Shutter Island is one of those rare mystery thrillers that are still rewatchable after several viewings. When you first watch it, you’ll get a sense of the multi-layered mystery surrounding the island. But even if you do know the story, you’ll want to rewatch it again just to see all of the visual clues Scorsese put in the film. Of course, it’s hidden when you first see it, but it becomes blatant when you know the twist.
There are so many hidden clues in the film that it eventually becomes a game. At the same time, you become more perceptive to the visual clues. It’s not just the visuals that you have to pay attention to as well. The dialogue clearly states what the twist is, not once but twice in the film. If you think about it, the film becomes a different film after the twist.
That’s the case with a master visual storyteller like Scorsese. From the most blatant details to the blink and you’ll miss it ones, the film is full of Easter eggs. The meticulous amount of detail and planning that went into this is astounding. That’s the fun of the mystery thriller such as this. You are gripped by the mysteries of the island.
But as always, people’s opinions of mysteries are dependent on what you think of the twist. If you thought the twist wasn’t good then chances are you wouldn’t want to rewatch the film again. But the ending is shocking and memorable enough to get most audiences to want to watch it again.
Unfortunately, you don’t attach yourself to Teddy Daniels. He has such a sandpaper-like attitude that he might rub you the wrong way with his brashness. But that’s the beauty of Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance. It’s so intense and nuanced that you can’t help but watch him the entire time. Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley are their usual selves here.
Overall, Shutter Island is an enigmatic film featuring a wonderful DiCaprio performance. Raise your hand if you’ve read that before. But the film’s nuanced visuals and script enable the audience to rewatch the film over and over again.
Movie Rating: 4/5 atoms
Video
Shutter Island hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with an HDR transfer and a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The picture has a medium contrast that makes the picture look slightly flat. However, there are some scenes where the contrast is high and it gives the picture a lot of depth. The brightness is vibrant with no bloom in the light areas. When it comes to the black levels, there is a wide array of shades of black. From a light black to a deep dark black, it gives the picture a natural look.
Not to mention, the colors look natural as well. However, the “flashback” scenes are fully saturated. The details are super clear but unfortunately you can see the shoddiness of the CGI. This includes some motion blur in the aerial shots or the gloomy skies. Overall, this is a great 4K video.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
Audio
Shutter Island hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The audio mix is really an immersive mix despite not being a Dolby Atmos mix. First of all, the sound effects for the mix are accurate and immersive. It’s something that you can hear in the rat scene towards the climax of the movie. Also, you can hear how immersive the mix is through the atmospherics—something you can hear right at the beginning of the movie with the sea noises. When it comes to the music, it envelops you with its boisterous score. Thankfully, even with all of this soundstage activity, the dialogue is still as clear as day. Overall, this is a good mix despite it not being an Atmos mix.
Audio Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
Special Features
Shutter Island‘s Ultra HD Blu-ray disc doesn’t have any special features on it. However, you can find the following special features on the Bonus Features Blu-ray disc:
- Behind the Shutters
- Into the Lighthouse
Both “Behind the Shutters” And “Into the Light of ” is your traditional behind-the-scenes featurettes which covers a ton of topics about the making of the film. “Behind the Shutters” is highly informative, but there are several instances where the featurette goes into a bit of a “love fest”. “Into the Lighthouse ” takes a deep look at the psychological aspects of the characters. It’s interesting seeing what’s going on in the minds of these characters. It almost has a “Making a Murderer” feel to it.
Special Features Rating: 4/5 atoms
Extras
The steelbook comes in a beautiful reflective candy apple red and black color scheme. The cover design is simple but combined with the back cover and the color scheme, it gives off a broody vibe. The inside of the steelbook contains a similar color scheme with the iconic “shh” scene.
Extras Rating: 4/5 atoms
Overall, Shutter Island is a moody and fantastic mystery thriller that’s highlighted by DiCaprio’s fantastic performance. The video and audio is great and the bonus features are highly informative.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
This Blu-ray was reviewed using a retail/advance copy/unit provided by Paramount Home Entertainment.
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