Studiocanal The Fog – Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra-HD and Blu-ray) [2018]

"NEW RESTORATION" it says in a bold sticker on the front, with "BRAND NEW RESTORATION" printed on the cover. It was this that made me buy it, not to mention it is, to quote the back cover "Stunningly restored in 4K..." Though I'm watching in mere 1080p, I thought that buying a new copy would be worth it.The Fog is one of those movies I've watched again and again. I saw it at the cinema in 1980, and I was, frankly, underwhelmed. Some good points but it didn't hold together at the end.And yet... I keep being drawn back to it. I like it's version of American small town life, which has grown on me in the passing years, even if it seems like a cheap alternative to Jaws. Over repeated viewings I've grown to appreciate the slow build, the suspense and the hints of supernatural stuff.So, I figured, it'll be worth buying a newly restored - sorry, NEW RESTORATION - for Halloween.The film's as good as ever. The surround sound is pretty good, though nothing to test your speakers too much. But the restoration is disappointing. Some of the early scenes, in the dark and the mist, are horribly grainy and made me wonder if I'd got a dodgy copy.Looking at my old DVD copy, this doesn't happen. And whilst the picture may be a little softer, it is less distracting without the grain.So.... you pays your money and takes your choice, as they say. I'm not sorry I've bought it, but I'd think twice if you were buying a new copy. Beware the publicity....

Firstly one of, if not my favourite horror films of all time. Secondly this 4k transfer is so hit and miss it beggars belief how it got past quality assurance.Firstly the resolution of 4k, this is as good as it gets, but due to the movie being shot in the late 70s early 80s the cameraman didn't focus things too well and the 4k suffers as a result, but when they focused correctly it looks incredible. Secondly the HDR implementation, this is nothing short of dreadful, it's like they have falsely added this to the point where you actually see chromatic blocking in brighter scenes,like where the weather station gets attacked and the fog is flashing, the brightness gets dialled up that much beyond it's original state that you see pink blocks in the fog. The classic ending with the cross is ruined, as the cross goes from bright shimmer yellow, to turgid dark brown, during the handover from vicar to ghost.One other thing that puzzled me is the audio, some scenes have audio cut out or be out of sync, I mean for a 20 premium product which is supposed to be the ultimate way to view the movie, it's a complete mess. Stick with the blue ray or even the DVD or even the vhs version, all better than this conversion.

The Fog has a cult following, it seems, but, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why. This is Carpenter's worst film, and that includes Ghosts of Mars. There's very little here to even critique but I'll give it my best shot.An atmospheric thriller about ghost sailors seeking vengeance is already enough to make a great movie, so where and how does The Fog go so wrong? We only get a small handful of characters to fill up the cast, which ought to be a good thing as we can spend more time with them and not spread the development too thin. Doesn't happen here. We learn next to nothing about these people and their struggles against the sinister forces slowly (very, very slowly) invading their quiet coastal town become meaningless. Don't expect anyone here to have an arc. Don't expect to root for anyone, underdog or not.The movie barely pushes past the 90 minute mark yet it still manages to outstay its welcome. To add insult to injury a few superfluous scenes were added after principal photography as John Carpenter decided the movie wasn't scary enough. This means when he first delivered his 75-80 minute cut he assumed the movie was complete already. Erm...no. Did he not discover the material was a little too thin when he held the tiny script in his hands? I'm not kidding, the script is so thin it's almost two-dimensional. There's just no material here. This film is nothing! The new scenes don't even make any sense within the context of the "story". It's all just empty filler.I feel like I'm being overly generous with a 2/5 score in this review though the movie just about manages to nudge over the 1/5 line thanks to some stunning anamorphic Panavision compositions and a spooky atmosphere in too few scenes. The ghost ship, the Elizabeth Dane, appears to be a wonderful design and seeing it appear out of the fog is pure eye candy.It's in one shot. One. One shot. Just one.One!Why even bother building a ship for all of three seconds of screen time? Could they not have found a way to work more into this? The Fog is such an unsatisfying bore. There is zero tension, no suspense, barely any character development, and no pay-off for any viewers with even a mild bloodlust. It almost feels like a Robert Altman film in some regards with the constant cutting back forth between characters who never interact with each other and might as well exist in different movies.The 4K Blu-ray presents the film 2160p which looks gorgeous during the daytime scenes but becomes a murky mess at night. I have no doubt that Studio Canal's restoration was faultless but whoever mastered this Blu-ray should be fired, named, and shamed. A few shots in this movie look like 2005 era 260p YouTube videos shot on a Sony Ericsson. When people purchase 4K they expect the best. These are home theatre enthusiasts looking to justify their expensive investment. Not people who collect from Poundland. To fail so badly at the mastering of this movie is a catastrophic failure on Studio Canal's part and they need to get their act together. This is a premium set, with a relatively thick booklet, art cards, a lot of extras, and a soundtrack CD. The quality control on this release should have been tighter than a badger's anus stretched over a milk bottle. I can't believe they dropped the ball so badly and I will be extremely sceptical of their future 4K endeavours. This simply will not do.I cannot get this on eBay fast enough!

This Blu Ray restored from 4K elements looks amazing. We were worried having seen previous comments that the picture (especially the night time scenes) was dark and grainy and lacked the definition and pop that one expects from a 4k master. Fear not it looks great (viewed on a 75" 4k TV with dolby vision) and is not only exceptionally detailled but has very little grain, the primary colours pop (especially the red hues) and the night-time scenes are awash with detail even in the blackest black. The 5.1 DTS Master sound track is servicable and rates a 3 out of 5 but is true of the 1980's dolby stereo soundtracks. jamie Leigh Curtis (here together with her mother Janet Leigh) battle the 100 year old leaper pirates of Antonio Bay as Adrienne Barbeau keeps them company from her lighthouse radio station. All of the suspense is still there in a classic from John Carpenter and this movie like the restored "Prince of Darkness" rate buying for your collection