Think your screens are watching you? In COME PLAY, not only are they watching you, they also want you to meet Larry. The story follows these devices which begin to haunt a young austistic boy named Oliver (a terrific Azhy Robertson) who is already having troubles at school with communicating through his phone and dealing with bullies. His parents (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr) are also having troubles in their relationship and have their own unique ways of parenting Oliver. As Oliver’s parents try to work with Oliver’s condition, the creepy app on Oliver’s phone comes even more to life.
And as always, I want to leave it at a basic description as the real fun of the movie starts pretty quickly and I loved all of the horror elements here. Directed VERY well by Jacob Chase and based off of his short film of the same name, COME PLAY is another example of a movie that had an extremely limited theatrical run in available theaters in North America, which is unfortunate as this is a great example of a genre horror concept that would play well with a packed audience on a Friday night. I was lucky enough to see in a very large auditorium with a big screen and loud sound system (with 10 other people, all socially distanced), and getting to visit it again on Blu Ray really makes me miss the theatrical experience. It’s also why I know the theatrical experience will survive as movies like COME PLAY are clearly made for it.
About the Blu Ray:
COME PLAY arrives on Blu Ray with a solid transfer in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Shot digitally, the movie has a dark look overall and mostly set in a single house with a few exterior daylight settings. It’s a well shot movie with a very good use of the scope frame. More impressive is the 5.1 DTS Master Audio track, with subtle effects moving all around the soundfield and deep bass when showcasing the big scares. This is definitely a mix to showcase your surround sound system, if you have one.
I still wonder why these and some other Universal titles (some of which will be reviewed shortly on GRM) only go so far as Blu Ray titles and why no 4k HDR disc is available, despite a 4k HDR version available on Apple TV.
There are no features to speak of on this Blu Ray release, not even a theatrical trailer, which was a bit surprising to see. Upon loading the disc I was surprised no trailers preceded the main menu either. I am curious if a future release is planned with a commentary track or some behind the scenes retrospective is planned. I’d be interested in even having the short film included and how Jacob Chase came to adapting it to a feature. A digital copy is also included which in Canada can be redeemed to Google Play/YouTube and Movies Anywhere in the US.
COME PLAY is now available on Blu Ray from Universal Home Video. My thanks as always to ThinkJam PR for sending along a copy for review.