A spoiled rich kid, a troubled teen from the wrong side of the tracks, a carefree playboy and a dogged detective find themselves all caught up in the sex crime of the century in this steamy star-studded crime thriller from the director of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Popular and charming, student counsellor Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) is no stranger to being the focus of female attention within the moneyed cliques of Florida’s Blue Bay. His fortunes are about to change dramatically, however, when one of the wealthiest students at his high school, sultry siren Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards), accuses him of rape. The charge looks sure to stick when another girl from the other end of the social spectrum, Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell), steps forward with her own allegations, but Detective Duquette (Kevin Bacon) smells something fishy, and the truth is as murky and dangerous as the alligator-infested swamps in the hinterlands of this affluent beach community. Presented in new 4K restorations of its original theatrical version and extended ‘Unrated Edition’, Wild Things is a classic piece of sexy late-90s neo-noir from director John McNaughton and writer Stephen Peters, whose serpentine plotting will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end credits roll.

For thoughts on Wild Things, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/1oRS_Cepfbk?t=3028]

Video Quality

Arrow Films presents Wild Things with a gorgeous 2160p transfer in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio sourced from a 4K restoration of the original 35mm camera negative conducted by Sony and graded in 4K HDR/Dolby Vision. Sony always knocks it out of the park with their restorations, and this transfer does not showcase anything in the way of print damage. This A+ presentation always appears natural with the added resolution bringing out more nuances within the environment. I did not notice any unsightly digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding or any other such nuisances. There are some optical dissolves where the quality drops ever so subtly, and grain can spike in a few shots, but these are minor issues. One of the most noteworthy aspects of the disc is the application of Dolby Vision for increased color output that takes this visually sumptuous film and allows it to look better than you ever could have dreamed. The new restoration features some colors in the warm Florida scenery and in certain costumes like Kelly’s swimsuit that radiate off the screen.

This disc handles every environmental change from the auditorium of the school assembly to the sun-drenched open water without fault. The black levels are super deep with nothing in the way of crush present, and white levels show no evidence of blooming even in the brightest outdoor scenes. The enhanced detail and clarity will make you feel as if you could reach out and touch these environments. The presentation provides nearly the perfect amount of natural film grain that helps bring out the textural details of the setting. The subtle textures on display in the costumes and within the environments are astonishing. This presentation is a fetching effort from the good people at Arrow Video.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that captures this film exactly as intended. The movie is filled with a vast array of environmental sounds that come alive in the surround sound channels. Dialogue comes through crystal clear in the front channel without being overwhelmed by any sound effects or score. The track has a great sense of directionality with sounds always emanating from the appropriate channels. The score from George S. Clinton provides the sultry atmosphere for this story which fills the speakers well. There are no issues with fidelity or damage to the track. The film does not feature big action sequences, but there are some gunshots and other moments such as a car running off the road that really kick the low end into gear. This audio presentation is everything you could ask from this film.

Special Features

The Limited Edition Collector’s Set of the Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Wild Things comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer case and includes a 58-page bound book featuring two essays from Anne Billson and Sean Hogan which delves into the film and the genre further. These works provide a great analysis of the film and the genre at large in a thoughtfully written style. This package also includes a double-sided poster and six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Original Theatrical Version (1:48:15) and the Unrated Edition (1:54:47)

Audio Commentary #1: A new audio commentary track with director John McNaughton and producer Steven A. Jones in which they recall their memories of making the film including the changes from the script, the fights with the studios, securing shooting locations, teaching performers how to sail, working with local actors in some of the smaller roles, getting a call from Bill Murray asking for a part in the film, the look of the film and more. There is quite a bit of silence in this one, but when they do have insights it is usually pretty interesting.

Audio Commentary #2: Director John McNaughton, cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball, producers Steven A. Jones and Rodney Liber, editor Elena Maganini and score composer George S. Clinton came together for this archival commentary track. In this you get to hear discussions about the thematic ideas behind the opening credit sequence, the cameo appearances within the score, shooting in Florida, the composition of the film, the uncomfortable nature of shooting sex scenes and more. This is much more lively than the other commentary track.

Interview with John McNaughton: A new 26-minute interview with director John McNaughton in which he discusses getting involved with Wild Things, his desire to make a commercial film, making sure the film had a sense of believability, adapting for different shooting locations, the uncomfortable nature of shooting sex scenes, the devious characters in the story, what each performer brought to their roles, the rehearsal process, the dark humor of the film and more.

Interview with Denise Richards: A new 14-minute interview with actor Denise Richards in which she discusses coming to Wild Things after working on Starship Troopers, her thoughts on her character, trying to bring some humanity to Kelly, preparing for the nude scenes, memories of working with her costars, her fondness for John McNaughton, feedback she received from Paul Verhoeven, the pride she has from being in the film, how it changed her career and more.

On-Set Interviews: A four-minute vintage piece in which the key performers discuss the film on the most basic level.

“An Understanding Lawyer” Outtakes: A 27-second collection of alternate line reads from Bill Murray.

Trailer: A nearly three-minute trailer is provided here

Stills Gallery: A collection of stills from the film and the production.

Final Thoughts

Wild Things is a notoriously trashy tale of sex and murder that is one hell of a good time. There are elements of the plot that are extra cringeworthy through a modern lens, but the tale is so well constructed and stylishly made that you can mostly overlook these issues and enjoy the ride. The actors are all delivering very committed performances that strike the right tone between serious intrigue and dark comedy. Arrow Video has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and a pleasing array of special features. If you are a fan of the film, this is the type of release you have been dreaming about for years. Recommended

Wild Things is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.