The film follows two troubled teenage lovers, Amy Blue (Rose McGowan) and Jordan White (James Duval), who pick up a young handsome drifter named Xavier Red (Johnathon Schaech). After Xavier accidentally kills a store clerk, the trio embarks on a journey full of sex, violence, and people from Amy’s past. A Road Murder Sex Comedy… like no other.

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[youtube https://youtu.be/aZzGzUFbAHY?si=4IDpkt5xRRoJiO0U&t=1575]

Video Quality

The Doom Generation comes to Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer derived from a new 4K restoration remixed to reflect the intention of director Gregg Araki. The film was butchered after its Sundance premiere by the distributor, and these cut scenes have been restored, retimed, and re-edited alongside the rest of the refilm to represent Araki’s ultimate vision. The fact that Strand Releasing has not only rescued this film from obscurity but has also given it a beautiful presentation is such a win for film fans.

This transfer maintains the natural film grain of the source without any hints of digital tinkering. The grain presents as organic rather than overwhelmingly noisy, which allows for greater depth to the image. Overall clarity and detail are very strong, and skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeups such as stubble and makeup. Colors are well saturated with vivid hues popping off the screen, especially the red lipstick of Amy or some of the striking bits of clothing and production design. Black levels are deep and hold up well with crush not serving as a noticeable issue. Instances of print damage have been cleaned up immensely, but there is the occasional blemish that pops up. Any such moments are fleeting, as the print looks excellent. This new presentation from Strand Releasing is better than any fan of the film probably ever dreamed of getting.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a newly remixed and restored DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings a robust life to this narrative. Music is used well to establish the mood of the story, and this track handles it elegantly throughout the duration of the film. There is never a moment where it threatens to overwhelm competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. The environmental sounds within various settings such as the club, hotels, or convenience stores are rendered well alongside everything else. The expanded channels allow the world to feel a bit more three-dimensional even if they do not go overboard expanding the soundscape. There do not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. Strand Releasing has given this film a perfectly preserved audio presentation that brings the movie to life better than it has ever sounded previously. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Gregg Araki and stars Rose McGowan, James Duval, and Johnathon Schaech provide a lively commentary track in which they reminisce on the production of the film, on-set injuries, memorable fellow performers, how this film has lingered in their lives, the difficulties of capturing certain moments, and more.

Photo Slideshow: An array of stills from the film are provided here.

Doom Generation Comic Book: An option to check out an illustrated streamlined version of the film.

Trailer: This disc provides the Original Theatrical Trailer (1:32) and the Remixed & Remastered Trailer (1:24) for The Doom Generation. There are also trailers provided for other Gregg Araki films (The Living End, Mysterious Skin, and Nowhere) and other Strand Releasing titles (Girl Picture, Peter Von Kant, Psycho Beach Party, and Will-O’-The-Wisp).

Final Thoughts

The Doom Generation is a very daring and occasionally abrasive movie that cleverly explores the ambivalence of youth, the culture’s obsession with violence, and the malleability of sexuality and desire. The gender dynamics and sexual politics being explored are handled with great confidence by director Gregg Araki, and the results are even more impressive that audiences can finally see his director’s cut of the film. The trio of main performers all make a big impression that falls right in line with the surreal tone established from the outset. This is a strange journey that will not be for everyone, but those who get and appreciate what this movie is trying to do will absolutely love it. Strand Releasing has given this film its proper Blu-Ray debut with a pretty grand A/V presentation and some cool special features. Recommended

The Doom Generation is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Strand Releasing 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.