Hostel: Part II Blu-ray offers decent video and great audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Three young students from the U.S. taking classes in Rome set off for a weekend trip when
they run into a beautiful model from one of their art classes. Also on her way to an exotic
destination, the gorgeous European invites the coeds to come along, assuring them they will
be able to relax and rejuvenate. Will the girls find the oasis they are looking for? Or are they
poised to become victims for hire, pawns in the fantasies of the sick and privileged from
around the world who secretly travel here to savor more grisly pursuits?
Hostel Part II is not a great movie, but it's infinitely better
than the
original. This makes it seem a lot better than it really is, especially having watched the two
films within a few days of one another. The quality came as a surprise to be sure; critics gave it
mixed reviews and
audiences responded by spending
far fewer dollars at the box office on this than they did the original Hostel. It's a shame,
because this movie (unlike its predecessor) actually offers what one expects from a mainstream
movie: plot, motive, back
story, decent acting, and a couple of very good twists.
Todd and Stuart check out their victims
Hostel Part II opens with a recap of the first film. The lone survivor from that film is
offering an account of
his perils to the police via a dream sequence, with scenes from the first movie included to clue in
anyone new to the
franchise to what's going on, and what to expect in the next 90 minutes. The survivor soon
awakens
from
what will be his last slumber, and promptly loses his head over breakfast. Though brief, I found
this
character's coping with the aftermath of the horrors of Hostel far more satisfying than
anything seen in that first film.
As the next chapter finally begins, we meet three
American girls traveling through Europe. Beth (Laura German), Whitney (Bijou Phillips), and
Lorna
(Heather Matazarro) are the victims-to-be in this go-round, and each one is infinitely more likable
than
the trio of Paxton, Josh, and Oli from the first film. After a scary incident on a train that is
instantly
recognizable as a set-up to lure the girls closer to those who would do them in, their new friend
Axelle (Vera Jordanova) tells them of a hostel in Bratislava, Slovakia that has a great spa, sure to
relax
them
after a tense situation. This, of course, is the very same hostel from the first movie. Once
checked
in, we know this trio won't be checking out.
The unquestionable bright spot in this
movie emanates from the villains, Todd (Richard Burgi) and Stuart (Roger Bart), two American
friends who have won a bidding war run by Elite Hunting Company to torture and kill Whitney
and Beth, respectively. Theirs is the angle that was so obviously missing from the first film.
Finally, Eli Roth takes the audience behind-the-scenes of the Elite Hunting Company. We see
how the victims are chosen, how "buying" a victim is accomplished, and how the torturers
prepare
mentally for the task and why they (or at least Todd and Stuart) are motivated to do such a
thing. I quite enjoyed the
"bidding war" sequence where various fat cats bid on their laptops and Blackberries for the right
to torture these girls. The movie offers up two very good twists near the end, one of which I
didn't see coming at all.
Hostel Part II is a fairly entertaining movie that
blows it predecessor out of the water in just about every regard. It has a better, more
streamlined plot that delves into the dark(er) side of torture rather than just showing the gore
and torture for gore and torture's sake. There is gore here to be sure; Hostel Part II is
gorier than the first and there are several cringe-worthy and disturbing scenes. Richard Burgi
and Roger Bart steal the show as Todd and Stuart, and nothing about this movie screams "bad
horror sequel." If anything, this would have been the better first film in the Hostel
franchise. The first would have fit right in as the expected inferior sequel.
Surprisingly, after what was a very good transfer for the first film, Hostel Part II suffers
from some annoying and unfortunate problems that did not plague the original. This is a dark
transfer throughout, and flesh tones are on the dark side, and there is constant noise on screen for
the majority of the movie. Darker scenes suffer form black crush at times. Even brighter, outdoor
scenes, such as on a golf course, look faded, washed out, and uneven. Sometimes, flesh tones
lighten up and the noise disappears. It's perhaps the most hit-and-miss transfer I have seen yet,
more so than The Dirty Dozen if only for the fact this film was released theatrically only
months ago. I have to wonder how much of this was intentional on the
part of director Roth, and how much is due to a poor transfer. With the high quality of the other
discs Sony is churning out, not to mention the quality of Hostel, I have to lean towards at
least part of this being due to artistic intent,
but some aspects such as the fleshtones and the noise can likely be attributed to the job
transferring the film to Blu-ray.
