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Pulse
[Blu-ray 4K]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (1st January 2025). |
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The Film
 "Pulse" 「回路」 (2001) Kudo Michi (played by Aso Kumiko) goes to the apartment of her coworker Taguchi (played by Mizuhashi Kenji) who has been absent from work for some time. Entering his unlocked dark apartment, she sees him there seemingly tired and unwell, but a few moments later she finds Taguchi hanging by the neck in the next room. Her coworkers Junko (played by Arisaka Kumiko) and Yabe (played by Matsuo Masatoshi) are able to recover a disk from Taguchi's home computer, which are filled with unusual repeating images of what seems to be of his room and a dark unrecognizable face appearing within the computer monitor reflections. With the three trying to find an answer to Taguchi's suicide, unexplained situations start to plague them as well. Meanwhile there is the case of Kawashima Ryosuke (played by Kato Haruhiko), a university student who decides to try the Internet for the first time. But things do not seem to function as expected, with the browser accessing a dark and ghostly website and the computer turning itself on when he is asleep. He tries to get help from the university's computer lab in which computer expert Harue (played by Koyuki) tries to guide him on what to do. But when Harue looks into the bizarre nature of the site, it starts to overtake her. Filmmaker Kurosawa Kiyoshi had a major critical breakthrough by directing the theatrical feature film "Cure" in 1997. The serial killer detective film that was more cerebral than action, it received various awards in Japan, though it was not a particularly huge commercial success. Just a month after the film's theatrical release, "Ring" was released and it became a massive cultural phenomenon through word of mouth viral nature. It is said that the two features kickstarted the J-Horror craze as the films were distributed internationally, eventually reaching major audiences outside of its own home country for the first time. "Ring" may have had the larger grasp, though it was quickly dated as the use of VHS tapes would eventually get displaced by discs very quickly after the film's success. Kurosawa found inspiration with "Ring" and developed "Pulse", which took a similar interest in viral horror through technology, but instead he would have it take place through something that was still in its infancy - the Internet. At the time of "Pulse" in 2001, less than 40% of the population had Internet connectivity through home computers. Only about 50% of the population had mobile phones at the time and Internet use through them were but a fraction of those users. The market was quickly growing, but there were still many people like the characters of Michi and Ryosuke who were fairly clueless to how the Internet worked and what it could be used for. Granted most people knew of emailing, message boards, and for research use, but there was also a world where the perverse and the dangerous lurked. It is incredibly easy to research the validity of websites and content in this day and age, but in the early 2000s where Wikipedia, YouTube or social media sites did not exist, it was a curious place for the world. With the two plotlines of characters who are not Internet savvy at all being the center, it was easier for audiences to identify with them as they were finding clues and such in a step by step manner that gave both answers and more questions. Like the haunted video in "Ring", there is a haunted virus lurking in "Pulse" that slowly takes over individuals, eventually leading to mental emptiness and death. It's fascinating to note that the film predicts many aspects of the Internet world in terms of mental health. The lonely becoming even more disconnected from the real world as they are sucked into the online world, the neverending rabbitholes through clicks and clicks that is hard to escape from, and viral nature taking over the world. In addition, it shows how the Internet can inadvertently lead to suicide, which actually was and has been a major social epidemic in Japan for years even prior to the modern Internet's existence. Alienation and loneliness were growing concerns in Japan at the time, and the Internet was seemingly exacerbating the issue, and Kurosawa's story seemed to place it in a metaphorical stance at the time, which has now become more of a reality more than twenty years later. There may be no haunted websites out there where ghosts can reach people through servers to modems, but setting Japanese ghosts into the technology seemed like a perfect match, and for the most part the film is able to merge them together successfully. Though it is a ghost horror film, "Pulse" is not filled with jump scares at all. Like "Ring" it is able to creep into the minds of audiences without using cutaways or jumping music cues. Kurosawa lets the camera let the story through long takes and without cutaways that can give a feeling of unease with subtle movements in backgrounds. There is a literal "jump scare" in one segment though, with a suicide jump sequence that is shockingly done in one shot without a cut, though it is revealed in the extras that it was done with careful digital editing of multiple jumps of the stunt performer. Ghosts are slow, and there are some extremely effective scenes involving floating hair and of distorted faces that are sure to leave audiences frightened long after the credits roll. Cinematographer Hayashi Junichiro was also the cinematographer for "Ring" has stated that he was not a fan of horror because he was scared of horror films. His approach was more about the technical aspects, and in this case it was about getting a very dark looking image for an additional step of unease. The colors of "Pulse" are extremely dark, and it is also because of the unusually contrasty palate