6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina, where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.
Starring: Josh Duhamel, Julianne Hough, Cobie Smulders, Red West, Jon KohlerRomance | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Safe Haven might've been a decent little romantic thriller for the chick-flick set. Might've being the operative word in that sentence. The film is the eight big screen adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel—and the second helmed by Chocolat director Lasse Hellström, after Dear John—and all the hallmarks are here: the lovey-dovey scene in the pouring rain, the weepy handwritten letters, the tragic cancer death, the date at the beach, all accompanied by the frantic and often ham-handed tugging of heartstrings. The guy's thematic playbook is as thin as some of his characters. What's strange is that, for long stretches, Safe Haven is actually as captivating as it is cliche. That is, it's a mostly well-crafted melodrama, with likable leads and plenty of smile-inducing flirting and just enough of a threat of danger to qualify as suspenseful. It's hokey but enjoyable, more naturally sweet than saccharine. But then comes the film's last act, with a twist so stupefying and audience insulting that it instantly takes the movie from pleasingly mediocre to irredeemably bad. You'll huff. You'll face-palm in are you kidding me exasperation. You'll ball up your snotty tissues and throw them at the screen. Did the studio not test this ending with an audience?
Let's give Safe Haven this—it's quite handsome on Blu-ray, with a 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation that's sharp and wonderfully colorful. Shot digitally with Arri Alexa HD cameras, the material has a filmic look that's low on source noise—even in darker scenes—and completely free of compression issues like banding, macroblocking, or harsh artifacts. (No artificial-looking post-production blunders like edge enhancement or extreme color boosting either.) The image is simply pleasing from start to finish. The lensing is almost always very crisp, with a great sense of clarity in the areas where you tend to notice it most—the fine textural detail in faces, hair, and clothing—and the warm, sun-soaked color palette is perfect for the tone of the film. (You could argue that the grading is perhaps a bit too yellowish during certain scenes, but this is a stylistic decision.) Black levels are consistent, skin tones are balanced, and contrast is tight without losing shadow or highlight detail. No problems in this Grade-A encode whatsoever.
The film's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is satisfying too, if understandably low-impact considering this is a romance with only light thriller elements. Dialogue is central to the mix—it's always clear and understandable—and the soundfield is filled out with lots of appreciable ambience in the rear channels, from gull sounds and ocean breezes to pounding rain, blasts of thunder, and arcing Fourth of July fireworks. For this kind of film, the sound design is quite good, and everything has a great sense of clarity and presence. There's some minimal scoring by Dear John composer Deborah Lurie to underscore key scenes, but most of the music in the film is comprised of light and romantic adult contemporary acoustic tunes with lyrics that baldly correspond to what's happening in the scene. There are no dubs or stereo mix-downs on the disc, but you will find optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles, which appear in white, easy-to-read lettering.
Safe Haven could've been one of the better Nicholas Sparks adaptations; it has romance, cute leads, some oh-no-what's-gonna-happen-next thrills, and a gorgeous North Carolina setting. Unfortunately, it also has an unintentionally comic bad guy and a twist ending that'll make you want to punch a wall. Fans of the author's other work might still find that their entertainment needs are met here, but Safe Haven won't win the writer any new followers, especially among those who require some semblance of logic and believability in their romantic thrillers. 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray release is all-around attractive—great picture quality, strong sound, a good selection of extras—but this disc is worth a one night stand Netflix rental at best.
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