DVD Corner

Jennifer 8 Blu-ray Review

“Jennifer 8” starts strong, but falls apart.

After his life falls apart in L.A., John Berlin takes a job as a Police Sgt. in Eureka, California where he works alongside his pal Freddy Ross. While out in the field, John and Freddy discover a severed hand in a junkyard. John believes the hand belonged to a murdered blind woman and that this case may be related to other murder cases including an unsolved Jennifer case. While investigating the case, he meets a blind music teacher (Helena) who may very well be a witness as her roommate was murdered. John and Helena become close even though it’s decidedly unprofessional. As John becomes more and more obsessed with the case, he and Helena find themselves in great danger. The situation becomes even more complicated when John is framed for murder.  Who framed John? Is he the murderer? Is Helena being targeted next? All is revealed in the end.

Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, 1992’s thriller “Jennifer 8” is compelling at the start. The discovery of a hand, the possibility of it being linked to other murders, the location shooting (which is sort of a character itself), John’s character arc, the tension- it all works. Until it doesn’t. The movie really stalls midway through and it never recovers. Now, there was reportedly studio interference which may or may not have affected the film as a whole. It definitely feels like major pieces are missing. It doesn’t help that the ending is so abrupt and anti-climactic. There’s so much careful build-up to the ending and it feels like a total rush job when it rolls around. Even the revelation of the killer feels like a big letdown that could have used more development.

On the plus side, the cast excels here. Andy Garcia does a credible job as John. Uma Thurman (in one of her earlier roles) showed range as Helena. Malkovich chews the scenery in a small but important role. Lance Henriksen injects real life into the movie as the cop Freddy Ross.

Note: This Blu-ray release contains the theatrical and extended cuts. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? The print is taken from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. The result is a nice upgrade which does have a few image flickers here and there.

Audio Track: 5.1 surround and 2.0 Stereo. How do they sound? Both tracks are solid. The dialogue is a bit low for my liking at times though.

Extras:
* Original theatrical trailer
* Deleted alternate ending
* “Is It Dark Yet?” Looking Back At Jennifer 8- A retrospective 42 minute featurette that contains interviews with writer/director Bruce Robinson, Andy Garcia and Lance Henriksen. Expect tons of behind-the-scenes stories.

February 4, 2024 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Andy Garcia, Jennifer 8 Blu-ray Review, John Malkovich, Scream Factory, Uma Thurman