Basic Instinct 4K Blu-ray Review & Comments

I can't believe people are still banging on and perving at that one single scene. I do remember at the cinema there was a reaction from the audience and I was in the front row so had a -let's say fuller view.

I find the name of Austin Power's nemesis Alotta Fagina funny but I don't get the endless humour really behind the Basic Instinct scene.

Anyhoo, after all these years I'm amazed at the comments.

Pretty creepy:







I've ordered the UHD from HMV let's see if they can cough up the goods.
 
Watched my copy this evening, very rare that I watch something so quick. I have seen this once in all these years and remember hardly anything other then what has gone into pop culture and that is mostly Sharon Stone. Which is a huge disservice to this film cause it is actually pretty damn good.

First it just looks beautiful, like it was some sort of big budget production taken very seriously by its director rather then some cheap erotic thriller. The 4K restoration is a sight to behold and HDR DV is bonkers on this, sunlight is bright, anytime there is greenery it looks so green. It is just beautiful.

The sound is adequate never saw it go bonkers but the musical score is given centre stage and I kept wishing there as a isolated musical score as it pretty much plays through most of the film and really builds up the atmosphere. But most importantly all the dialogue is clear and easy to hear and some of the dialogue, much of it delivered by Gus is hilarious I don't think I will ever unhear "Magna Cumme Laude pussy."

The movie itself looks like Verhoeven was directing something a lot more intelligent then one would think based on the trailer, everything shown to the audience is necessary and artfully done and I am not talking about the sex. But in the late 80s and and 90s everything he touched was gold (although I haven't seen Showgirls and I hear that blows my statement up).

I am looking forward to listening to the commentary tracks and then hour long documentary the few minutes I saw of looks really good. And kudos to SC for remastering the trailer in 4K SDR and DTS HD, I really love watching the trailers for older films as they can be a real snapshot of their time.

On the whole loved the film, was totally drawn into it and didn't pick up my phone at all as I was really drawn to the tale being told. I know this film is a Sharon Stone vehicle but goddamn Jeanne Tripplehorn was absolutely drop dead gorgeous.

And some point can someone more clever then me explain the last shot of the film?
 
And some point can someone more clever then me explain the last shot of the film?

I mean, there's little reason why you can't just go with it and imagine whatever ending you want. I personally pretend the sequel doesn't exist, and am happy with things as they are, for the most part.

But from the perspective of what the Director explained in interviews, the original shooting script, and - in a way - the angle they took in the sequel (that doesn't exist)...

  • Catherine was the serial killer
  • She'd planned everything years in advance and written a book about it, which doubles down on just how diabolically genius insane she is
  • She was obsessed with a girl at school (Beth), who ultimately rejected her
  • She killed the guy at the beginning
  • She killed Gus
  • She wound Nick up so that he would kill Beth
  • Beth was innocent
  • She planted stuff at Beth's apartment so Beth would take the rap for everything

The only real optional bits are this:
  • Did she have ANY feelings for Nick or were they just another elaborate act? (It would seem that she did, but then again she'd used him up and ditched him by BI2)
  • Was she reaching for an ice pick to kill Nick while they were having sex, and it slipped off the bed, or does she just happen to keep one under her bed? (Given she couldn't have covered that one up, I'd probably go with the latter)

Basically, the director's called Stone's femme fatale "The Devil", which just about explains the whole lot. It's almost worth rewatching with all this in mind as, at least for me, every time you watch it fresh, it's so damn easy to get drawn into the web of lies and just go along for the ride.

I don't think I've ever watched it fully acknowledging the truth right from the opening scene, that's how well the film constructs its own universe.
 
I mean, there's little reason why you can't just go with it and imagine whatever ending you want. I personally pretend the sequel doesn't exist, and am happy with things as they are, for the most part.

But from the perspective of what the Director explained in interviews, the original shooting script, and - in a way - the angle they took in the sequel (that doesn't exist)...

  • Catherine was the serial killer
  • She'd planned everything years in advance and written a book about it, which doubles down on just how diabolically genius insane she is
  • She was obsessed with a girl at school (Beth), who ultimately rejected her
  • She killed the guy at the beginning
  • She killed Gus
  • She wound Nick up so that he would kill Beth
  • Beth was innocent
  • She planted stuff at Beth's apartment so Beth would take the rap for everything

The only real optional bits are this:
  • Did she have ANY feelings for Nick or were they just another elaborate act? (It would seem that she did, but then again she'd used him up and ditched him by BI2)
  • Was she reaching for an ice pick to kill Nick while they were having sex, and it slipped off the bed, or does she just happen to keep one under her bed? (Given she couldn't have covered that one up, I'd probably go with the latter)

Basically, the director's called Stone's femme fatale "The Devil", which just about explains the whole lot. It's almost worth rewatching with all this in mind as, at least for me, every time you watch it fresh, it's so damn easy to get drawn into the web of lies and just go along for the ride.

