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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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The
Perfect Storm
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Reviewed
by: |
David
Litton |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Video: |
2.35:1
widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby
Digital 5.1 EX |
| Language: |
English,
French |
| Subtitle: |
English,
French |
| Length: |
2
hrs, 10 min |
| Rating: |
PG-13 |
| Release
Date: |
12/5/00 |
| Studio: |
Warner
Bros |
| Commentary:
|
3,
one with director Wolfgang Petersen, one with novelist Sebastian
Junger, one with visual effects supervisor and producer Stefen
Fangmeier and Helen Ostenberg Elswit |
| Documentaries:
|
No |
| Featurettes:
|
3
behind-the-scenes featurettes |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
Yes |
|
Interviews: |
No
|
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Yes |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
No |
| Music
Video: |
No |
| Other:
|
DVD-ROM
features, photo montage, concept art gallery with commentary,
storyboards |
| Cast
and Crew: |
George Clooney,
Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, William Fichtner, Karen Allen, Allen
Payne, Bob Gunton, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio |
| Screenplay
by: |
Written by:
Bill Wittliff |
| Produced
by: |
Paula Weinstein, Wolfgang
Petersen and Gail Katz |
| Directed
By: |
Wolfgang Petersen |
| Music: |
James Horner |
| The
Review: |
In one of
the most enthusiastic and enthralling historical pieces since
Titanic, "The Perfect Storm" hits the waves and hits them hard,
soaking audiences the world over with a slam-bang ensemble of
stunning visual effects and an explosive sound design that accompanies
a heartfelt true story as told in the best-selling novel by
Sebastian Junger. It's one of those movies that, after you see
it, you find that you had so much fun during the experience
that you want to relive it all over again. The plot tells the
story of the Andrea Gail, which is shown in the beginning moments
as coming in from a trip at sea, carrying with it a load of
fish that is less than satisfying to the owner of the boat.
This puts the boat's captain, Billy Tyne, under the added pressure
of making a better catch the next trip. He is soon given an
ultimatum: he must leave on a trip the following day and bring
back a bigger catch if he wants to keep his position as captain.
So it's off to sea again for the crew, but not before we are
given a warming glance at each one's life on land. Their luck
looks like it's running out, so they venture further out into
the Atlantic to increase their find. While they are at sea,
three storm systems, one of which is a hurricane, begin to move
towards one another, and will soon collide directly in the path
of the Andrea Gail's return back to port. Tyne gives his crew
a choice: they can run away from the storm, or head right into
it and attempt to make it back home. Now, we all know that it
wouldn't be a true summer movie if they decided to tuck tail
and run, so you guessed it right; they decide to head for port.
This is where the action of the film will pick up the pace and
never stop moving. As the men battle for their lives at sea,
one disaster solved is another brought about, and it's non-stop
action up until the gut-wrenching, breathtakingly climactic
ending that comes too soon for those deeply involved in its
plot. It has been said that special effects should not be allowed
to dominate a story unless it is crucial to the telling of the
tale. This movie is an example of how costly special effects
can create the setting for the movie's intense action sequences,
as most of them would be impossible to film in an actual storm
of this magnitude. They work with the film, not dominating it
or causing people to pay more attention to the handy work than
to the story. A special comment must be made on the sound design
of this film, which is totally superb. The musical score is
well-defined, with chords of heavy bass and strings that wrap
well into the surround channels. When the storm hits, there
is a constant rumbling from the .1 LFE channel that delivers
room-shaking bass, as well as surround sound that is sure to
please. The cast works incredibly well with the story, bringing
genuine life to each character. George Clooney is fantastic
in his role as captain Billy Tyne, the man who nevers gives
up when the chances are slim and the luck is down. Mark Wahlberg
gives one of his best performances as Bobby Shatford, who is
in love with Christina Cotter, played by Diane Lane. These two
lovers are the main core for the emotion of the audience, along
with the other crew members and their families and how the final
fate of the Andrea Gail affects them all. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
is also present, portraying the only female swordfishing captain
in Gloucester who has a crush on Billy Tyne and wants to look
out for his well being. Under the superb direction of Wolfgang
Peterson, the Perfect Storm is a brilliant piece of filmmaking
that sets a new standard for special effects storytelling as
well as bringing to life a group of people who never gave up,
even in the most extreme situation imaginable. -- |
| Image
and Sound |
A deluge
of wonderful sound and visual effects are given their due credit
in this magnificent digital transfer to DVD from Warner Bros.
The image quality is crisp and detailed, devoid of noise or
distractions, with accurate fleshtones and clear images. The
sound is mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 extended surrround, which
brings out the surrounds as well as a dramatic low-level bass
frequency in the most climactic sequences. A stunning and very
impressive DVD achievement. -- |
| The
Extras |
One of Warner
Bros. better DVD releases, with a full section of special features
giving away all the movie's secrets and inspirations. The HBO
making-of featurette goes in depth about the making of the movie
itself, while "Witness to the Storm" gives us survivor accounts
of the actual historical event. A concept art gallery gives
us an artist's viewpoint of the unfinished scenes and special
effects, while a storyboard gallery shows us how the scenes
were layed out before filming. A photo montage, DVD-ROM features,
theatrical trailer, cast and crew biographies, and commentaries
make this one heck of a DVD!
|
| Commentary |
The first
commentary by director Wolfgang Petersen is your basic director
commentary. Petersen talks about his experiences on the set
of the film, his interaction with the cast and the production
team, and how the movie came to be. The second commentary, by
Sebastian Junger, author of the novel that inspired the movie,
allows Junger to converse about the movie's relevance to the
novel as well as his reasons for writing the novel. The third
commentary, with visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier
and producer Helen Ostenberg Elswit, gives us an account of
the creation of the film's intense visual effects and other
things involved in shooting the movie. Very interesting pieces,
here. |
| Final
Words: |
Coming very
close to being the "Titanic" event of the summer of 2000, "The
Perfect Storm" is a nicely rendered historical account of an
ocean voyage gone wrong, devoid of an iceberg or an ocean liner.
The special effects are dazzling, the cast commendable, and
the experience jolting. A perfect hit! |
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