You're Next (DVD)

This is a great horror/slasher film that I somehow overlooked when it was first released. The setup is a family reunion in a remote rural community that's interrupted by masked invaders who try to pick off the family members one by one. But it quickly becomes clear this isn't a by-the-book slasher, as the characters actually prove themselves to be quite capable of surviving and fighting back against their would-be assailants. The film and its characters are very savvy to horror tropes, and much more relatable to the perspective of the audience. If you've ever felt frustrated watching a slasher film and trying to wrap your head around why the characters in these films always lack both intelligent and basic survival instinct, then this film will be a catharsis to watch. While there aren't a lot of special features on the disc, the commentaries were actually pretty entertaining in their own right - especially the second commentary track with two of the actresses. There's a lot of humor and camaraderie mixed in, not just technical explanations and breaking down the scenes. Otherwise, not much else going on in the replay department. The only thing I didn't like was the packaging quality, as is the deal with pretty much every DVD or Blu-ray you can find on Walmart these days. Cheap, flimsy "eco" cases, no inserts, no codes or other bonuses, etc. I suppose it's not that big of a deal, but I know a lot of people prefer to keep their physical media in its original case on a shelf rather than putting the disc in a folder. These flimsy eco cases just aren't going to hold up to the wear and tear of regular usage. I'm still of the persuasion that I would rather own physical media than "rent" it from streaming services or digital platforms. Digital isn't forever, as many of us have unfortunately come to realize when digital stores lose licenses and good chunks of their digital libraries. So I'm glad films are generally still pressed to DVD/BD these days. Consider I paid about $6 for this, and that's probably about the same price for buying digital. Definitely worth it, even if the quality of the packaging leaves something to be desired.