With films celebrating the lives of Freddie Mercury and Elton John currently doing big business StudioCanal’s 4k restoration of Oliver Stone’s seminal Jim Morrison biopic couldn’t be more timely— or more impressive.
Remastered from the original negative, with the work supervised by Stone himself, the new mix offers audiences an unique, immersive sound and vision experience, which includes over 25 songs from The Doors’ back catalogue.
The UHD & Blu-ray Special Edition edition is an epic four-dicer which includes the original theatrical version alongside the The Final Cut, Oliver Stone’s commentary, new interviews with Stone, deleted scenes, a French documentary following Morrison’s final months in Paris, The Doors in LA, and the When You’re Strange documentary. The three-disc Limited Edition SteelBook comes with both cuts on UHD and Blu-ray, and a wealth of extras. Everything, in fact, that that you’d expect from a top-notch StudioCanal release.
But while the The Final Cut is a gem for collectors and music-enthusiasts alike, let’s not forget what made this film such a cult: the performances. Val Kilmer is incredible as Morrison, whose spiralling descent into drug-fuelled excess is as believable as it is tragic. Kyle MacLachlan is both surprising and compelling as Ray Manzarek—the man who provided The Doors’ instantly recognisable keyboards. And Meg Ryan as Morrison’s free-spirited partner escapes the usual ‘girlfriend’ stereotype to become a fascinating character in her own right.
The Doors: The Final Cut. Come for the music. Stay for the experience.