Stoker: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) and India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) are living in the aftermath of their husband/father’s death from a car accident when Charlie (Matthew Goode), an estranged brother of his, comes into their lives. He’s handsome, charming and charismatic but India sees right through his facade. In the midst of her realization she begins to peel back a dark layer of herself that (with Charlie’s help) she begins to like. Little does she know that Uncle Charlie has a deep, dark secret that may shed some light to why he’s there.
I absolutely LOVE IT when a movie takes me by surprise and that’s exactly what Stoker did. The real interesting part of this film is that after watching it you aren’t entirely sure what genre this would fall under. I’m going to take this time to create a new genre called Psycho-Thrill-Drama. This film is unique in the sense that it really did have all three genres rolled into one. It had plenty of great suspense and thriller elements but it also had it’s moments of a family drama and even a straight up horror film. Something like that doesn’t come around very often. My jaw hit the floor when I found out who wrote the film. There may be many of you that recognize the name Wentworth Miller, if not then think Prison Break. His writing style made for the perfect balance of emotions on top of still keeping a fantastic creep factor. Kidman had this quality about her in her role that seemed so normal and quiet but with a quick glance that she gives you can see that something within her was just outright wicked. If Kidman was wicked then Goode was evil personified. The way he played Charlie was so scary and terrifying with him only flashing a slight smile. Wasikowska’s ability to take the viewer on a journey through a transition/transformation of character was something that I could appreciate. She went from a girl with a chip on her shoulder to finding her (twisted) self and basically growing up. This will be a film that you HAVE to see! Even if it’s just out of curiosity. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed.
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes – With only three scenes I think they could’ve easily been left in the film and still moved the story along.
Stoker: A Filmmaker’s Journey – A really good 30 minute feature on the film with cast and crew interviews.
Theatrical Behind The Scenes – A collection of features that range from the creation of a theatrical poster to a look at some the personalities of the characters in the film.
Red Carpet Premiere – Some footage of the overseas premiere including some of the crew speaking about the film. Emily Wells gives an incredible performance of the “main theme song” for the film called Becomes The Color.
