Movie Reviews

Paramount Presents ‘Vanilla Sky’ Blu-Ray Review – Tom Cruise’s Divisive Dreamy Drama Is Worth Another Look

By Dillon Gonzales
December 13, 2021
No Comments

The movie critique portion of this review was written by my colleague Jessica Gonzales.

A movie you might have missed in 2001 was Vanilla Sky, the English remake of the film, Abre Los Ojos, which also starred Penelope Cruz (All The Pretty Horses). Vanilla Sky was adapted and directed by Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) and premiered during a time when Tom Cruise (War of the Worlds) could still do no wrong. Even with the star power of Cruise and Cruz and their strong performances, the movie did not have the warmest of receptions. It is still far too underrated and deserves a second watch or even a first if you’re like myself who never saw it in the first place.

The movie tells the story of David Aames (Tom Cruise) who is reflecting back on certain life choices that have led him to a prison cell, awaiting trial for murder. He is trying recount the events that possibly ushered him to commit murder to the police psychiatrist, played by Kurt Russell (The Thing). He is convinced he is innocent. David had it all. He was beautiful and insanely rich, and he could have any woman he so much as glanced at, but he learns quickly that small choices often go unnoticed but are the ones that lead to the biggest consequences. He was carefree and flippant before, but just as he is on the verge of falling into a real and deep love, maybe for the first time, his life completely falls apart.

Vanilla Sky had a fantastic soundtrack that was curated by Nancy Wilson (of the band Heart). It was dripping with an early aughts sound, filled with Radiohead, R.E.M., and Sigur Ros. The ethereal way it wove in and out of scenes gave a cerebral edge to the film. Everything about the movie is quite beautiful and thought provoking. Yes, there are a few throw-away, cringe-worthy dialogue moments, but it isn’t over saturated with them. It isn’t a perfect sci-fi movie, but it is still definitely top tier, and the story itself, much like real life, is bittersweet. Isn’t that what sci-fi does best? It leaves you re-examining your own life–how every passing second is another moment to turn it all around.

Video Quality

Vanilla Sky has been granted a director-supervised 4K restoration via the Paramount Presents line for this stunning new Blu-Ray disc. The film grain present is beautifully natural and consistent while allowing fine details to shine through. Subtle details stand out with greater clarity than ever before, especially in clothing or elements of the production design. Exploring the settings like David’s fancy apartment or the prison with this new transfer almost makes it feel like a whole new film. Facial features are likewise detailed with fine lines and pores detectable alongside natural skin tones. Colors are vibrant without being unnatural for the environment. The transfer affords several opportunities for them to pop off the screen with items such as clothing. Black levels are deep and inky without any noticeable blocking or compression artifacts. This is by far the best the film has looked on home entertainment and is a noticeable stop up from the dated older Blu-Ray. The only complaint we have is that this should have been given a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release.

Audio Quality

Paramount Home Entertainment brings us this new Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that is a stealth powerhouse. As with any Cameron Crowe film, music is of utmost importance to the general aesthetic of the film with haunting tunes being given great depth within the mix. Likewise, the Nancy Wilson score sounds lovely as it fills up the surround channels. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely and given a dynamic placement throughout the speakers. The sounds of party chatter and bombastic club noise along with a slew of other sounds bring nuanced life to the rear speakers. This is a track that was way more dynamic than I ever expected it to be. A truly pleasing experience.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Cameron Crowe and Composer Nancy Wilson deliver a very entertaining and informative commentary track in which Crowe does most of the talking as he discusses working with his cinematographer to get the right feel, the “inventions” that Tom Cruise came up with on the set, the spiritual links to the original Spanish version of the film, clues sprinkled throughout the feature, what it was like to close down Times Square, audience response and interpretations about the film and much more that makes this a wonderful listen.

Filmmaker Focus – Cameron Crowe On Vanilla Sky: A new nine-minute conversation with director Cameron Crowe in which he discusses how Cruise brought the project to him, jumping into production, the mood and themes of the film, the casting process and his thoughts on each performer, filming the car crash scene, filming in Times Square, the audience response to and legacy of the film and more.

Alternate Ending: A 30-minute alternate ending to the film is presented here in very rough form which greatly expands a number of roles throughout the ensemble, allows scenes to play out differently, changes some key lines of dialogue and more little bits. This is provided with optional audio commentary from director Cameron Crowe in which he discusses how confusing this was for preview audiences and how they went about streamlining the film to what we got. The added bits are interesting, but the film is more powerful in the theatrical cut.

Prelude To A Dream: A six-minute archival piece in which Crowe introduces you to the film with some casting footage, on-set moments, rehearsals, thoughts on the audience reception and more.

Hitting It Hard: A ten-minute archival piece which details the international press tour upon the film’s release in 2001-2002. There are a lot of intriguing moments where you get to see Cruise, Cruz, Crowe and others in civilian mode along with some weird and occasionally challenging questions proposed by journalists and audience members,

An Interview with Paul McCartney: A minute-and-a-half Entertainment Tonight interview in which the musician discusses contributing a song to the picture.

Gag Reel: A nearly six-minute collection of flubbed lines, joking around, malfunction props and more that provide some good laughs.

Music Video – “Afrika Shox” by Leftfield/Afrika Bambaataa: The four-minute video is included here in standard definition.

Photo Gallery with Audio Introduction By Photographer Neal Preston: A three-minute prelude is delivered by Preston in which he discusses his relationship with Crowe and what he captured during production. You can then check out the behind-the-scenes photos.

Mask Test: A three-minute video which shows the process of getting to the mask worn in the movie. This is provided with optional audio commentary from director Cameron Crowe.

Kurt Russell Single Take: A six-minute look at what a great actor Kurt Russell is as he delivers an impassioned speech surrounded by green screens. This is provided with optional audio commentary from director Cameron Crowe.

Trailers: An option to watch an Unreleased Teaser Trailer (1:41) and the International Trailer (2:49).

Deleted Scenes: Thirteen scenes of unused material totaling 34 minute are provided here with optional audio commentary from director Cameron Crowe. These are worth watching to hear Crowe discuss why things were omitted from the final cut.

Final Thoughts

Vanilla Sky is quite unlike what you expect it to be when you first embark upon it, and for that reason it has divided audiences ever since its release. This is what makes it so special, though, as you very rarely get a film that challenges you and makes you want to return to it again and again to unlock its underlying elements. Tom Cruise is doing excellent work here alongside an ensemble that is hard to beat. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a new Blu-Ray as a part of its Paramount Presents line with a stellar A/V presentation and a deep assortment of special features. While a 4K UHD release would have been nice, this release is a fantastic upgrade for fans. Recommended

Paramount Presents Vanilla Sky 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: Paramount Pictures Home 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.