Some folks confuse “original” with “good”, as just because a movie does something new doesn’t necessarily mean it works. In fact, many times flicks that go down an unusual path fall flat because they seem self-consciously odd. Plenty of “ground-breaking” offerings appear to try weird things for no reason other than to be different, which can make them unsatisfying.

And then there’s Memento. We’ve seen a number of non-linear flicks over the years, with Pulp Fiction and the like, but Memento takes this concept to an extreme.

Essentially, it runs its story in reverse. Of course, that’s not literally possible, since it’d require everything to go backwards and that would make it awfully tough to understand the dialogue.

Instead, Memento provides a series of scenes. Those go in the normal direction, but filmmaker Christopher Nolan compiles them in a way that goes against the standard chronological presentation. Nolan connects these sequences with linking and expositional pieces.

The story of Memento presents an interesting tale no matter in what direction we see it. It concerns Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man who believes burglars killed his wife during a break-in.

A violent part of this traumatic incident affected Leonard’s brain and left him without any short-term memory abilities. As he tries to find the murderers and exact his revenge, his disorder means that he finds it exceedingly tough to maintain focus and piece together the mystery.

Leonard involves some others in his quest. Primarily we get to know Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) and Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), but their involvement with Leonard seems shady at times. Since the movie progresses in an episodic manner with a reverse chronology, their motives and actions remain mysterious.

Memento easily could have degenerated into nothing more than a cheap gimmick, but it never does. Instead, Nolan uses the altered chronology as an asset, mostly because it helps put us in Leonard’s head. It forces us to gain an appreciation for the confusion that he experiences.

Unlike Leonard, we remember what we see, which makes some of the scenes so powerful, but the chronology creates disorientation in the viewer that forces us to deal with events in a weird way. That makes us identify with Leonard to a stronger degree, and it also means that we question what we know much more strongly.

In addition to Nolan’s sturdy direction, Memento benefits from consistently solid acting. Pearce seems especially strong as Leonard. He allows himself to portray the character’s confusion and coping strategies but doesn’t turn him into a cartoon. Pearce makes Leonard a compelling and believable personality despite his unusual affliction. He seems just confused enough for us to accept it, but he doesn’t overdo the issue.

Ultimately, that’s the main reason why Memento works so well. At no point does it ever go over the top in any way, as it grounds its unusual stylistic choices in a tight and compelling tale. The movie seems consistently clever and provocative, and despite the quirky elements, it holds up very well to additional viewings. Memento turns into a terrific modern film noir.

Memento appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. I felt pleased with this consistently appealing image.

Sharpness seemed fine. Only a smidgen of softness ever materialized, as the majority of the film showed solid delineation. Jagged edges and moiré effects also caused no problems, and I noticed no signs of edge enhancement. With a good layer of grain, I didn’t suspect any overzealous digital noise reduction, and the movie lacked specks, marks or other print flaws.

Colors provided good reproduction of the source material. At times the hues looked overly hot, but that went along with the design, so I thought the hues worked appropriately for the material. Black levels were dense and tight, especially during the film’s black and white segments; those demonstrated solid contrast and definition. Shadow detail also looked accurate and nicely opaque. This became a strong version of the film.

Overall, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio maintained a rather simple soundfield. It emphasized the forward channels, which displayed good imaging. The spare score presented a fine stereo presence, and effects also appeared in natural and clearly delineated locations. Surround activity showed up infrequently. I noticed some sound from the rear when Leonard shot Teddy, but mostly, those channels featured little more than general reinforcement and some music.

Audio quality seemed positive. Speech displayed natural tones; a little edginess came through during an argument scene, but otherwise the lines sounded fine. Given their low-key presence, effects didn’t tax the track, but they seemed accurate and detailed, and they displayed solid bass punch when appropriate. Music sounded clear and lively and also presented nice dynamics. Don’t expect fireworks here, but the track suited the movie.

How did the Blu-ray compare to the 2003 Limited Edition DVD? Audio was a bit more robust and concise, and visuals seemed cleaner and more accurate. I had no problems with the DVD but I felt the Blu-ray improved upon it.

The disc mixes old and new extras. Up first we find an audio commentary from director Christopher Nolan, who offers a running, screen-specific affair. Nolan’s dry personality makes the track seem a little slow at times, but he nonetheless offers a lot of solid information about the movie. He mostly focuses on the particular challenges created by this unusual production.

Nolan includes some nuts and bolts material, but most of the time he chats about interpretation of the film, what he intended to do with various techniques, and the intricacies of the format. Nolan helps explain some issues that can seem confusing, like the alternate use of black and white or color photography, and he generally provides a compelling and useful discussion of the production.

One of the more substantial components on the disc, Anatomy of a Scene offers a 25-minute and 15-second program originally aired on the Sundance Channel. The show provides interviews with writer/director Christopher Nolan, editor Dody Dorn, composer David Julyan, producer Jennifer Todd, actor Joe Pantoliano, production designer Patti Podesta, and cinematographer Wally Pfister. They cover some general issues like casting and visual design, but they mostly hold true to the program’s title as they discuss the movie’s opening (or ending, depending on your point of view). We get some nice details about the production and how they wanted to work things in this interesting little piece.

New to the Blu-ray, Remembering Memento goes for seven minutes, 44 seconds and offers notes from Nolan. The show covers the film’s roots and development, story/script and challenges connected to the narrative, cast and crew, and general thoughts. Nolan delivers a handful of fresh notes in this engaging chat.

From 2000, IFC Interview with Christopher Nolan fills 23 minutes, 51 seconds with a chat between Nolan and film critic Elvis Mitchell. Nolan discusses concepts related to memory, story/character topics, influences and the movie’s structure, cast and performances, thoughts about his first film, and some additional notes. Though he repeats some info from elsewhere, this still becomes a good discussion.

A text extra, Memento Mori takes us through Jonathan Nolan’s original treatment for the story. Tattoo Sketches offers five screens with close-ups of the messages on Leonard’s body, while Leonard’s Journal shows six pages from that tome. All of these are good additions to the disc.

The disc opens with ads for Buried, Apocalypse Now, Monster’s Ball and Winter’s Bone. No trailer for Memento appears on the disc.

What does the Blu-ray drop from the Limited Edition DVD? It loses a chronological cut of the movie as well as a screenplay, trailers and various still images. I miss all of them, though the absence of the chronological version becomes the most painful excision; while I don’t think it’s a great way to view the story, it’s still a cool option.

A genuinely unusual and intriguing movie, Memento provides something different for the film noir genre. It never falls back on gimmicks and it seems like a consistently entertaining and compelling effort. The Blu-ray boasts positive picture and audio along with a fairly interesting collection of supplements. It’s too bad not all of the Limited Edition DVD’s components come along for the ride, but the improvements in terms of movie presentation make this the version of Memento to own.

To rate this film, visit the original review of MEMENTO