|
“Godsend”
|
 |
Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Horror |
| Video: |
2.35:1 Anamorphic
Widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
Surround 5.1 |
| Languages |
English |
| Subtitles |
English,
Spanish |
| Length |
102 minutes
|
| Rating |
PG-13 |
| Release Date |
8/17/04 |
| Studio |
Lion’s Gate
Home Video |
| Commentary:
|
Director
and Cinematographer Commentary |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Trailers |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
Alternate
endings with commentary from director Hamm and screenwriter
Mark Bomback |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
Storyboards
|
| Cast
and Crew: |
Greg Kinnear,
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Robert De Niro, Cameron Bright |
| Written
By: |
Mark Bomback
|
| Produced
By: |
Mark Bomback,
Sean O’Keefe, Marc Butan |
| Directed
By: |
Nick Hamm
|
| Music:
|
Brian Tyler
|
| The
Review: |
I would have pegged this for a comedy
if not the moody cinematography and the minor twists and turns
of the plot. A weak thriller at best, “Godsend” disappeared
from cinemas fairly quickly for one simple reason—it’s a bad
movie. Like any movie that veers into the opposite lane of
traffic, “Godsend” is as absorbing as watching a car accident.
You can’t look away but you wish you had. Once the crash occurs,
you want to move on to watching more important things. Trapping
a solid cast in a movie of this caliber should be a crime.
Greg Kinnear has demonstrated pretty good acting chops as
had the attractive Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. Robert DeNiro? He
did a variation on this in “Angel Heart”. Except here he’s
not the devil just acting like one. ***
Grieving parents Paul and Jessie
Duncan (Greg Kinnear & Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) would give anything
to reverse the car accident that took their son’s life. Richard
Wells (Robert DeNiro) offers them a way to bring Adam Duncan
(Cameron Bright) from the great beyond; Wells proposes cloning
their son but they can’t tell anyone about it because it’s
illegal. At first things are idyllic. It’s as if the accident
never happened and Paul & Jessie suddenly have their lives
back on track. But when Adam begins telling them about his
imaginary friend Zachary and bad things start to happen, it’s
clear that the boy may look and sound like their son but he’s
something else entirely. ---
|
| Image
and Sound: |
“Godsend”
looks pretty darn good on DVD. Like a lot of recent movie releases,
the image quality is stellar with no analog blemishes but some
minor digital compression problems. The top-notch cinematography
of Kramer Morgenthau (“The Man from Elysian Fields”) compliments
this science fiction horror story. From being the sterile look
that one might expect for a science fiction thriller, Morgenthau
goes for a look recalling the beauty of the sunny suburbs which
quickly goes awry as the film descends into darkness. Director
Nick Hamm creates some stunning compositions in collaboration
with Morgenthau that are faithfully reproduced in this nicely
done transfer. The dark colors of the film appear as rich and
moist as chocolate cake. The creepy score by Brian Tyler takes
an unconventional tact and helps create the perfect mood for
this movie. The sound transfer brings Tyler’s score to life
recreating the presence and power of his music for home video.
--- |
| The
Extras: |
You know
you’re in trouble when a film has alternate endings. How many
you ask? Not one, not two, not three but FOUR ALTERNATE ENDINGS
(not including the one finally chosen). It’s clear that Hamm
and screenwriter Mark Bomback (a derivative thriller called
“The Night Caller”) couldn’t decide on how to conclude this
promising film. When bad films happen to good people, those
same good people look for a band aid to cover up their mistake.
None of the endings completely work and none are as convincing
as they should be. What you’ll discover in watching the different
endings is that the one they chose was, quite possibly, the
worst of the lot.
|
| Commentary:
|
With a commentary
featuring director Hamm and cinematographer Morgenthau you’d
expect a film that focuses on the visual aspect of the film.
You’d be right. While both make some winning comments on the
strong performances in the film and the way the actors play
their scenes, both primarily focus on the visual presentation
of the film. |
| Final
Words: |
“Godsend”
should be subtitled “When Bad Films Happen to Good People”.
The talented cast, director and crew can’t bring writer Bomback’s
poorly written thriller to life. Bomback has the germ of a great
idea here but doesn’t quite know what to do with it beyond rehashing
“The Bad Seed” crossed with “Frankenstein”. It’s a pity because
there was so much more that could have been done with this thriller.
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