BLU-RAY REVIEW

Lobster, The

Featured In Issue 209, September 2016

Picture4
Sound4
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
49967
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Sexual content including dialogue and some violence.
(Retail Price):
$$24.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
(Running Time In Minutes):
118
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
(Disc Release Date):
8/2/2016
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Yorgos Lanthimos
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(Subtitles):

The Lobster is a provocative, edgy, and hilarious film of a story about love, relationships, and societal conformity. David (Farrell) is a man who has just been dumped by his wife. To make matters worse, David lives in a society where single people have 45 days to find true love, or else they are turned into the animal of their choice and released into the woods. David is kept at the mysterious HOTEL while he searches for a new partner, and after several romantic misadventures, decides to make a daring escape to abandon this world. He ultimately joins up with a rebel faction known as the Loners, a group founded on a complete rejection of romance. But once there, David meets an enigmatic stranger (Weisz) who stirs up unexpected and strong feelings within him. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurette The Fabrie Of Attraction: Concocting The Lobster (HD 22:49), trailers, upfront previews, and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 1.85:1 1080p AVC picture is naturally rendered with a warm color palette and exterior woods that exhibit earthy hues in the trees and foliage. Contrast is excellent, with deep blacks and revealing shadow delineation in the darker and night scenes. Hues are a bit undersaturated but ever so slightly. Fleshtones are naturally hued as well. Resolution is quite good, with fine detail revealed in closeups. Overall, this is a pleasing picture throughout, with stylization that complements the unusual storytelling. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is quite relaxed, with a haunting string ensemble music score that punctuates the soundtrack. The music is well recorded with an aggressive surround presence and a wide and deep soundstage. Atmospherics are nicely produced and enhance the strange feel of the proceedings. Dialogue is nicely rendered with excellent intelligibility and good spatial integration. The narration also is excellent with good positioning in the mix. This is a particularly stylized and strange soundtrack that enhances the unusual storytelling. (Gary Reber)