'Unsane' [4K Ultra HD+Blu-ray+Digital]
(Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah, Juno Temple, Aimee Mullins, et al / 4K Ultra HD+Blu-ray+Digital / R / 2018 / Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
Overview: Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh plunges audiences into the suspense and drama of a resilient woman's fight to reclaim her freedom even as she risks her own sanity.
4K Ultra HD Verdict: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment continues to expand their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this June with the release of this uniquely, and beautifully shot 'Unsane' in the new 4K home video format on June 19th, 2018.
For my money, and yet again, this 'Unsane: 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital' combo pack's sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.
So, what we have is 'Unsane' presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265; Resolution: Native 4K (2160p); HDR: HDR10; Aspect ratio: 1.56:1, and Original aspect ratio: 1.58:1.
As with most all 4K UHD's, everything that we watch features a much brighter, deeper, more lifelike set of colors. Noticeably crisper with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, it's obviously all the more enhanced here by the fact that the movie was completely shot using just an iPhone 7 Plus camera!
The picture enjoys the fruits of the added resolution in terms of bringing out extremely fine facial and the, at-times, psychedelic "swish" movements and visions within the (possibly) delusional scenes; which in comparison leaves the 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation looking almost smooth and flat.
As for the audio, well, all we have is: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with Subtitles in English SDH, French, and Spanish.
Overall, this is a very strong 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.
Phew! OK, so, as for the movie itself, well, as aforementioned, it was shot entirely by director Steven Soderbergh with an iPhone 7 Plus camera, and so 'Unsane' (complete with its grammatically-challenged title) is just as likely to test your sanity as anything in the film itself!
Proving from the off that you don't need a "real" camera or even fancy lighting to make a film; just an iPhone, a decent script, a competent cast and crew and, most importantly, the will, time, money and passion to do it all, luckily for us, Unsane' has all that and so much more.
However, in truth, 'Unsane' is a wonderfully frustrating, claustrophobic and tensely insular experience that puts you firmly inside the slightly off-kilter head of its protagonist, Foy, and does a great job of making you feel exactly the way she does at every moment.
The pace is almost perfect, as we're dealt a number of blows every time we begin to get comfortable in each new situation, and the slow descent from slightly strange to straight-up sinister is a palpable and uncomfortable one.
The fact that the sanity of the hero is called into question is a great move, though it isn't pushed quite as far as it perhaps could have been, and it keeps you unsure about everything you see.
Oh yeah, and the nod(s) back to classic seventies horror, including a soundtrack reminiscent of the original 'Halloween', were appreciated as well. I was constantly on the edge of my seat throughout this gripping, agitating, intriguing and generally very entertaining thriller and I'm sure you will be also. This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.56:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Feature of:
Unsanity
Official Purchase Link
www.UPHE.com