through bleach bypass and filtering that makes the film look dark as it is. The performances of the actors are fair, but they are the weaker element of the film. The actors are not able to bring a certain force to their characters, nor are they given a lot of backstory, so there is a bit of disconnect with all of them, which may partially be fitting the theme of isolation and mystery. The eventual meeting of Michi and Ryosuke also comes quite late, which bridges the story together, and by this time it seems like there is too little too late for true interaction. Another aspect of the film which should not be too faulted is the use of CGI. There are some very well done moments such as with the aforementioned suicide jump as well as digitally creating an empty Tokyo using a combination of real locations and digital manipulation, but sequences involving the floating ashes as well as the plane crash are not very convincing to say the least. Granted the film was working on a fairly small budget in comparison to what Hollywood was producing at the time, so it is commendable but it feels like there was more ambition than ability to be found here, especially watching the film all these years later. The film was produced by Daiei Film and distributed by Kadokawa, opening theatrically on February 3rd, 2001 in Japan. The film grossed 200 million Yen, which was a fairly small amount, but found more recognition internationally with the booming J-Horror genre. The film screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival where it won the FIPRESCI Prize. It also received awards at the Sitges Film Festival and the Japanese Professional Movie Awards. The film was more widely recognized in the home video market, receiving DVD releases worldwide and cementing Kurosawa as one of the leading directors in the genre, even though he was actually quite versatile working in thrillers, action, and dramas as well. The film received a remake in Hollywood in 2006 under the same title of "Pulse", plus the sequels "Pulse 2: Afterlife" and "Pulse 3" both in 2008, with each film receiving fairly negative reactions. In 2024, the film underwent a 4K restoration and the new restoration has now received its worldwide home video debut with this 4K UltraHD Blu-ray release from Umbrella Entertainment in Australia. Note this is a region ALL 4K UltraHD Blu-ray + Blu-ray set
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio in 2160p HEVC with HDR10 grading on the 4K UHD and in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4 on the standard Blu-ray. The film was restored in 4K resolution by Imagica, produced by rightsholder Kadokawa and supervised by cinematographer Hayashi Junichiro, and starts with an eight second text screen for the 4K restoration credits. The film has always had an extremely dark look, and that was intentional by Kurosawa to have the film look as dark as possible while having just enough light to make out subtle background details when necessary. When developing the film, the bleach bypass process, (sometimes called the silver retention process) was used, which gives it a unique look that is close to black and white with the color contrast. There is more emphasis on yellows and browns as well as dark hues while bright colors are rare and reds look closer to dark magenta. For the 4K restoration and 4K presentation, the unique dark color palate has been retained wonderfully. Dark colors are extremely dark but never crushed, with subtle hues are wonderfully presented without issues of digital distortion or blockiness that sometimes plagued previous home video releases. Film grain is more pronounced when bleach bypass is done, and the film grain is much more distinct here in this 4K presentation. While the grain has been kept intact, damage mark such as speckles and scratches have been removed for a very clean looking image throughout. The HDR grade on the 4K disc brings out the darkness as intended very well, while the standard 1080p version is also strong as expected, being a downconversion from the 4K restoration. Compared to the previous HD master from the 2017 Blu-ray from Arrow Video, there are noticeable differences in the colors being richer, dark hues having better detail, and the framing being in the theatrical aspect ratio. Overall a stellar job with the restoration, and a great transfer to disc by Umbrella Entertainment. The film's runtime including the eight second text screen at the start is 118:58 for both discs.
Audio
Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo There are lossless 5.1 and stereo options available for the film. The film was mixed and released theatrically in stereo, and this is what most home video releases have had. There were some DVD releases that had a 5.1 mix but those were said to be upmixed from the stereo tracks for a wide dispersal of the stereo track. For the 4K restoration the film also received a new 5.1 mix and is presented here along with the original stereo track. The 5.1 track is fairly subtle as it is a quiet film for the most part, though the directional cues are well used with the music cues especially in the latter half. In addition, the distorted electronic effects, the mass destruction such as the plane crash use the surrounding channels for full effect. The original stereo track is also very good, using the stereo separation for the music and effects. Both tracks have dialogue almost always in the centered position, and there are no issues audio dropouts or errors to speak of. Dialogue is always clear and is well balanced against the music and effects throughout. There are optional English subtitles available for the main feature, which are well timed and easy to read. It oddly spells Junko's name as "Junco", which is an odd choice as using a "C" does not conform to the standard of writing Japanese names with the Roman alphabet, and there is no example of the character writing her name in English that way.
