Possessor (2020) Limited Edition Dual 4K UHD/Blu-ray Box set Review
Possessor (2020) Limited Edition Dual 4K UHD/Blu-ray Box set Review
On the surface Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough – MANDY, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS, BIRDMAN) appears to be a regular woman with a son and husband waiting for her at home when she returns from her ‘business’ trips. But there is more to her than meets the eye… As an elite corporate assassin, Tasya takes control of other people’s bodies using brain implant technology to execute high-profile targets. With each hit comes a stronger lust for blood, and her newfound thirst for killing throws the whole operation into jeopardy.
Visionary director Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘terrifying sci-fi horror freak-out’ (The Guardian) POSSESSOR garnered international acclaim on its 2020 release from critics and audiences alike and now, masters in the field, Second Sight Films work their magic with a brand-new Limited Dual Edition 4K UHD/Blu -ray Box set due for release alongside Standard Edition releases on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, on 18 March 2024.
The Limited Edition is presented in a stunning rigid slipcase, featuring new artwork by Marko Manev, along with a 120-page book featuring extensive behind-the-scenes gallery, script-to-screen comparisons, and new essays. The UHD and Blu-ray discs both include the main feature and bonus features and the UHD is presented in Dolby Vision HDR approved by the director himself and cinematographer Karim Hussain. There are special features galore, including a commentary, new interviews with Brandon Cronenberg, Karim Hussain, and Rob Cotterill, plus an FX show and tell with Dan Martin and loads more, please see full list on attached.
Brandon Cronenberg proves that the apple does not fall too far from the tree, displaying the same knack for delivering a mix of both sci-fi and body-horror that has the power to engage, repulse and enthral in equal measure as his famous father David. With POSSESSOR, his second feature, Cronenberg Jnr proves that he can make the unreal seem real and permeating every frame with a sense of dread that never ebbs away but builds up unbearably throughout instead.
POSSESSOR is less cold and clinical than Cronenberg’s father David’s output but no less powerful for it. There are moments that require an extraordinarily strong stomach. There is not a lot of violence but when there is then brace yourself as you are in for a bumpy ride. It is a melting pot of ideas that encompass everything from artificial intelligence, ‘the establishment,’ gender and identity. POSSESSOR is a disturbing and grotesque flick that oddly covers similar ground to the Eighties Steve Martin/Lily Tomlin movie comedy ALL OF ME, no really, it does!
The film is well scripted, big on ideas, exceedingly well put together and for world-building it is second to none. Andrea Riseborough, as Tasya Vos, proves yet again that she is one of the best actors at work today and elsewhere in the film’s cast it there’s Jennifer Jason Lee who is always a pleasure to see act, in fact she does not appear in films nowadays enough for my liking. Potentially POSSESSOR is too much of a slow-burn to appeal to all tastes but for those that lean more towards thought-provoking, methodically paced thrillers Cronenberg’s POSSESSOR delivers the goods in abundance.
Special Features
• Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
• UHD presented in Dolby Vision HDR approved by director Brandon Cronenberg and cinematographer Karim Hussain
• New audio commentary with Brandon Cronenberg, producer Rob Cotterill, Karim Hussain and Special Effects Artist Dan Martin
• This Unfamiliar Life: a new interview with Brandon Cronenberg
• Inside the Machine: a new interview with Karim Hussain
• Feel the Real: a new interview with Rob Cotterill
• Disassociating from Mind and Body: Zoë Rose Smith on Possessor
• Camera Test Footage
• FX Show and Tell with Dan Martin
• Archive featurette: A Heightened World – A Look at Possessor
• Archive featurette: Identity Crisis – Bringing Possessor to Life
• Archive featurette: The Joy of Practical – The Effects of Possessor
• Deleted Scenes
• Short Film: Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experiences as They Come to You
• Trailer
Limited Edition Contents
• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Marko Manev
• 120-page book featuring extensive behind the scenes gallery, script-to-screen comparisons, new essays by Stacey Abbott, Anton Bitel, Jon Towlson and Heather Wixson
• Six collectors’ art cards
