5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
After she discovers that her boyfriend has betrayed her, Hilary O'Neil is looking for a new start and a new job. She begins to work as a private nurse for a young man suffering from blood cancer.
Starring: Julia Roberts, Campbell Scott, Vincent D'Onofrio, Colleen Dewhurst, David SelbyRomance | 100% |
Drama | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Even the title screams "tearjerker." Dying Young is certainly one of those movie that even the most stout of viewers might find requires a tissue or two, and those more prone to wild emotional swings and easy cinema manipulation are certain to fall to pieces. But the film does find a balance in its hopefulness and deeply emotional and energetic story of budding romance in the shadow of a crumbling life. Director Joel Schumacher's (Batman Forever, Phone Booth) film offers an emotionally even-keeled story of life, with its highest of highs of true love found and the growth that comes with that flirting with the ever-present danger of dropping to the lowest of lows. The specter of death -- of physical death and, thereby, romantic death -- looms large, the fear of the broken heart nearly as unpalatable an outcome as a permanently broken life. It's not a profound movie on the human condition, but Schumacher paints a vivid picture of the triumph of the heart in the midst of the tragedies of a frail body; it's just a question of which can outlast the other.
Bald ain't bad.
Dying Young's high definition transfer isn't spectacular, but it's a rather good-looking, film-like, lightly grainy image that handles the material well, particularly considering this is a two-decades-plus-old film and not provided any sort of major restoration. Anchor Bay's transfer reveals steady, consistent details that show off fair facial and clothing textures. Clarity is fine and the image appears only lightly soft. Colors are stable, though perhaps a bit pale and dulled. There's nothing vibrant here, but the palette is at least steady and never overly dim. Black levels are adequate, generally, with only minor crush evident, and flesh tones only push gently towards a reddish shade. There are a myriad of minor issues to report. Subtle edge halos are visible from time to time. There's also light background banding and slightly troublesome color transitions across shadowy faces. There's a bit of minor wear and tear in the way of spots and splotches. The transfer is no miracle amongst catalogue transfers, but fans should be satisfied with the overall presentation.
Dying Young arrives on Blu-ray with an adequate Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. As one might expect of an older, dramatically and romantically oriented title, there's not significant range or attention to detail in the track. Musical clarity suffices, as does front-end spacing, but there's little in the way of full or aggressive surround support. The track finds a bit of a more aggressive posture in a dance club in chapter five, enjoying a fuller, more energized sound environment. However, bass isn't very pronounced. General environmental ambience is light, with background din at a bar one of the better moments in the track. Dialogue usually comes through clearly from the center, though there's a hint of shallowness to it on a few occasions. Otherwise, the track gets listeners through the film without much flash.
Dying Young contains no extras, and no menu is included. The film begins playback immediately after disc insertion. Optional English SDH subtitles must be switched on or off in-film with the remote control.
Keep the tissues nearby, but also expect more than runny eyes and a snotty nose. Dying Young in some ways defines the "tearjerker" but it's also a much more delicately balanced film about life, love, fate, and finding a reason to go on, to really live, even under the constant threat of imminent pain -- physical and emotional pain both -- and perhaps death. It's a well crafted, smartly written, and strongly acted film that's one of the better of its kind. Anchor Bay's featureless Blu-ray offers solid video and decent audio. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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