked, and some of the poorly lit scenes also had a mild touch of graininess to them. That said, the picture quality still wasn't bad at all for a standard DVD release.
Audio:
The overall Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound (with optional English and Spanish subtitles) was above satisfactory, but the balancing could have been tweaked a bit. I had to crank the volume on my Onkyo quite a bit higher than normal to hear the softer dialogue being fed from the center speaker more clearly, but after that I didn't notice any further sound issues. On the plus side, a side effect of pumping up the volume sure made the startling moments that much more effective, which could have been a subliminal plan all along.
Extras:
Three short featurettes are included on the disc. "A New Level of Fear: The Making of P2" runs for approximately twelve minutes and contains interviews with the cast and crew about the film's production. "Designing Terror" concentrates on the set and stunts for about three minutes. Lastly, "Tension Nouveau: Presenting Franck Khalfoun" is a five-minute long piece focusing heavily on the director.
All three featurettes have the same style as if they were originally intended to be a single piece, and I thought that each of them really went overboard when it came to filling in the gaps with clips from the movie. I strongly suggest saving these until you've seen the film first unless you don't mind major spoilers.
The best extra is an "Audio Commentary by Franck Khalfoun, Alexandre Aja, and Gregory Levasseur." It's just a standard commentary with the director and producers laced over the entire film from beginning to end, but Khalfoun had some pretty witty remarks and the trio offers a much more detailed look at the production than the "Making of..." bonus feature.
Finally, there are trailers for "P2" and "Never Back Down."
The Final Cut:
Stalker films have a difficult time breaking the mold surrounding their foreseeable outcomes and often tend to drown before reaching the climax, but "P2" still manages to stay afloat while keeping its head above the water. What we have here is a popcorn flick containing unrelenting suspense, capable acting, a touch of bloodshed, and the odd humorous line thrown in for good measure. Plus when a movie can pull off making viewers spring from their seats more than a handful of times, it certainly speaks volumes in itself.
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[release]23105[/release]