The Neon Demon Blu-ray Review
Nathan Swank
October 26th, 2016
“True beauty is the highest currency we have. Without it we would be nothing.”
Sixteen-year-old Jesse goes to open the door of her cheap motel room but something is already inside. The tacky wallpaper are vines symbolizing the jungle that she has entered. The foreshadowing of the human predators that are all around her inside the business of beauty is topped off with the cruel idea that it is actually her fault for leaving the door open.
A frighteningly honest portrayal in a hyper reality about the horrors that come with vanity, beauty and obsession, THE NEON DEMON is like nothing you’ve ever seen. Whether or not you want to see it, depends on your view of artistic horror films that are heavy on symbolism and mesmerizing visuals and light on actual horror and story.
Set in the underground world of modeling and fashion, THE NEON DEMON follows 16-year-old Jesse (Elle Fanning). While her looks aren’t the conventional idea of beauty, she definitely has that “it” factor that everyone desires. Every agent, photographer, fashion designer and model wants to be her. Her innocence is somewhat skin deep as we soon realize that she is aware of her power over everyone. But at every turn, its the desires and vanities that slowly begin to strangely reveal themselves until bursting into a truly disturbing final act.
Your opinion of director Nicolas Winding Refn’s most recent films, ONLY GOD FORGIVES and DRIVE, will probably be similar to what you think of THE NEON DEMON. While it might rank better or worse depending on who you are, the point is that the film matches the auteur’s distinctive and divisive styles. Focusing more on striking visual messages rather than dialogue driven story telling, Refn’s deliberate framing and a brilliant use of color speaks volumes. Some credit belongs to cinematographer Natasha Braier, but make no mistake this is Refn’s vision that has held consistent through three different cinematographers in his last three films.
The electronic techno score by Cliff Martinez is another driving force of the film. The compelling music and dazzling art direction share the supporting role with strong performances from Jena Malone a kind makeup artist, Bella Heathcote and Abbey Lee playing a couple of jealous models and Keanu Reeves as sleazy motel manager. But it’s the casting of Elle Fanning that brings together everything around her.
“Beauty isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” Quotes like these over exemplify the film’s message and hammers home that idea in every aspect. Like relying on beauty, the film appears quite empty at first glance. I even admit, the film has kept growing on me, revealing it’s subtle truths and commentary about the consuming darkness of vanity. The substance is a dark material labeled as a horror film, that horror fans will probably be disappointed in. But make no mistake, this is a strange and disturbing film. Like Refn’s previous films, THE NEON DEMON is not one I can easily recommend but it is definitely a film I admire artistically.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (MPEG-4 AVC, 1080p 2.39:1) Visually stunning with beautiful colors that come out wonderfully.
Audio: (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) An excellent sound through the pulsating soundtrack with pitch perfect dialogue.
Audio Commentary with Director Nicolas Winding Refn and Elle Fanning: The two speak during specific scenes with only brief moments of silence. This is Fanning’s first commentary and she giggles quite a bit but the two do an excellent job discussing some of the details in making the film and key themes.
Behind the soundtrack of The Neon Demon (5:08): The director and composer, Cliff Martinez, talk about the importance of the music in the this film specifically. They briefly discuss how they came up with the electronic sound and its influences.
About The Neon Demon (1:12): The briefest of trailer-esque snippets with some of the cast talking about the film’s originality.
