The Grand Tour – Unearthed Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1993
Director: David Twohy
Writer: David Twohy
Cast: Jeff Daniels, Ariana Richards, Emilia Crow, Jim Haynie, Marilyn Lightstone, George Murdock, David Wells, Nicholas Guest, Robert Colbert, Time Winters, Mimi Craven

Release Date: February 14th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 50 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: PG-13
Sound: LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $34.95

"A widowed innkeeper battles a band of disaster-groupies from the future with explosive results. Ben Wilson (Jeff Daniels) and his daughter (Ariana Richards) buy an old Victorian mansion and begin renovations with plans to open up an inn. Their first guests are a strange and mysterious covey of tourists led by the eccentric Madame Lovine (Marilyn Lightstone). In an emotionally charged and suspenseful race against time, Ben must battle the seductive time bandits as well as his own personal demons in an attempt to save his daughter and the town from total destruction." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "From a new 4K scan from the negative."

The Grand Tour comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.9 GB

Feature: 18.2 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, black levels are strong, image clarity is solid, compression is very good, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM stereo mix in English, and included are removable English SDH subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, balanced, and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a home video trailer for The Grand Tour (1 minute 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a poster & artwork gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a production stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a featurette titled Lost to Time: Cannes Promo (18 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Timescape title sequence (4 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, and a slipcover (limited to first pressing).

Other extras include trailers for The Dark Side of the Moon, Nightwish, and The Unnamable.

Summary:

The Grand Tour was directed by David Twohy, who is best known for directing Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. The Grand Tour was adapted from authors Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore’s novella Vintage Season.

Though the time travel premise has been used in countless films, the way The Grand Tour uses this plot device is one of the more interesting ways to employ time travel. Also, besides time travel, another plot device that The Grand Tour uses to great effect is a time loop.

The narrative revolves around a family—a father and his daughter—who return to their hometown after a tragedy. Shortly after their arrival, while renovating an inn, a group of tourists convince him to allow them to stay there despite the place not being ready for guests. From there, he discovers that the tourists are not what they seem and that they are there to view a disaster that is about to happen.

When it comes to performances, the entire cast is great in their roles, especially Jeff Daniels (Arachnophobia) in the role of Ben Wilson, a father who is renovating the inn with his daughter. He delivers a solid performance that is among the strongest of his career. Which greatly aids the story at hand since the narrative is primarily told from his point of view. Another performance of note is Ariana Richards (Jurassic Park) in the role of Hillary, Ben’s daughter.

The Grand Tour is a well-executed movie that quickly draws you into its story. The premise is superbly realized, the narrative does a fantastic job moving things forward, and a sensational ending perfectly brings everything that preceded it together. Another area where The Grand Tour excels is in the special effects, which hold up really well for practical special effects. Ultimately, The Grand Tour is a vastly underrated film that is primed for rediscovery.

The Grand Tour gets a first-rate release from Unearthed Films that comes with a strong/audio video presentation and an informative featurette, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer