Stars James Marsden (X-Men, Sonic The Hedgehog), Katie Holmes (Batman Begins) and Nick Stahl (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) set the screen ablaze in this breathlessly fast-paced jolt-fest from veteran “X-Files” director David Nutter. Written by Scott Rosenburg (Con-Air) and featuring a hip soundtrack from the hottest bands around, this “clutch-your-armrest thriller” (Teen People) will pull you into the undercurrent of a deranged high school clique – and drag you away screaming!
Achieve, be excellent…and be afraid. For when the esteemed Blue Ribbon club of Cradle Bay High take their slogans too far, things in the small coastal town begin to go wrong. Dead wrong. And when a “dark sinister force” begins turning the school’s curricularly challenged into the soulless, academic elite, three “outsiders” join in a desperate race to avoid becoming insiders and losing their individuality forever!
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Video Quality
Disturbing Behavior returns to Blu-Ray via the MVD Rewind Collection with a 1080p transfer after previously being available from Shout! Factory in a release long out of print. While I do not have access to that release, more than likely this master is derived from the same source. This one could have used a new scan, but the transfer holds up decently with natural film grain that has not been manipulated or scrubbed out. The grain field resolves fairly well without intense moments of spiking or or clumping. Outside of a handful of instances that run on the soft side, detail holds up better than expected, as well.
This transfer is most favorable in the bright daytime scenes, as the moments drenched in shadow can lose their shape and clarity a bit. Colors have admirable saturation so that the hues of the costumes and within the environment appear with some vibrancy. Black levels are decent with only a slightly milky appearance which does not provide as much depth as possible. Surprisingly, moments of crush and banding are not common. Significant damage is not experienced anywhere throughout, but some small debris and specks pop up here and there. This transfer gets the job done, but it could be improved. .
Audio Quality
MVD Entertainment brings us this new Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track and a LPCM 2.0 track that both serve this movie well enough. Even in the surround sound track, the information primarily stays focused up front with the rear channels providing some light support. Environmental effects are crisply delineated from the chatter during school lunch to the car noises. The dialogue comes through without issue including being overwhelmed by the score or environmental effects. Chaotic moments maintain their fidelity without any noticeable instances of age related wear and tear. The eerie score adds a bit of personality to the feature as it permeates the room. This track does what it needs to do. Optional English (SDH) and French subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director David Nutter provides a pretty decent commentary track in which he discusses the process of crafting this film, his intention to make something impactful for teenagers, how the story evolved, secrets behind various sequences, the shooting locations, and more that gives you a more broad view of the narrative.
- Deleted Scenes: Eleven scenes of unused material totaling around 20 minutes are provided here with optional audio commentary from David Nutter. There are some fine moments here, but nothing that does not make sense why it was cut.
- Trailers: This disc provides the two-minute trailer for Disturbing Behavior. The disc also features trailers for other MVD releases including At Close Range, The Chocolate War and Canadian Bacon.
- Poster: A fold-out poster of the cover art is included in the case.
Final Thoughts
Disturbing Behavior has some acceptable moments of intrigue and tension, but it does not stand out in the spate of ‘90s thrillers featuring burgeoning young talent. The movie does not have much new to add to this story which has been done better on several occasions in the past. The murky treatment of women within the text is not explored enough to count as cultural commentary, ultimately leading it to feel at best a bit gross, and at worst infuriating. The talent of the performers themselves saves the movie in some respects, but not so much as to have you wanting to return again and again. MVD Entertainment has offered up a new Blu-Ray with a fair A/V presentation and a couple of legacy special features. If you are a fan of the talent involved, you will not have a terrible time if you want to check it out to round out their filmography.
Disturbing Behavior is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.