|
|
 |
Limitless: Unrated Extended Cut
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (17th September 2011). |
|
The Film
 What if a pill could make you rich and powerful? That’s the tagline to “Limitless” (2011), and I have a feeling you’d be hard-pressed to find many people who wouldn’t reply with an immediate “where can I get some?!”, especially in today’s prescription pill-loving society. Ads for new drugs bombard television viewers 24/7 with the promise of relief or improvement for a deficiency, but, of course, with a few side effects that typically sound worse than the ailment itself. Most of these are meant to simply allow people to enjoy living a normal, healthy life. But what if a drug existed that allowed you to unlock the brain’s full potential (something I think we have yet to do)? Languages could be mastered in hours, not months. Everything you’ve ever seen, watched, heard or learned could be instantly recalled at will. Math, science, politics, stocks… everything could be mastered at an unprecedented level with almost no effort. Just as long as you’re constantly on the drug. Eddie Mora (Bradley Cooper) is a writer with no stories, living in a shitty apartment, who just lost his girlfriend and looks like he’s $20 away from taking a bum fight just for the cash. Just as things look like they couldn’t get any lower, Eddie’s friend Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) shows up at his place with an amazing new drug, NZT. He promises Eddie that this drug will allow his mind to operate on a level not humanly possible, but Eddie balks, thinking it to be a joke. Until he takes the one pill Vernon left for him and immediately charms the pants off a woman who hated him, cleans his apartment and hammers out 40 pages of the manuscript he couldn’t get off the ground. He gets over to Vernon ’s as quickly as he can for more pills, only to find he’s been shot in the head. So, naturally, he reports the crime… after walking out with Vernon ’s hidden stash of NZT. With a hefty supply at his disposal, it isn’t long before Eddie makes a name for himself on Wall St . , drawing the attention of Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro), a tycoon who doesn’t know where Eddie came from and he doesn’t care – he just wants to use his mental assets to make money. But Eddie’s meteoric rise becomes a speeding descent when he starts to run low on his supply, reminding him that everything he has is only because of what he has – NZT. “Limitless” proposes the idea that a wonder drug can allow someone to unlock 100% of their brain. They claim that humans currently only use 10% of our brains, so imagine what would happen if we had access to the other 90%. Well, we DO have access to that 90%. It isn’t as though there’s a bunch of useless grey matter hanging out between our ears. Every part of the brain functions for different reasons, so the myth that we only use a fraction of it is completely false. I do, however, believe that our brains are capable of more than we realize and it certainly is possible that a future drug could help us unlock some of the potential we haven’t yet realized. The premise certainly is intriguing nonetheless. The notion of being able to recall every major and minor detail that has occurred throughout your life seems like a vast well of information to draw on. In the film, it’s only Eddie and a few individuals who have access to the drug, but imagine a future where everyone is taking something similar. The ramifications could be desirable, or completely dire. I haven’t seen much with Bradley Cooper outside of his role in “The Hangover” films (2009 & 2011), but I’ve always viewed him as a one-note actor. Before breaking out, he was typically confined to playing mildly-charming douchebags. Now he plays mildly-charming assholes! This role was originally set to go with Shia LeBeouf, but The Beef had to bow out after a car accident mangled his hand (but didn’t he work with that injury on another film?). I’d rather have Cooper, since I can easily imagine The Beef’s performance, and it instantly annoys me despite its non-existence. Cooper is quite convincing as a burned out loser when we first meet him. He looks grungy, like he just stepped off the set of a Mother Love Bone music video. Once he gets the drugs, however, the guy cleans up well before going on a verbal assault tour, schooling everyone within earshot on any and every thing thrown at him. And it all comes out naturally, not like an actor trying to quickly rattle off his lines while doing his best to sound like he actually knows his stuff. I can’t say I would’ve done things much differently were I in his shoes. One thing this film didn’t need is Robert De Niro. Don’t get me wrong, I love De Niro… circa 1968-1997. But these days, all he does is diminish his undeniable talent by taking roles in middling crap. I don’t have enough time to list all the turds he’s laid in the last 15 years, but I do know it’s a sad state of cinema when you can’t even count on De Niro to elevate a film. His character here barely has a reason to exist. In fact, if I had to guess I’d say he’s only here so the producers could put another big name above the title. Honestly. There could’ve been a more interesting angle at play, but in the end he’s just a big tycoon looking to get even richer. Eddie’s story could’ve easily existed without Van Loon’s interference. There are moments when De Niro’s light almost comes on, like he’s remembering his past glories and thinking about trying to reclaim some of that glory. Then he clearly thinks better of it and continues phoning it in. The story is slightly schizophrenic, moving at a speed not dissimilar to Eddie’s. There are a few questions left unanswered, and some angles that seem important to the story are left to languish as the plot advances. I didn’t have a major problem with this since I feel most able-minded viewers can piece things together for themselves. Since we’re living vicariously through Eddie, and he has lapses in memory, it seems fitting that we don’t know all the pieces to the puzzle either. The story could’ve been much more than what it is, though. The film is based off a 2001 novel, “The Dark Fields”, by Alan Glynn. It’s a truly unique story; certainly much different from most of the easily digested pictures that Hollywood is known for. Perhaps a stronger writer could’ve made more of the story. Like the title itself, with a strong concept such as this, the possibilities are indeed limitless. But I can’t fault the movie for what it might’ve been in different hands. It’s engaging, interesting, thrilling and well worth your time. This Blu-ray release contains both the "PG-13" theatrical and "Unrated" cuts of the film. The difference in running time is less than a minute. From what I’ve read, the only differences are a bit more blood when needed and a few more 4-letter words. It’s nothing to make a big deal about (like they do on the cover) since it doesn’t change any scenes or the structure of the film. I’d recommend that version simply because it isn’t unnecessarily cut to get a lower rating, which is exactly what the theatrical version was.
