“Fight Club” is back. And its not pulling any punches.
For its 25th anniversary, New Regency and 20th Century Studios are celebrating with a new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, overseen by director David Fincher, a theatrical re-release and a companion art book, released by Insight Editions, that features “never-before-seen visuals, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes content” (according to the official release).
The new version of the movie has been “meticulously remastered,” “offering audiences the chance to experience the film with sharper detail than ever before.” Considering that the movie amassed its massive cult following via its home video releases, including a groundbreaking, award-winning two-disc special edition DVD in 2000, this is big news. The last time the film was released was on Blu-ray in 2009 for the movie’s 10th anniversary.
As for the art book, the official release describes it as a “collector’s piece,” one that “includes new interviews, unearthed visuals, original artwork, and rare behind-the-scenes material, offering fans the deepest look yet into the making of the film and its enduring legacy.”
New Regency and 20th Century haven’t detailed when the 4K disc, theatrical re-release and book will be materializing; the film’s 25th anniversary was in October it’s safe to assume all of this will happen in 2025.
“Fight Club,” based on the acerbic novel by Chuck Palahniuk (lovingly adapted by Jim Uhls), was Fincher’s fourth feature film and the first since 1997’s “The Game.” The movie stars Edward Norton as a pencil-pusher and Brad Pitt as an unnamed anarchist; together they start an underground boxing ring called fight club that later mutates into a terrorist cell. Helena Bonham Carter, Jared Leto, Meat Loaf and Fincher regular Holt McCallany also star.
At the time, “Fight Club” spoke to the general malaise of the modern male of the 1990s and opened alongside films that tackled similar thematic territory – “Office Space,” “Election” and eventual best picture Oscar winner “American Beauty.” While polarizing upon initial release, it has grown in estimation in the years since, and is now appreciated as a modern classic. Or, as the official release states, as an “enduring symbol of cinematic innovation, with its exploration of identity, masculinity, and consumerism continuing to resonate with audiences.”
Leave a Reply