Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, Yasmin Paige, Noah Taylor, James Fox
Director: Richard Ayoade
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Release Date: August 26, 2014
Run Time: 93 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars
I was sold on this film from the moment it started since it feels like it is a it was born out of Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil”. The both have that alternate world feel to them and I literally couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. The film goes off on a different path with doppelgangers and all sorts of crazy. I was hoping that this film was going to be a trip and it was from beginning to end. Amazing performance from Jesse Eisenberg, pulling double duty. Loved Richard Ayoade’s vision in the film and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Official Premise: Simon is a timid man, scratching out an isolated existence in an indifferent world. He is overlooked at work, scorned by his mother, and ignored by the woman of his dreams. He feels powerless to change any of these things. The arrival of a new co-worker, James, serves to upset the balance. James is both Simon’s exact physical double and his opposite – confident, charismatic and good with women. To Simon’s horror, James slowly starts taking over his life.
The 1080p transfer looks good for what it is worth with the film’s retracted future feel. You can tell that some of the shots set up for the film have such purpose and are well executed. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very is also very impressive. It goes from nearly no score to almost creepy music. The special features included are short but decent. There is focus on the cast/characters and story/design with “Creating The Double”. There is a Behind the Scenes Comparisons mixing the actually set with the final film.
There is a decent interview with Director Richard Ayoade. I feel that this guy and I would get along well. I love what he did with this film and this interview is still informative even though it is just six minutes. I still would have really loved to seen a commentary track from him. “AXS TV: A Look at The Double” is an extras TV promo with some interview clips. Lastly there is a trailer for the film included as well as other films from Magnolia Home Entertainment.