Review of Memento

Introduction

Christopher and Jonathan Nolan were driving along one evening, discussing the plot of the latter`s new short story: Memento Mori.

Christopher thought it had potential. Real potential in fact. So, he began adapting the story in his own way, changing a few things, adding a few things et cetera. Soon, Memento was born - a tale of revenge in the highest order.

The plot for Memento starts off simple enough: Leonard Shelby is hunting the killer of his wife. The only problem is, Leonard has no short-term memory: meaning he can`t make any new memories, leading him to rely on tattooing himself, writing everything down and taking Polaroid pictures of people and things he encounters.

The type of movie that I enjoy the most, is original thrillers. Thrillers that have brains, and don`t resort to some tacky action sequence or plot that we have seen so many times before. So, Memento is a breath of fresh air - a movie that criss-crosses through time, slowly adding pieces to the ever-largening jigsaw, before everything slots into place at the end...but only if you are attentive enough to gather all the facts.

Guy Pearce (LA Confidential et al) plays Shelby. But, he doesn`t just play Shelby, he is Shelby - a man on a personal mission, to avenge the death of a wife he loved. Now he is alone in the world, with a fractured memory. The way Pearce plays Shelby makes you wonder why he didn`t win the Best Actor gong, it`s really that good.

Video

A flawless 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen transfer, with no compression signs, deep visuals and an excellent use of the palette.

Memento is quite a visceral movie - it radiates off the screen in a way that captivates you. There is no boring sub-plot, no lapse in the action...in short Memento will have you hooked from the opening to (rather abrubt) end credits. Fortunately, the excellent transfer takes care of the visuals nicely.

Audio

A DD 5.1 track is on offer. It is constantly crisp and clear, with an excellent main audio stream combined with good surround sound.

Memento doesn`t have explosions or gun fights, it`s not a pointless action movie. However, what you do get will be reproduced excellently by your sound system.

Features

First of all, the menus are all very well designed, and the special features menu is good to say the least. It is a series of Polaroid photos, and from these you can select what extras take your fancy.

The best one is the 23 minute in-depth interview with director Christopher Nolan; whilst the other features aren`t that insightful, they do all combine together to explain just how this film was made.

To showcase the true potential of DVD, there is a hidden feature that allows you to watch Memento in chronological order (access this by clicking the last Polaroid...when you see the picture of Guy Pearce) which does lose the flair of the film yet makes it good on a different level, and if you are confused at all, it should clear up any problems you have.

Conclusion

The movie is groundbreaking, nothing like it has ever been done before, and the only thing since its release that comes close is probably the TV show 24, which uses time in a different (but still original) manner.

Disc wise, everything is above board, and will make the most of your setup.

To put it bluntly, this is a great movie on a DVD oozing with quality. Fox Pathé have done well here - although some of the extras could do with some more work (perhaps interviews with the cast and perhaps a more definite `making-of` would serve the DVD even more, but as it stands it is my favourite DVD of 2002 so far.

Well worth owning.