7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Set in 1898, this movie is based on the true story of two lions in Africa that killed 130 people over a nine month period, while a bridge engineer and an experienced old hunter tried to kill them.
Starring: Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Mortimer, John KaniThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.12:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Stephen Hopkins isn’t the most refined filmmaker, but there’s always been something about his career that suggests he’d rather be making high art than genre entertainment. He broke through in Hollywood with his work on 1989’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child,” and built a reputation for violent thrillers with 1990’s “Predator 2,” 1993’s “Judgement Night,” and 1994’s “Blown Away.” All of these features have significant creative problems, but Hopkins still found gigs, and 1995’s “The Ghost and the Darkness” seemed like a project capable of taking the helmer to the next level of respectability, offered material (scripted by William Goldman) that carries a frightening atmosphere while supported by some of the finest cast and crew in the business at the time, giving what’s essentially another “Jaws” knock-off some true cinematic regality. “The Ghost and the Darkness” plays like a production aching to achieve event movie status, but it never quite reaches such ambition. It’s an entertaining picture with a cracking pace for the first hour, but Hopkins is a strange choice to guide the endeavor, stuck trying to find a balance between the grisliness of the true story behind the Tsavo Man-Eaters experience and the character study of Goldman’s writing, which is often obscured through mangled editorial moves.
"The Ghost and the Darkness" comes to Blu-ray with a "New 4K scan from the original negative." The AVC encoded image (2.12:1 aspect ratio) presentation handles Vilmos Zsigmond's intense, slightly softer cinematography well, preserving fine detail with the sweaty and unshaven particulars of the cast. Facial surfaces retain some roughness, and textures extend to costuming as well, dealing with tougher hunter outfits and crisper formal wear. Work site distances are dimensional, and building interiors are open for study. Colors favor the warmth of Africa, with distinct greenery. Clothing registers as intended. Skintones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is fine and film-like. Source is in good condition.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix does especially well with atmospherics, capturing the bustle of the work site and the movement of creatures. It's an active track, and one that won an Academy Award for sound editing, showcasing the deep growling of lion attacks, train engine rumbling, and snappy gunfire during the hunting sequences. Dialogue exchanges are crisp throughout the listening experience, handling accents and emphasis. Scoring cues are clearly defined, supporting the adventure with sharp instrumentation, giving Jerry Goldsmith's music a full sense of orchestral presence.
If one really studies the stitching of "The Ghost and the Darkness," the feature's shortcomings are impossible to ignore. It's assembled in a panicky manner by a production team likely spooked by the possibility of a more internalized journey for the characters and their individual responses to Tsavo, "the worst place in the world." And yet, the movie isn't a mess, showing some hustle with lion threats and creative achievements. "The Ghost and the Darkness" isn't a drag to watch, and "Jaws" mode is occasionally successful, giving viewers a few authentic nail-biting moments to help counteract some mild confusion.
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