I don't think I've ever watched it fully acknowledging the truth right from the opening scene, that's how well the film constructs its own universe.
Thanks Cas that's an excellent write up and goes to show i didn't understand the film at all.

I have never seen the sequel, heard it was pretty bad, and figured the last shot was put in just to mess with peoples head or get people talking. But it seems like it was intentional and deliberate by Verhoeven.

I think I will have to watch it again with all of this in mind.
 
I can't believe people are still banging on and perving at that one single scene. I do remember at the cinema there was a reaction from the audience and I was in the front row so had a -let's say fuller view.

I find the name of Austin Power's nemesis Alotta Fagina funny but I don't get the endless humour really behind the Basic Instinct scene.

Anyhoo, after all these years I'm amazed at the comments.

Pretty creepy:







I've ordered the UHD from HMV let's see if they can cough up the goods.


Creepy? C'mon, lighten up, it's only the ocassional comment. You're splitting hairs...
 

I was talking about the doll in the video:

creepy.PNG
 
I've obviously not tried this myself, but can't you simply do a google image search and find a still of the scene rather than having to buy the disc and pause it?


As I said, I've not tried this.






No really, I've not tried it!





HONEST!!!!!!
 
I've obviously not tried this myself, but can't you simply do a google image search and find a still of the scene rather than having to buy the disc and pause it?


As I said, I've not tried this.






No really, I've not tried it!





HONEST!!!!!!
The dante doth protest too much, methinks! ;)
 
Basic Instinct, Sliver, Single White Female, Whispers in the Dark, Blink, Jennifer 8... 90s neo-noir/erotic thriller had some gems.
 
Got my copy from HMV postie managed to force it through my letterbox took him almost 2mins I was starting to think the mail wasn't the only sacks he emptied.


Transfer looks damn good could have done with more vibrant reds that's how I remember it in the cinema. No idea what all this HDR nonsense is.

Packaging is a bit meh I hope £40.00 isn't the new normal. My car exhaust only cost £125 last month it really does make me think about these £40.00 price points.

Nice to see the Carolco intro intact.

I'll hopefully be watching it this weekend
 
Got my copy from HMV postie managed to force it through my letterbox took him almost 2mins I was starting to think the mail wasn't the only sacks he emptied.


Transfer looks damn good could have done with more vibrant reds that's how I remember it in the cinema. No idea what all this HDR nonsense is.

Packaging is a bit meh I hope £40.00 isn't the new normal. My car exhaust only cost £125 last month it really does make me think about these £40.00 price points.

Nice to see the Carolco intro intact.

I'll hopefully be watching it this weekend


How does your exhaust look when it uncrosses its legs and you pause at the traffic lights?
 
Got my copy from HMV postie managed to force it through my letterbox took him almost 2mins I was starting to think the mail wasn't the only sacks he emptied.


Transfer looks damn good could have done with more vibrant reds that's how I remember it in the cinema. No idea what all this HDR nonsense is.

Packaging is a bit meh I hope £40.00 isn't the new normal. My car exhaust only cost £125 last month it really does make me think about these £40.00 price points.

Nice to see the Carolco intro intact.

I'll hopefully be watching it this weekend
The steelbook was £22 and I'm sure a standard edition without the tat will be released later this year. Delaying the standard edition is becoming more common which is fine if you are prepared to wait.
 
Basic Instinct, Sliver, Single White Female, Whispers in the Dark, Blink, Jennifer 8... 90s neo-noir/erotic thriller had some gems.

Bill Pullman starred in two of the very best, namely The Last Seduction (Linda Fiorentino, oh my) and Lost Highway (I guess we can class this as a surrealist-neo-noir crossover).

As for Verhoeven, I care less for Basic Instinct than any of his US films. There's an established train of thought that Showgirls is a cult gem that was panned because it brutally exposed the crass nature of US culture, in particular attitudes toward sex. Subversive masterpiece or trash? Maybe both. Either way it killed Elizabeth Berkley's film career at the outset.
 
Got mine Monday. First time ive owned the film on any home format and I thought it looked great and the extra's are pretty decent.

The booklets worth reading for the restoration notes.
 
Bill Pullman starred in two of the very best, namely The Last Seduction (Linda Fiorentino, oh my) and Lost Highway (I guess we can class this as a surrealist-neo-noir crossover).

As for Verhoeven, I care less for Basic Instinct than any of his US films. There's an established train of thought that Showgirls is a cult gem that was panned because it brutally exposed the crass nature of US culture, in particular attitudes toward sex. Subversive masterpiece or trash? Maybe both. Either way it killed Elizabeth Berkley's film career at the outset.
Great call. How could I forget those? I wish that neo-noir thing would come back and Lynch would make another movie.

But Showgirls lasted in a cult way, which many of the mainstream hits of the time didn't.

I can never forget the UK Showgirls quad!
 
 

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