What started off as an interesting story about the Milgram Experiment turned into a bit of a bore of film in the second half, though Peter Sarsgaard does give a fine performance and director Michael Almereyda certainly didn’t go the conventional route in the story and filmmaking style, so Experimenter does at least stand out in that regard.
Experimenter: The Stanley Milgram Story
(2015)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Drama
Magnolia | PG13 – 98 min. – $29.98 | January 5, 2016
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THE MOVIE – 2.5/5 |
| Plot Synopsis: Yale University, 1961. Stanley Milgram (PETER SARSGAARD) designs a psychology experiment that remains relevant to this day, in which people think they’re delivering painful electric shocks to an affable stranger (JIM GAFFIGAN) strapped into a chair in another room. Disregarding his please for mercy, the majority of subjects do not stop the experiment, administrating what they think are near-fatal electric shocks, simply because they’ve been told to.
Milgram’s exploration of authority and conformity strikes a nerve in popular culture and the scientific community. Celebrated in some circles, he is also accused of being a deceptive, manipulative monster. His wife Sasha (WINONA RYDER) anchors him through it all. Quick Hit Review: The experiment at the center of the film is interesting, the rest of the film, that being the aftermath and ethical implications on those examined, aren’t as enthralling though Peter Sarsgaard is quite good as Milgram especially considering the unusual format of breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the audience along with some out of the ordinary style choices including using rear projection for one sequence. Outside of that, Experimenter isn’t bad but passably entertaining but not by much. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5 |
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The Making of Experimenter (5:51; HD) – This featurette is basic enough with some on-set interviews with members of the cast and crew explaining the origin of the story and the main character. Understanding Stanley Milgram: An Interview with Joel Milgram (5:33; HD) – Stanley’s brother, Joel, talks about Stanley and the legacy of his experiment. Designing Experimenter (5:10; HD) delves into the production design for the film. Previews – Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, Best of Enemies, Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of National Lampoon, Sunshine Superman |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Experimenter is shown with a 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec) and presented in its original 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio. It’s nothing fancy, but the film does look good in HD with warm colors in keeping with the tone and setting (mainly in the 60s and 70s) while detail is good especially for the close-up shots. There was some banding in transitional scenes but for the most part it’s a nice transfer with no discernible signs of aliasing or artifacts. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The movie comes with an adequate 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Given the movie is purely dialogue-driven, with some room left over for the soundtrack and score, it doesn’t make for the most expansive or dynamic lossless track. That said, dialogue levels are crisp, clear and clean while the score, as well as ambient noises, makes the most usage of the front and rear channels. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, what started off as an interesting story about the Milgram Experiment turned into a bit of a bore of film in the second half, though Peter Sarsgaard does give a fine performance and director Michael Almereyda certainly didn’t go the conventional route in the story and filmmaking style, so Experimenter does at least stand out in that regard. The Blu-ray release offers good video/audio transfers but the bonus material is limited.
Published: 12/25/2015 ** Click Here to Purchase Experimenter on Blu-ray from Amazon.com ** |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.