Extras
This is a 2-disc set with the film on both 4K and standard Blu-ray discs with some extras being on both discs while the majority of them are on the standard Blu-ray disc only. DISC ONE (Blu-ray 4K) Audio Commentary with critic and writer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (2024) This new and exclusive commentary with Heller-Nicholas is a very good one, navigating through the themes of loneliness and isolation, the early days of Internet connectivity with the public, themes and technology that seemingly predict the future of the Internet, about Kurosawa's career in the horror genre, his early V-cinema work, and much more. She also has a few quotes from Kurosawa and other critics read out loud, and has a lot of great information on the film, though she does have a few difficult moments with names, such as mispronouncing Koji Yakusho's name among film titles such as "Kwaidan". in English LPCM 2.0 without subtitles Trailer (1:05) The original Japanese trailer is presented here in remastered form. in 2160p HEVC HDR10, in 1.85:1, in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles DISC TWO (Blu-ray) Audio Commentary with critic and writer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (2024) The commentary from the 4K disc is repeated here. in English LPCM 2.0 without subtitles "Ghost in the Machine" 2024 Interview with Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (13:00) This new and exclusive interview with Kurosawa has him discussing his childhood love for Hammer horror films and their influence on his work, his time teaching film and being impressed with the young student Shimizu Takashi's work many years before his breakthrough with "Ju-on", the themes presented in “Pulse”, and more. It is a little too short, though he does bring up some fascinating stories here, especially his love and trauma from the Hammer film "The Gorgon". in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Apocalypse of Alienation: Gazing into the Abyss in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Pulse" 2024 Audio essay by Anton Bitel (14:11) This new and exclusive audio issue has Bitel discussing about the film's theme of isolation, the release of "Ring" and the influence it had, the early days of Internet communication, and more. There are a few points in which he stumbles on a few words, which should have been fixed in editing but were not. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles. "Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Broken Circuits" 2016 Interview (43:54) This interview with Kurosawa has him discussing his film career, from his amateur days on 8mm, his work as an assistant director, his early works in pink films and direct to video V-cinema titles, his breakthrough with "Cure" and "Charisma", and his inspiration to make "Pulse" after being inspired by "Ring". He also discusses in depth with the themes presented in the film, the inspirations from other films and filmmakers, the visuals, and more. There are also some interview clips with actor Aikawa Show who collaborated with Kurosawa on a number of titles and has a cameo appearance in "Pulse". Note this interview was originally released on the US/UK Arrow release of the film. Though note there is a bit of an issue with the presentation here, seemingly being more compressed, leading to some distracting shimmering such as on the director's shirt patterns, and not being as clear as the Arrow release. The audio level is also lower here, and the subtitles are burned into the image rather than being optional on the Arrow release. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Cinematographer Junichiro Hayashi: Creepy Images" 2016 Interview (25:04) This interview with Hayashi has him discussing about how he actually hates scary movies and was forced to study works such as "Suspiria" in order to achieve what Kurosawa wanted in the feature. He also discusses his career such as working for Yoshida Kiju, his opinions and recollections working for Kurosawa, and more. Note this interview was originally released on the US/UK Arrow release of the film. Like the previous interview, this also has the same issues with the compression, lower audio levels and subtitles being burned-in. Also note that in the menu and on the packaging, Hayashi's name is misspelled as "Hiyashi". in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Making of Pulse" 2001 documentary (41:03) This vintage documentary starts with a series of promotional spots, with the trailer and TV spots then goes into behind the scenes footage. Included are Kurosawa at work on set, interviews with Kurosawa and other members of the cast and crew, B-roll footage, and more. The behind the scenes footage and interview segments are in 1.33:1, while film clips are in the widescreen aspect ratio, in windowboxed form. Also note the footage was shot in 30fps in standard definition, but here it is upscaled to 1080p at 24fps. This causes a bit of a jitter looking at the SD footage in comparison to how it looked on past DVD and Blu-ray releases that had the footage in the original 30fps form. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1 / windowboxed 1.85:1, in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles Trailer (1:05) Like on the above disc, the original Japanese trailer is presented here in remastered form. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.85:1, in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles The film was first issued on the DVD format in the early 2000s, with each having some differing exclusive extras. It was first made available on the Blu-ray format in 2017 by Arrow for both North America and the UK (following a year's delay due to Kadokawa's HD master being reworked on). That release included the making-of documentary, and the two interviews with Kurosawa and Hayashi. It also included an appreciation from filmmakers Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett entitled "The Horror of Isolation", the 2001 Tokyo Premiere Introduction, footage from the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, four "Special Effects Breakdowns" featurettes from the original DVD release, plus TV spots and promos for NTV. Those have not been carried over to the Umbrella Entertainment release. The film has also received a 4K UHD release in France by The Jokers the same month as Umbrella's release, which has some differing exclusives of its own (though we have not confirmed the full specs of the French release). Notable clips: The original Japanese trailer with English subtitles, courtesy of Arrow Video An original Japanese TV Spot, courtesy of Arrow Video Mark Kermode's BFI Player introduction for the film Arrow Video's promo for their Blu-ray release 3rd SAMURAI Award Special Talk: “In Person: Kiyoshi Kurosawa” at the 2015 Tokyo International Film Festival, with English voice over. I attended this event for the site, and I asked the director a question at around the 90 minute mark in the video.