This disc, like that of the original Hostel, is a joy to listen to. Presented with both a PCM
uncompressed 5.1 soundtrack as well as a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track, Hostel Part II's
soundtrack is atmospheric, tense, heavy on the bass, and clear. The film makes good use of the
surround speakers and creates a very immersive sound field that drags you into the movie. As with
Hostel, Hostel Part II's best use of sound comes during the film's final act as once
again the sounds of torture and terror--heavy, slamming iron doors, power tools, dripping blood, and
the barking of dogs echoing in the dank corridors of the factory raise the tension of the film's scarier
scenes considerably. There is nothing bad to say about this track. It's aggressive, heart-pounding,
and fun. Watching this movie in the dark with the volume turned up is a terrifying experience!
Hostel Part II, like its predecessor, comes jam packed with special features. Three
commentary tracks are the highlight here. The first is a solo effort with director Eli Roth. Roth
himself admits that there is no need to listen to all these commentary tracks unless you are a
movie reviewer or a budding film student. His hope is that you listen to different tracks at
different times as the movie and the viewer age with time. Roth says his Hostel Part II
is
his tirade against the Bush administration and his belief that President Bush is
"kill[ing]...people in Iraq for oil." If this movie is supposed to be political satire, I somehow missed
it
even after listening to Roth's explanation.
Next up is a producer's commentary track featuring Roth, Quentin Tarantino, and
Gabe Roth. This is your typical commentary track with the obligatory behind-the-scenes
information that adds a little bit to the movie, but it gets rather long in the tooth at times.
Worthwhile for fans of the movie and those who love to listen to Tarantino and Roth, two
individuals
who can never hear themselves talk enough.
The final track is an actors commentary
track and features Roth and actors Richard Burgi, Laura German, and Vera Jordanova. This is an
interesting track that delves pretty deep into the process of acting in a movie like this, and there
are also some
miscellaneous anecdotes that fill some of the lulls.
Four featurettes are available. The
first is Hostel Part II: The Next Level (1080i, 26:28). This feature takes the viewers
inside the production of the movie from the first meeting discussing a sequel to Hostel to
the wrap-up of the final scene filmed, which was actually one of the first scenes in the movie.
The Art of KNB Effects (1080i, 6:02) is a short making of the gore feature. It's always
interesting to see how some of these gruesome effects are made. Production Design
(1080i, 6:43) shows how the train, fair, and dungeon sequences were created. Finally, we have
Hostel
Part II: A Legacy of Torture (1080i, 23:45). The highlight here is a discussion with Dr.
Sheldon Roth, Eli Roth's father, who discusses the culture and history of torture, but the majority
of this feature takes place at the Museum of Mediaeval Criminology in San Gimignano, Tuscany,
featuring the museum's director, Aldo Migliorinim, who presents us with a fascinating tour of the
history of torture devices. Also featured is Roth talking up his own movie. It's clear he is very
proud of his work on both films.
Ten deleted scenes (1080p) are included. Each
contains a brief text introduction explaining what the scene is and why it was cut.
"The
Treatment" radio interview with Eli Roth, a Blood and Guts Gag Reel,
Surveillance Cameras (1080i, 7:18) (8 monitors showing the goings-on inside the
torture factory), and trailers for Resident Evil: Extinction, Tekkonkinkreet, and
Vacancy (all 1080p) round out this strong list of supplements.
I was pleasantly surprised with this film. I liked it, and I didn't expect to after watching
Hostel. It's nothing I'll likely watch over and over, but I don't feel like I wasted an hour and
half of my life this time around. Unfortunately, the video quality is not what I expected here,
especially
comparing it to the first Hostel, but the audio quality is as impressive as what was on the
first film. This disc has a lot of supplements but they're not on the same level as those found on
the Blu-ray disc for Hostel. Hostel Part II isn't that bad of a horror movie. It's
amazing what a little plot can do.
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