Wild Things: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1998
Director: John McNaughton
Writer: Stephen Peters
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Theresa Russell, Denise Richards, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Robert Wagner, Bill Murray, Carrie Snodgress

Release Date: May 23rd, 2022 (UK), May 24th, 2022 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 108 Minutes 15 Seconds (Theatrical Version), 114 Minutes 47 Seconds (Unrated Version)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (Both Versions)
Rating: 15 (UK), R (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK) / $59.95 (USA)

"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.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, “Wild Things was restored in 4K by Sony Pictures Entertainment. 4K scanning by Colorworks, Culver City from 35mm original picture negative, Digital Image Restoration by Prasad Corporation, India and Roundabout Entertainment, Santa Monica. HDR color grading and conform by colorist David Bernstein at Roundabout Entertainment, Santa Monica. Restoration supervised by Rita Belda for SPE, with color approval by director John McNaughton.”

More information about the transfers, "New 4K restorations of both the Original Theatrical Version and the Unrated Edition from the original camera negatives by Sony Pictures Entertainment."

Wild Things comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 88.1 GB

Feature: 79.6 GB

The transfers for each version are in immaculate shape; colors look correct; image clarity, contrast, and shadow detail are solid; there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English, and included with this release are removable English SDH. The audio is in excellent shape. Range-wise, ambient sounds are well-presented, the score sounds appropriately robust, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery (44 images), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 23 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), “An Understanding Lawyer” outtakes (27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), archival featurette titled On-Set Interviews (4 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Denise Richards (14 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director John McNaughton (26 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with John McNaughton, cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball, producers Steven A. Jones and Rodney Liber, editor Elena Maganini and score composer George S. Clinton, an audio commentary John McNaughton and producer Steven A. Jones, a double-sided fold-out poster, six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions, reversible cover art, and a 60-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Let’s Twist Again: Sex, Murder and the Late 20th Century Hollywood Thriller written by Anne Billson, an essay titled Shadows in the Sunshine: Wild Things and Florida Noir written by Sean Hogan, information about the transfer and Production Credits.

Summary:

Though it's only been twenty-four years since Wild Things was unleashed on audiences, a lot has changed in the world of Hollywood cinema. Wild Things was released at a time when Hollywood was still willing to push limits and take chances, and because of these things, it was exhilarating to go to watch a movie. Unfortunately, the landscape of cinema has changed for the worse, and films like Wild Things would have an uphill battle to be made.

Content-wise, Wild Things fits firmly into a cinema movement known as Neo-noir. The well-executed narrative is a minefield of moments of misdirection that keeps its best reveal for its finale. And though there are moments in Wild Things that veer into the realm of the erotic thriller, To pigeon-hole Wild Things as an erotic thriller would be doing this film a great disservice.

The most surprising aspect of Wild Things is its cast, which is populated by familiar faces, some of whom were well-established at that time, and others who were just starting out and have since become more famous. That said, it's hard to fault any of the performances. with the most memorable performance being Denise Richards (Starship Troopers) in the role of a spoiled socialite named Kelly Lanier Van Ryan, who accuses her teacher of rape.

Another performance of note is Neve Campbell (Scream) in the role of Suzie Toller, a girl from the working side of the tracks. That said, Neve Campbell and Denise Richards’ onscreen chemistry is off the charts. The moments they share are the most titillating.

From a production standpoint, Wild Things is a film where everything perfectly falls into place. John McNaughton’s rock-solid direction ensures that there’s never a dull moment. Also, the sexually laced dialog that’s overflowing with innuendo and the Neo-noir visuals do a superb job of setting the mood. Ultimately, Wild Things is a wild ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat, anticipating what will happen next.

Wild Things gets an exceptional release from Arrow Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer