6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
This rousing tale of buried treasure, bleached bones, battles, duels and, above all, romance is set on the high seas of the 1600s--when men were daring... and so were the women. Morgan Adams, the beautiful daughter of a pirate, inherits a portion of a coveted treasure map. Also inheriting command of her late father's ship, The Morning Star, Morgan and her men set off on a mission to lay claim to her fortune. In an effort to decipher the map's contents, she buys the handsome, educated William Shaw at a slave auction. A swindler and cheat who has finally been snared, Shaw joins the crew of The Morning Star and helps Morgan steal another portion of the map. Together they set sail in a race to beat the sinister pirate Dawg Brown to the legendary treasure of Cutthroat Island.
Starring: Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, Frank Langella, Maury Chaykin, Patrick MalahideAction | 100% |
Adventure | 52% |
Romance | 14% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English, English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Let me start by saying that if I see one more frat boy dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow for Halloween, I think I might heave ho over the starboard bow. When Johnny Depp and company stormed our shores back in 2003 with The Curse of the Black Pearl, pirates suddenly became the mass-accepted, geek subculture icon de jour, and every half-hot jock from UCLA to Penn State suddenly thought he could charm the pantaloons off the ladies by donning a blouse, covering a few teeth with tin-foil, and acting like a drunk. It happens every couple of years— some nerd-core concept gets thrust into the limelight and embraced by the culture at large. It happened with zombies during the one-two-three combo of 28 Days Later, the Dawn of the Dead remake, and Land of the Dead, and now vampires are the latest geek-chic craze to be bled dry, with teen girls swooning at Twilight and HBO’s True Blood offering up a wicked snack for more mature audiences. The wave of pirate interest has since crested and receded, and I have a feeling Lionsgate’s Blu-ray release of Cutthroat Island will be received without much fanfare.
Previously on LOST...
Cutthroat Island slices and dices its way onto Blu-ray with a suitably sharp and well- restored 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. The print is almost entirely free of any specks, and displays only the thinnest veneer of grain—almost entirely absent during some scenes—without showing any of the smeared and waxy signs of clumsy DNR. This is a bold, colorful film, and the transfer has no trouble keeping up. The plush red coats of the Royal Navy officers pop cleanly on the screen, jungle foliage is a deep and vivid green, and the ocean waters cover the spectrum from stormy grey to tranquil turquoise. Skin tones can veer toward orange at times, but look warm and natural for most of the film. Contrast is tuned nearly perfectly, providing black levels that are deep but very rarely crush, and whites that are bright but only occasionally blow out. There are few scenes that look softer than others—I'm specifically thinking of Morgan and Shaw dangling over a cliff on ropes— but overall clarity is great, allowing us to see even the smallest details of the wonderful set design. There are two or three instances of minor contrast wavering, and a day-for-night scene that looks a bit washed out, but otherwise Cutthroat Island is a pleasing Blu-ray destination.
Renny Harlin remarks in his commentary track that there had never been a big pirate film since the advent of surround sound, and that he wanted Cutthroat Island's sound design to be a bold, immersive experience. I'd say he got it right, and the film arrives on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 7.1 surround track that's more rousing than Geena Davis' speeches could ever be. The first thing you notice is John Debney's riveting, complementary score, bursting forth with old-fashioned Hollywood orchestration that shimmers, plows, and soars through the memorable musical cues. Environmental sounds are just as bombastic. Battle scenes rage with the clanging of swords and the sandy shuffle of boots scuffling across the deck. Birds cry out with directional precision from the jungle trees. Explosions are articulate and convincing as powder kegs go off, splintering wood and sending debris tumbling to the ground. Channel movements often go for heft over finesse, but the surround speakers are alive and well throughout the film, spitting out gunshots and sloshing with the rush of seawater. Dynamics are solid, from the low, LFE growl of a ship crashing through a storm to the metallic shwiing of swords being unsheathed. And while the ADR work is sometimes obvious, dialogue is crisp and coherent throughout, even during particularly raucous fights.
Featurette (SD, 6:08)
You know things aren't going to get very in-depth when a film's behind-the-scenes documentary
is simply titled "Featurette." This is exactly what you'd expect, a mostly substanceless EPK piece
that features a few quips from the key players and some quickly cut on-set footage.
Commentary by Director Renny Harlin
You might think Harlin would use this track to play apologist for the film—bucking all criticism and
trying to save face—but he readily admits that mistakes were made and that the movie hit a few
rough patches that contributed to its commercial failure. It's not all doom and gloom, though,
and Harlin is actually quite insightful about the filmmaking process, giving first-hand accounts of
what it's like to helm an enormous $100,000,000 production. He even seems a bit giddy at times
—getting the opportunity to play out his boyhood pirate fantasies on a large scale was clearly an
opportunity of a lifetime—and Harlin's enthusiasm for every little element of filmmaking almost
gave me a newfound respect for him...almost.
Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2:03)
Teaser Trailer (SD, 1:21)
It may have been one of the biggest box office bombs ever, and it may not have the highest-caliber performances, but Cutthroat Island is a sometimes charming, occasionally funny, and always exciting adventure that crams every conceivable pirate trope into a two-hour film. On Blu- ray, the film is more enjoyable than ever, with excellent picture quality and an explosive audio track that features one of the best scores of the 1990s. Those that passed this one up in theaters may want to give it a look. Recommended.
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