Packaging
The discs are packaged in a standard black 4K UHD keep case with reversible artwork. The only difference with the reversible sleeve is the lack of the Australian MA 15+ logos on the opposite side. As noted above, there is a spelling error with Hayashi's name being spelled "Hiyashi" on the inlay It is also available with a limited slipcover exclusively at the Umbrella Web Shop. There is also a Collector's Edition, limited to 2000 copies which also includes: - A 150+ page hardback book with behind-the-scenes, experiences and art - Classic poster artwork rigid case - Classic poster artwork slipcover - 8 artcards - A3 reversible poster The hardback book starts with a synopsis of the film, filled with spoilers from beginning to end. This is followed by a director's statement on the film's theme and a dated profile written around 2004. Next is a text interview Kurosawa conducted by Japan based musician and artist Jim O'Rourke on the film and his filmmaking. The interview was from 2004. Then there is "A Word with the Cast", which is text interviews and profiles of Kato, Aso and Koyuki, interviewed and written by journalists Yuko Watabe, Chizuru Yoshino and Jun Sasaki respectively at the time of the film's release in 2001 and translated to English by Aika Nakashima. This is followed by production notes on the look of the film, the special effects, the actors, and the themes. "Circuit Premiere Screening at Le Theatre in Ginza" is next, which is a transcript of the stage greeting of the premiere (which the film's English title is printed as "Circuit" here). Next are additional text interviews with Kato and Aso from 2001 to promote the film. This is followed by a lengthy text interview with special effects director Shuji Asano from 2001 discussing about the visual look, working with Kurosawa, the difficulties with practical and digital effects used. This text interview also uses the literal title of "Circuit" rather than "Pulse". "Conversation as Circuitry: The Pulse Roundtable" has critic William Bibbiani, filmmaker Paul Duane, and author Richard Kadrey in conversation about the film, its themes, and how it has stood against time more than twenty years later. Next is "The Films of Kioyshi (sic) Kurosawa: Nightares (sic) and Enigmas" looks at the director's works and continuing themes. There is no credited writer, and the typos are only with the title itself, but looking online, it seems it was written by Jerry White (who is given credit in the final page of the book). Finally there is a lengthy excerpt from "Japanese Horror Cinema and Deluze: Interrogating and Reconceptualizing Dominant Modes of Thought" by Rachel Elizabeth Barraclough. This portion features a lengthy analysis of "Pulse" with detailed examples and information. Interestingly, the keep case inlay, the slipcover, and the rigid slipcase all use artwork from the original Japanese release. No new artwork was commissioned for this by Umbrella Entertainment, though it may have been a request by rightsholder Kadokawa to use only the original artwork. The thick artcards have stills from the film. The double sided poster has the Japanese poster on one side which is also used on the keep case inlay and one the opposite side is the English poster which is also used on the rigid slipcase. The poster is folded and held in the keep case with the slipcover, and it fits along with the artcards and the book in the rigid slipcase. 
Overall
"Pulse" was a film reflecting its time and stays resonant more than twenty years later. It was equally metaphoric, frightening, and entertaining as a horror thriller and even with the dated references and some flaws with the performances it stands tall as an important work in the J-Horror genre. Umbrella Entertainment's 4K release has an excellent presentation in image and sound with a great selection of extras making it highly recommended.
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