Memento: Blu-ray (10th Anniversary Edition) (2000)

If I were to ever make a list of my 25 favorite movies, there is no doubt that Memento would be on it. This is one of the movies that showed me there was more than just Hollywood blockbusters out there and opened my eyes to a whole new world of film exploration that I'm still obsessed with finding. It's hard to believe that it's been ten years already but here we are. I've watched Memento multiple times over the years and while it's rewatchability would seem to be a giant question mark, it has never been an issue for me. I still get lost into the hazy world of Leonard Shelby and look for new clues that director Christopher Nolan has scattered throughout the film. I won't get into the storyline as I assume everyone has either already seen Memento or probably has no interest in doing so. The important thing is answering if the new blu-ray version is worth the upgrade from DVD for existing fans of the film.

Memento has already been released on blu-ray once before and while I did not ever see that disc, I have read in numerous places the quality was no better than a good dvd upconvert. Thankfully this 10th anniversary edition gives a blu-ray presentation that is worthy of the film. The films color sequences are a full of life, with detail being excellent and colors being crisp and lifelike. The black and white sequences are a little more intentionally stylized but again detail is excellent and while they're a little softer than the best quality transfers, a lot of that has to do with how Nolan shot them. The audio track is top notch as well. Dialogue is always well balanced and understandable. Gunshots carry some serious low end heft. Surround usage isn't constant but there is a lot of good atmosphere going on and when they do come alive, it is with superb directionality.

Even after multiple viewings and many other fantastic films, Memento remains my personal favorite from Christopher Nolan. It's a genius work of writing, direction, editing and acting. The 10th anniversary blu-ray is spectacular and fitting of the film itself. This one is well worth a double dip.


Ratings:

Movie: 5
Blu-ray: 4.5