VIDEODROME
Broadcast spews…
1983 ★★★★★ OUT NOW 4K UHD EXTRAS ★★★★★ Commentary, Alternate cut, Documentary, Featurettes, Deleted scenes, Galleries, Booklet, Poster, Art cards
You’ll forgive me if I don’t stay around to watch. I just can’t stand the freaky stuff,” states Leslie Carlson’s Barry Convex in David Cronenberg’s monster-piece. Thankfully, we are made of sterner stuff around here. And with the septuagenarian filmmaker having recently made a long-awaited return to the world of body horror with Crimes Of The Future, what better time to revisit his examination of the cross-fertilisation of technology and humanity?
James Woods stars as Max Renn, an amoral TV exec who stumbles across a mysterious satellite broadcast, the content of which (“It’s just torture and murder – no plot, no characters”) begins to have an extreme psychological and physical effect on him. The end result is arguably Cronenberg’s most distressingly prescient film, and changes in how we consume media and who ultimately controls it have only made it more relevant with each passing decade.
Arrow’s UHD release delivers the finest-ever home presentation of this cult classic – even if the extras, though undoubtedly hefty, aren’t quite as comprehensive as you might hope. While completists will no doubt appreciate the addition of the shorter US theatrical cut, it doesn’t quite make up for the lack of the David Cronenberg’s Early Works disc that was bundled with Arrow’s 2015 limited-edition Blu-ray.
THE VERDICT The new flesh looks fresher than ever in this disturbingly good restoration.