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Released by: Image Entertainment
Released on: 9/30/2008
The Director: Pang Brothers
Cast: Lee Sinje, Lau Siu Ming, Zeng Qi Qi, Rain Li
Year: 2006
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The Movie:
Oxide and Danny Pang, collectively known as The Pang Brothers, made quite a splash a few years ago with their interesting ghost story, The Eye, which starred lovely Angelica Lee. Their latest effort, Re-Cycle, seems to be a follow up film of sorts to that movie as it not only finds the Pangs working with Lee in the lead again but it also puts them back into ghost story territory. Rest assured, however, that this is not just another 'long black haired ghost' movie from the East. While the film definitely has some similarities to what's come before it the Pang Brothers have crafted a very original and quite memorable film here that, despite some flaws, will stick with you for some time to come.
Ting Yin (Angelica Lee) is the best selling author of a trilogy of romance books who is enjoying all the success that comes with selling millions of copies of your book. At her latest press conference she announces that her next novel will focus on the supernatural and no sooner has she made that announcement then strange things start happening to her. The more she writes and the more she thinks on the world of ghosts, the more aggressive these manifestations get until finally she's starting to see something that looks like one of the characters from her work in progress. Seeing as much of what Ting Yin writes is at least partially autobiographical in nature, it would seem that what's happening in her book is now happening to her in real life.
After a dramatic reunion with her ex-boyfriend things start to get even stranger for her. She starts trying to figure out what it is that's causing these visions or manifestations and her investigation takes her to an old apartment building where, after a strange incident in an elevator, she finds herself in an alternate universe. This isn't a happy place - corpses rain down from the sky, the bodies of those who have died by hanging linger in the forests, and the dead rise and walk around tortured and moaning. Here Ting Yin meets an old man (the English subs call him 'Granny') and an eight year old girl who was never given a name. These two are the only help she has in this strange world and thankfully they're willing to try and help her get back to where she originally came from but before that can happen Ting Yin must learn who these two friends are, where they came from, and how she ties into all of this.
At two hours in length Re-Cycle could have been trimmed down a little bit and been a more intense film for it. Likewise, the story is fairly predictable and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out one of the key connections between characters in the film. A little more mystery and some tighter editing would have made Re-Cycle a pretty damn near perfect film but even with those flaws it's still a really interesting horror movie for a few different reasons.
First and foremost are the visuals. The Pang Brothers are known for their cinematic flair and are sometimes criticized for being guilty of the whole 'style over substance' thing - to an extent, that's true. Here, however, by placing the majority of their movie in an alternate universe they can really let loose with the cinematography and the effects work and the set design and the end result is a very, very, very impressive looking effort. Those put off by CGI may have a hard time with things though as it was with Silent Hill even if it's used constantly at least it's used well. There are set pieces in here that are quite haunting from the scene where our heroine finds herself wandering through a decayed and dead looking carnival to the forest where the dead hang from the trees to the sack where aborted fetus' go to grow once they've been eliminated. Ting Yin's entire journey through the underworld is never less than fantastic looking.
The film also works in some interesting Buddhist traditions and philosophies into its plot structure that, will possibly odd to Westerners unfamiliar with them, make good sense in the context of the story. The offering of paper money to the dead not only provides a convenient ways of escape but also makes for a fitting tribute to those no longer wandering the Earth as physical beings and it works well here just as it does in The Maid. The very title of the film seems to be a reference to the Buddhist teachings of rebirth wherein past experiences shape the path one will take in the next life.
So while it takes a while to really get moving and the one big connection is easy to spot, Re-Cycle never the less makes for really interesting viewing. It's a very creative film with plenty of style and some serious substance to go along with it even if the actual plot itself is quite simple. Angelica Lee is great in the lead, she's pretty, smart and very good as Ying Tin playing sympathetic moments just as well as the more horrifying ones. It's not a perfect film, but it's definitely a very good one and one that is well worth seeking out.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The 1080p AVC encoded 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer suffers from the same major problem that plagued the SD release - poor black levels. There's a bit of noise in some scenes but it isn't too distracting. The fluctuations in the black levels, however, are. That said, color reproduction looks good and there are less compression artifacts here than on the SD release. Aside from the black level issues, things hold up well here. Detail is nice and strong and the image is strong and striking throughout. Not all of the CGI looks as sharp as you might want it to but aside from that, this is a good transfer even if it isn't reference quality HD material.
You've got your choice of watching the film in Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with optional subtitles provided in English and Spanish. Those with the hardware playback capability will want to opt for the DTS-HD tracks as it's rich, immersive and very bold. Bass response is strong and tight while the high end retains its clarity without ever sounding too shrill. Dialogue stays clean and clear and there are on problems to report with hiss or distortion. Levels are well balanced and the optional subtitles are clean, clear and easy to read.
The extras start off with a featurette entitled The Making Of Re-Cycle (15:42) that includes interviews with the Pang Bros, some of the cast members and some of the crew members as well. Alongside some interesting behind the scenes footage, the commentators explain what went into making the picture and what their various roles were.
From there we move on to the Deleted Scenes (8:44). An even half a dozen have been included here and despite the fact that the movie runs a bit long, it would have been interesting to see how the film would have played had these been put back into the finished product. The firs three scenes focus on the ghostly activity in Ting Yin's apartment, two more show us different aspects of the underworld while the sixth and final scene is a completely new world that doesn't actually appear in the movie at all. If you enjoyed the movie, definitely take the time to go through these as they paint an interesting picture of 'what could have been.' Also included here are nine CGI Before And After (1:39) clips which are, as you could probably guess, quick snippets of computer generated graphics that show how computers were used to create the different levels of the world through which Ting Yin travels in the movie.
In Cast And Crew Q&A (8:24) the Pang Brothers are joined by Ms. Lee on stage where the field questions about the film from some very knowledgeable audience members who may or may not be students. This allows for some interesting discussion about the various themes in the movie as well as some of the techniques employed in creating it. The Gala Premiere And Celebration Party (16:14) featurette is just that - footage from the press conference that the cast and crew held before the film was screened for the first time in front of an audience. This is followed by footage from a hokey publicity ploy/party that celebrates the box office success of the film.
Rounding out the extras is the film's original theatrical trailer, some animated menus and of course, chapter stops are included for the movie. It would have been nice to see all of the supplements carried over from the Korean special edition release, particularly the commentary track, but Image has supplied a few choice supplements here that are worth a look. Each and every one of the supplements on this Blu-ray release are presented in standard definition.
The Final Word:
Re-Cycle is a really interesting and pretty effective horror film. It's hard to say how well it will work for Western audiences but anyone with an interest in Asian horror and an open mind in terms of different theologies and religions should give this one a look. If the more cerebral aspects don't do it for you, the horror set pieces and wild locations and disturbing imagery probably will. The transfer isn't perfect but its' definitely a noticeable improvement over the SD release and the DTS-HD track is also a nice bonus. Definitely worth checking out!