Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Triangle

January 30, 2010

Triangle - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray

Triangle opened poorly in its native U.K. and disappeared after making just over 500,000 Pounds at the box office (less than $900,000 in American currency). It wasn't able to secure a theatrical release here and is being dumped Direct-to-DVD. None of this bodes well for the film, but as always, I remain open minded and look forward to being pleasantly surprised.

The film stars Melissa George as Jess, a single mother raising an autistic boy. The film starts with her trying to calm her son, who is clearly having a bad day, as is she. She's trying to get ready for a boat trip, which she is taking with her friends Greg, the owner of the boat; Sally and Downey, a married couple; Heather, a friend of Sally and someone Sally hopes Greg will want to date; and Victor, a young man Greg recently met and hired to work on his boat. The trip is pleasant enough, but after Jess has a nightmare about nearly drowning and being shipwrecked, the weather changes and the boat is capsized. Most are able to climb up on the hull of the boat and they think they are saved when an ocean liner comes by. However, despite seeing someone on deck, when they come aboard, the ship seems to be deserted. Seems to be. And then things gets weird.

From this point on, events jump into the "Unacceptable Spoiler Territory" and it becomes impossible to talk about the movie in any specific fashion, so I'm not going to mess with the twists, as trying to figure things out is arguably the best part of the movie. It is not the only good part of the movie, as Melissa George's performance is also great, but the tight script is key. There is a sense of déjà vu that is unavoidable given the nature of the movie, and if you are not drawn in, it could be pretty tedious to watch. It is important to know going into the movie that this is not really a horror film, even though it appears to be advertised as such. It is a suspense film with a psychological twist to it. There are some deaths in the movie, but this is not a teenage slasher picture and it generates its scares through creepy atmosphere more than anything else. It should cause you to say, "What the hell is going on?" and not, "Oh my god! Did you see what just happened?"

Extras on the DVD and Blu-ray are limited to a single interview featurette that runs six minutes. It's worth checking out, but as the only extra it is extremely disappointing. The Blu-ray only costs an additional $4, or about 27%, which is reasonable for this type of release. As for the technical specs, it looks and sounds good, especially for a low-budget release (it cost an estimated $12 million to make) but it won't be a disc you pop in your machine to show off your home theater system. Normally for this type of release I would pay an additional 20% to 30% more, which makes this release in line with expectations.

The Verdict

Triangle bombed at the box office in its native U.K. while it is going Direct-to-DVD here; however, don't let that scare you away as it absolutely deserved better and should be seen by more. The acting, the writing, the directing are all strong; perhaps the worst part of the movie is its name. It is worth watching and the twisted nature of the plot almost demands repeat viewing, so despite the tiny selection of special features, it is worth buying. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray is a better deal than the DVD, but by a rather thin margin.

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