Back in 1984, a young aspiring actress named Elisabeth Shue lit up screens with her performance as Ali Mills in the box-office hit film The Karate Kid. Largely considered Shue’s breakout film, before The Karate Kid she had a small role in the 1983 film Somewhere, Tomorrow opposed by an also then-unknown Sarah Jessica Parker. Ironically Shue reportedly won out the role as Ali Mills over consideration for Helen Hunt and Demi Moore because of her involvement in a 1983 popular Burger King commercial performing a Whooper.
Just some fascinating tidbits of information, we all know Shue would go on a sensational career in film including big roles in 1987’s Adventures in Babysitting, 1988’s Cocktail, and 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas. With all of this in mind, how many are aware that back in 1986 a Horror film called Link starring Shue as the lead was released? Probably very few, but the heavily glossed-over Link arrived in theaters around the USA in October of 1986.
Directed by Richard Franklin (known for 1978’s Patrick and 1983’s Psycho II), Link also featured a cast of the award-winning Terence Stamp as the eccentric Dr. Steven Phillip opposite Shue who portrays the bright Jane Chase, a young American zoology student seeking to assist him with his studies of chimpanzees. Off to his mansion in the middle of nowhere, Jane is fascinated by the primates’ behavior, but soon matters become a little more dangerous than anyone anticipates. With Dr. Phillip soon vanishing, Jane is up against a group of intelligent, hostile chimps led by one they call Link. Can we make it out alive?
A story filled with intrigue and mystery, you cannot help but wonder what makes the chimps tick. Furthermore, there is certainly an element of suspense ala Alfred Hitchcock styling, and this stands to reason considering Franklin did direct the first sequel to the classic 1960 Psycho. Bringing the mood together, legendary Composer Jerry Goldsmith handled the memorable quirky soundtrack which certainly sticks with you.
A film with a lot of potential, unfortunately, Link was considered a box office failure… and as a result, has been lost in the sands of time. A factor that resulted in a canceled sequel, it also did not help that the film was edited and edited again with chunks of time removed for early releases. Nonetheless, Link did make it to DVD in 2001, and Blu-ray in 2019, but now in 2024, it pops up in 4K Ultra HD. Brought to you by Kino Lorber on September 24, 2024, it marks the second release of Link by the distributor, the first being the aforementioned 2019 Blu-ray. Noting this, the new 4K Ultra HD edition takes the 2019 4K restoration and puts it on a 4K UHD format disc for the first time.
With that, the new 2-disc 4K UHD edition practically mirrors the 2019 Blu-ray edition in every aspect, down to each special feature. Something to consider if you already own the Blu-ray, if you do not, this new release has everything you want. Explaining this, you get Link on a 4K UHD disc, but you also get the 4K version of the film on the Blu-ray disc. A win-win if you own a Blu-ray player or a 4K player, the transfer is a substantial upgrade from early VHS or DVD releases.
So, if you are one of the few who remember Link, and appreciate this early performance from Elisabeth Shue, or are just someone simply curious, this is a worthwhile addition to your collection. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD release of Link 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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