Eye For Film >> Movies >> Renfield (2023) HD-DVD Review
An entertaining addition to any horror or action fan's home viewing collection. Renfield looks great in 4K, though the cinema experience is perhaps recreated a bit too well when it comes to the audio - to catch the dialogue properly you'll need to turn the volume up to a level that will make the explosions deafening in a small room. You'd be well advised to adjust your sound system in anticipation of this. The special features don't have the same issue, mind. There's an indulgent supply of these - not so many as to wear you out, but a good hour's worth of fun, plus an audio commentary.
With a large number of crew members participating, that audio commentary is structured like an interview so as to ensure that everyone gets a word in on the subjects where they have expertise, but viewers needn't worry that it will be dry - plenty of great stories come out in the process. It's a treat for fans of the stars involved but there's a lot to interest anyone who wants to learn more about the filmmaking process.
The numerous featurettes here are short but thorough, delving into different aspects of the filmmaking process. You can listen to Cage, Hoult and Awkwafina discuss their characters and watch them practising stunt work. The special effects and choreography are explored in detail. Alongside this is a collection of missing an extended scenes, most of which consists of multiple improve takes discarded en route to finding the ones that work. One can see why the filmmakers ultimately made the choices that they did, but fans will still enjoy a lot of this.
Rounded out with trailers, this is a well planned package that won't disappoint.
Reviewed on: 29 Oct 2024