|
|
Review
Archives
1
| 2 | 3
|
|
Today's
Date is:
|
|
Unbreakable
|
|
Reviewed
by: |
Rachel
Hughes |
| Genre: |
Thriller/Suspense |
| Video: |
Anamorphic
Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Audio: |
DTS
5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Language: |
French
and Spanish |
| Subtitle: |
English
and Spanish |
| Length: |
1hr
47mins |
| Rating: |
PG-13 |
| Release
Date: |
6-26-01 |
| Studio: |
Touchstone |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
"Behind-the-Scenes"
and "Comic Books & Superheros" |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
7
deleted scenes |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
"Train
Station Sequence: Multi-Angle Feature" and "Night's First Fight
Sequence" |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Bruce Willis,
Samuel L. Jackson, and Robin Wright Penn |
| Screenplay
by: |
M. Night
Shyamalan |
| Produced
by: |
M. Night
Shyamalan, Barry Mendel and Sam Mercer |
| Directed
By: |
Written By M. Night Shyamalan |
| Music: |
James Newton Howard |
| The
Review: |
How would
you react if a complete stranger told you that you are a superhero?
This is the question "Unbreakable" attempts to answer. David
Dunn (Willis) is a normal working stiff with problems at home,
and nothing too unusual ever happening. Then one day he is taking
a train home and the train derails. He is the sole survivor,
and he doesn't have a scratch on him. As he looks back on his
life he realizes that he has never been sick, never injured.
He then meets Elijah Price (Jackson), a man the exact opposite
of himself. Price suffers from a bone disease that causes his
bones to break easily. Price runs "Limited Edition" a comic
book art gallery. He has been waiting his whole life to find
someone like Dunn, who he believes, is a real life comic book
hero. In today's cinematic world "Unbreakable" distinguishes
itself by being original. Shyamalan has created a unique story
with his signature surprise ending. The camera work is brilliant
and truly enhances the mood of the movie. The cast, especially
Jackson, all does a tremendous job. The only criticism of the
film is the pacing. Shyamalan wanted the pacing to be deliberate,
but in several spots he risks the audience becoming uninterested.
There were long stretches where we were just hoping something
would happen to get us to the next stage of the story. Overall
though, the movie is worth watching, and it actually seems more
at home on a TV screen rather than the big screen.
|
| Image
and Sound |
The transfer
of this print was done wonderfully. Sharpness and detail are
superb throughout the movie, with good detail in the shadows.
There are a few tiny flaws, but nothing distracting. This is
extremely important because Shyamalan is a visual director.
Colors shading, and brightness all play important parts in the
telling of the story. There are fluctuations of color intensity,
but this is intentional. If this transfer had been done poorly
the feel of the movie would have suffered greatly. The sound
quality is also remarkably good. The movie is a dialogue driven
film. However there are a few scenes where your entire speakers
will come to life. Most notably is the uniquely filmed train
station sequence. The dialogue can all clearly be heard. In
addition the score by Howard comes through excellently and adds
another dimension to the story. |
| The
Extras |
Comparatively
this is a disappointing extras package. All of the extras are
located on disc two. First off there is a "Behind-the-Scenes"
featurette. This runs just over 14 minutes. It features brief
snippets with all of the principle participants. It touches
briefly on such subjects as: story, costumes, producers, sound
design and locations. While this is interesting, there are several
times when you wish they would go into more detail. The back
of the DVD covers states "featuring Bruce Willis," but he isn't
in it anymore than anyone else. Next is another featurette entitled
"Comic Books and Superheros." Again the back of the DVD cover
has this linked with Samuel L. Jackson. While he does appear,
his appearances are brief. The feature consists of comic book
artists, authors and authorities. This runs about 20 minutes.
While it is informative, people who are more familiar with comic
books will get more out of it. The next feature "Train Station
Sequence: Multi-Angle Feature" is the most interesting. Here
you can watch the Train Station sequence in a variety of different
ways. There are two visual choices: the final version, and animated
storyboards. While watching you can toggle between to the two
angles. There are three audio choices: 5.1 Final mix (same as
the film) 5.1 Score with the only audio being the score and
5.1 Effects which has only the sound effects. The only disappointment
is that you cannot go from one sound choice to the other while
watching the scene. There are also seven deleted scenes. These
range from less than a minute to over five. You can watch the
scenes as a continual whole or individually. M. Night Shyamalan
introduces each scene and explains why he filmed the scene,
why it was cut, and how he feels about that decision. The final
extra is just thrown in for pure fun. This is an excerpt from
an early film Shyamalan shot when he was teen. It is from his
first action film "Millionaire." The scene is the final climactic
fight. Shyamalan introduces the segment. While it is painful
to watch, it is worth it! Also included in the case is a brief
booklet, and two collectible Alex Ross Illustrations, |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
Like "Sixth
Sense" this film is worth a second viewing. There are several
subtle themes and hints that you simply miss the first time
around. The picture and sound quality make this a definite renter
on DVD. However as a debut for the Vista Series this is a disappointment.
There are no commentaries, trailers, filmography or any of the
other usual features. With such a small extras package there
is no justification for making this a two-disc set. I would
only recommend buying this if you are a fan of the movie, and
can find it at a good price. |
|
|
|
