- Actors: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Ana Ularu, Ida Darvish, Paul Ritter, Irrfan Khan
- Director: Ron Howard
- Producers: Ron Howard, Brian Grazer
- Disc Format: 4K
- Language: English
- Subtitles: Czech, German, Russian, French, Portuguese, Finnish, Polish, Swedish, Estonian, Arabic, Italian, Korean, Latvian, Dutch, Norwegian, Hungarian, Mandarin Chinese, Romanian, Thai, Spanish, English, Danish, Turkish, Japanese, Lithuanian
- Dubbed: Czech, Russian, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Hungarian, Thai, Spanish, Turkish, Japanese
- Audio Description: English
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Rated: PG-13
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Release Date: January 24, 2017
- Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2019
- Run Time: 121 minutes
Inferno is the latest installment in the
film adaptations of Dan Brown’s book series about symbologist Robert Langdon
(Tom Hanks), but it is also missing a major element from the narrative and its
protagonist. Beginning with Langdon discovering he has suffered some unknown
head injury that has caused memory loss, our hero is unable to use the
abilities that make him who he is. Langdon’s inability to solve puzzles and
clues basically handicaps the character, leaving him like Sherlock Holmes
without the ability to sleuth. This detour from what made the first films a
success paired with an overly stylized approach to the visuals, as a way of
reproducing Langdon’s disorientation and hallucinations, easily makes Inferno the least enjoyable in the
franchise. And this is before even taking into consideration the major changes
made from the book.
Adapted from the
fourth book in Dan Brown’s series, Inferno
strays away from the religious themes from the first two films, instead
addressing the issue of overpopulation in the world. Langdon’s memory begins to
return as he retraces his steps with the help of a doctor named Sienna Brooks
(Felicity Jones), and he discovers a plot to release a virus that will wipe out
a large portion of the population, as a way of saving all of humanity from
extinction. This extreme reaction is part of a plan by a visionary named
Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster), who is dies in order to keep his plan in place.
At the same time that the secret followers of Zobrist are working to release
the virus, there are several others trying to steal it for their own selfish
gain.
Langdon and
Brooks set out on their own mission to get to the virus before anyone dangerous
retrieves it, but the narrative is full of so many double-crosses that it
becomes difficult to know who to trust. It also makes the film somewhat
confusing. When the audience isn’t being disoriented by the jarring visuals of
Langdon’s concussion paired with apocalyptic visions that are never explained,
the narrative does just as much to confuse with too many characters, most of
which have different motives than are first revealed. When even Langdon’s
intelligence can’t be trusted, it feels like the heart of the franchise has
been lost.
Along with
retreating from the elements that the franchise is known for, Inferno also makes a major change to the
end of the narrative in the book. Without spoiling this ending for audiences,
I’ll just say that it was a change large enough to infuriate many of the fans
of Brown’s book series. As it stands, there is an uncertainty to the ending
provided, however morally superior it may seem. This sequel may have been more
financially successful than the last two entries (while also costing
considerably less to make), the backlash from the fan-base may prevent any
future additions from seeing the same success.
I’m torn on the
4K presentation of Inferno, because
many of the early hallucinatory sequences look fantastic in Ultra HD, but these
are also among my least favorite parts of the film. There is also no denying
the visual and audio enhancements for the rest of the film, but more often than
not it feels unnecessary. Some films demand increased definition and a higher
range of colors, but Inferno is a
below average film in any presentation. At least Hanks has done away with his
mullet hairstyle, as nobody needed to see that in 4K.
The 4K release
includes a Blu-ray disc, which contains an alternative way of viewing the film
as well as the special features, which could not be included on the Ultra HD
disc. There is also a Digital HD copy of the film included. The special
features on the Blu-ray include five featurettes, several of which are just
character profiles, a director’s journal from Howard, and a collection of
deleted/extended scenes.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
Special Features: 7/10
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