Home Entertainment: ’Flatliners’ UHD Review

Arrow Video is one of our favourite creators of physical media. Whilst many have turned their attention to the digital world and streaming platforms, Arrow are one of the few still championing discs. Along with companies like Second Sight they consistently pick exciting films to lovingly restore and transfer, gifting life into a movie once thought dead. This analogy is especially pertinent for Arrow’s latest release, Flatliners.

Originally released in cinemas in 1990, Flatliners is one of the late Joel Schumacher’s best films. The cast is essentially a who’s who of early nineties Hollywood, featuring Keifer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, and Julia Roberts. Set in a med school in Chicago, the film examined the boundary between life and death and what comes after as the group begin to dabble in temporarily dying. The experiment and study of the afterlife is posed by Sutherland’s Nelson, and although initially reluctant, the others soon join him on his journey. Their method is simple, they each take turns in ‘dying’ in a bid to experience life after death. Unexpected side effects leave all of them unable to distinguish between reality and hallucination; a waking nightmare ensues. 

Kiefer Sutherland may now be more famous for playing everyone’s favourite CTU agent and hero, Jack Bauer, but back in the eighties and nineties he spent much of his time playing the villain. His performance in Flatliners is perfect evidence of why this happened. His portrayal of Nelson is so sinister, that even from his first proposal, his devious nature is evident. What makes Nelson so interesting is that he’s not a one-dimensional bad guy. Yes, it’s clear that he’s devious and a master manipulator; he effortlessly coaxes the others to help him, but this behaviour can be explained away as passionate. It is only as the film progresses, and Nelson knowingly keeps the creepy side-effects from his friends, that his true nature starts to show. As the group slowly pushes further into the land beyond, Nelson becomes more unhinged, and by the climax he’s the kind of mad scientist that both Mary Shelley and H. P Lovecraft would be proud of. 

Flatliners explores ideas of what is waiting after death. It’s a heavy subject matter to tackle, but the film manages well. Given its horror trappings, the film is careful to not make every experience horrific. In fact, the time on the other side is mainly positive, the aftermath providing the more frightening elements. Even still, there are grades of terror, all linked to the actions and behaviors of the characters themselves. It becomes fascinated with the idea of karma and how our choices and exploits in life may have to be answered for later on. There’s a range of other readings that could also be made, one being how childhood trauma and experiences impact and shape the rest of our life. The richness of these different ideas allows deeper access to the film and encourages repeat viewing. 

The new 4K transfer is a thing of beauty. This newer format of resolution allows colours to pop brightly and for on-screen blacks to be true black. With most of Flatliners set in the shadows or under the cloak of darkness, it’s the perfect material for the upgrade treatment. The dim landscape of the film is opened up to the viewer more than it has before and the result reveals even more to be afraid of. Flatliners utilises colour to signify whether we are in the real or altered world. Red, orange, and blue filters convey a variety of otherworldly sequences. Which colour appears on screen alludes to whether it will be a good or bad encounter. These colours are especially effective in this new version. They spring off of the screen, casting their eerie glows, bathing the viewer in light. The best of these moments comes shortly after Nelson’s first trip beyond whilst he sits looking into a graffiti tainted alley. The colour of the faded street art comes to life, the vibrancy intense and swathed in blue smoke. Another example of how gorgeous this new version is comes as Nelson walks through an underpass. It’s a simple shot of the character walking through some pillars and yet the blue strips on them scream out, contrasting perfectly with the night blacks of the location, with some fiery orange smoke for maximum colour injection. 

Never content to merely release just the film, Flatliners is accompanied by an abundance of special features. Each has been specially curated for the disc and ranges from the inclusion of original trailers to newly conducted interviews. Unfortunately none of the stars are present on the extras. Given the star power of all involved it’s a shame that none of them could free up time in their schedule to talk about the film, but there are still plenty of interviews on the disc. Whilst the cast weren’t available, the Arrow team have managed to speak with almost everyone else involved on a technical level. If you want to get into the nitty gritty of the production then these are the special features for you. The discussion around lighting is particularly fascinating.  

It may have taken over thirty years, but there is finally a format that highlights just how visually beautiful Joel Schumacher’s film of mad science really is. A fine addition to collectors everywhere regardless of their familiarity with Flatliners, this is one UHD that should be snapped up immediately. 

Flatliners is available now on UHD via Arrow Video.