Video
Ready to get lost in Bradley Cooper’s endless blue eyes again? Yeah, I wasn’t either, but the crystal clarity of this 2.40:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image makes them difficult to resist. Director Neil Burger uses a lot of visual tricks throughout the film, so the image can vary wildly depending on Eddie’s state of mind. When we’re first introduced to him, the color scheme is very drab and muted – mostly earthy tones and grays. But once NZT takes a hold in Eddie’s mind, suddenly the world appears brightly lit and vivid. Colors pop off the screen, and the palette takes a shift toward brighter tones and primaries, especially the aforementioned baby blues of Cooper. Detail is flat out spectacular – although I did notice a few shots that appeared to be slighter softer than the rest of the picture. It’s possible than some potential deficiencies in the image are intended and inherent, but there’s certainly nothing to ruin your enjoyment of the image at play. Most of the film takes place in daylight, so there aren’t many nighttime scenes to constantly test black levels. The few there are, however, maintain a strong contrast without losing image to shadows.
Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48 kHz/24-bit isn’t particularly aggressive, but it’s a well-crafted soundscape with plenty going for it. Right from the start, the LFE track is the first to emit any sounds, booming as someone pounds on a metal door. It’s thunderous and loud enough that your neighbors might think you’re trying to get their attention. The film takes place in New York City (though I don’t recall if it’s explicitly named) and the sounds of the city are all around – car horns honking, people chatting while they walk, tires screeching – allowing viewers to become totally immersed in Eddie’s world, on and off NZT. I really wasn’t a fan of the score at all. Most of it sounded like the type of generic DVD menu music that winds up repeating ad nauseum after you’ve fallen asleep trying to make it through a movie too late at night. It has no soul to it, with a feeling that it works only as a temp track, not as the proper soundtrack to the film. I wanted something that did a better job conveying Eddie’s drastic shifts in mental ability, but this did nothing for me. It sounds loud and clear and all that jazz, but it ultimately rang hollow. A French Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound track is also included. Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish.
Extras
There’s a respectable amount of supplemental material here, but nothing that’s halfway as interesting as the audio commentary track. The packaging seems all-too-excited to let you know there an “exclusive alternate ending that changes everything!”, but it doesn’t, and it’s not exciting either, there's also a couple of featurettes, the theatrical trailer and a handful of bonus trailers. There’s also a second disc containing a digital copy along for the ride. DISC ONE: The audio commentary with director Neil Burger is both informative and engaging, with the director offering up plenty of technical jargon along with the requisite discussion of the scenes at play. He also makes note of how Eddie’s world changes throughout the movie, and what techniques he used to help viewers try to experience the world through his eyes. “A Man Without Limits” is a featurette (1080p) that runs for 4 minutes and 29 seconds. This is your typical quick look at the film, featuring plot summarization from the film’s cast and crew along with some behind-the-scenes footage and clips from the movie. “Taking it to the Limit: The Making of Limitless” is a featurette (1080p) that runs for 11 minutes and 38 seconds. Think of this as an extended version of the previous piece, with some interviews from the requisite talking heads. This just gets a little more room to breathe than the last one, but it’s not much more in-depth. An alternate ending (1080p) runs for 5 minutes and 14 seconds. There’s not much difference here from the theatrical ending aside from a few lines. I felt the theatrical ending had more weight to it. The film’s theatrical trailer (1080p) runs for 2 minutes and 25 seconds. The disc includes bonus trailers (1080p) for the following: - “Immortals” runs for 2 minutes and 13 seconds. - “Season of the Witch” runs for 2 minutes and 11 seconds. - “X-Men: First Class” runs for 2 minutes and 27 seconds. DISC TWO: This is a digital copy of the film for use with Apple, Android and Windows devices.
Packaging
The 50GB disc comes housed in a 2-disc Blu-ray keepcase with a slip-cover adorning initial pressings.
Overall
I expected nothing more out of “Limitless” than an entertaining time, and that’s exactly what I got. The film has a fresh, original concept that works within the confines of a good – not great – script. Cooper is perfect in the lead role, but De Niro is only here to sleepwalk and add some additional star power. Definitely worth a rental if you’re in the mood for something different.
|
|||||
|