6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Wyatt Earp doesn't get to go to war with his brothers, but when the rest of his family relocates to California, he begins a career in the Wild West. After a tragic first marriage, he has a rough time as a drunk and a thief, but in Dodge City becomes a ruthless marshall. Gathering his brothers around him, he moves on to Tombstone Arizona in hopes of making his fortune, but run square into the political power machine of the local ranchers.
Starring: Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, David Andrews (I), Linden AshbyAction | 100% |
History | 75% |
Drama | 75% |
Western | 70% |
Epic | 53% |
Period | 51% |
Biography | 33% |
Romance | 14% |
Adventure | 7% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.42:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
I wake up every morning looking in the face of death and you know what? He ain't half
bad.
I'll admit: I am a sucker for the all-star cast. This is the third film I have reviewed that manages
to
put together a cast of some of the best Hollywood has to offer (The Dirty Dozen and
Young Guns being the others).
Wyatt Earp stars Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid,
Gene Hackman (one the greats of his time), Mark Harmon, Michael Madsen, Bill Pullman, and
Tom
Sizemore, to name a few. Unfortunately, almost all of them seem to be miscast. Perhaps it's my
admitted bias
towards Tombstone, a similar film that also boasts an all-star cast, on par or maybe even
better than what we get in Wyatt Earp, but I could never quite buy the likes of Costner,
Quaid, and Madsen as old west lawmen, especially compared to their Tombstone
counterparts, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, and Sam Elliott. Gene Hackman as Wyatt's father was, as
expected, wonderful, and one of the few who managed to pull off a convincing role. Costner was
even nominated for a Razzie award for worst actor for this role. While I certainly don't believe
that nomination was justified, I do feel his portrayal of Wyatt Earp was rather flat and uninspired.
Lawrence
Kasdan's vision of the story is
not bad. It's just not Tombstone, and that's the problem. Wyatt Earp was
released some six months after Tombstone, a film that grossed double the box office
compared to its counterpart. Perhaps it was having seen a version of the story so recently in
Tombstone and a subsequent "burn out" over the tale, or perhaps it was poor word of
mouth that led to the lackluster showing of Wyatt Earp at the box office. Nevertheless,
Wyatt Earp is currently the only one of the two available on a high-definition format, so
those needing their fill of westerns will likely be interested in this one.
"Take this Kurt Russell!"
Warner Brothers presents Wyatt Earp in 1080p high definition, framed in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio. What we get here is a decent video presentation, one that looks fine but has some intrinsic flaws that keep this disc from receiving a higher score. The print itself is pretty clean. There are not many scratches or pops in it. I did not notice much noise, either. The image is especially soft, however, through the majority of the runtime. Colors, especially during indoor scenes and at night, are muted and drab, though I would venture to say that this is the director's intent. I noticed some aliasing here and there, and blacks did not impress. Darker scenes especially appeared to be more gray than black. This is definitely not a three dimensional looking image. It certainly lacks the depth and vibrancy we have come to expect from the better Blu-ray releases. Overall this is an acceptable image but it's not one of the better ones I have seen.
Following the rule rather than the exception, Warner has included no lossless audio track on Wyatt Earp. The included Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is pleasant on the ears and it never overly disappoints sonically, but it never reaches the upper echelon of Blu-ray soundtracks either, even among its Dolby Digital 5.1 only counterparts. It sounds pretty good overall, but I can only wonder what a difference a lossless track could have made. Nevertheless, this is a fine audio presentation as-is. Surrounds are used somewhat sparingly but effectively when they come into play. Dialogue is generally handled well, though I noticed a few instances where it was muddled and difficult to make out. Bass is solid but at times underwhelming. Some shots where one would expect a heavy, foundation rumbling "thump" came through rather punily, emanating more from the center channel than the subwoofer. The front soundstage is quite active. All three channels are discrete, sounds flows naturally, and sounds are well-placed across the front. My favorite aspect of the soundtrack was the score by James Newton Howard (Batman Begins). The first word that came to mind when listening to the score over the opening credits was "quintessential." This score just sounds like it belongs in an epic movie and it's one of the better scores out there. This was the first time I have heard it and it won't be the last. Bravo.
A rather weak offering of supplements compliment Wyatt Earp. There are two
Behind the Story featurettes. It Happened That Way (480p, 14:03) is a
reference to the final line of the film. This is a basic behind-the-scenes look into the story of the
making of
the film, it's meaning, and Wyatt's journey from "innocence to earned knowledge." Participants
include Lawrence Kasdan, Gene Hackman, Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, and others. Walk
With a Legend (480p, 22:41) is billed as a "vintage making-of TV special." It is hosted by
Tom Skerritt and is a look at some of Hollywood's more memorable films such as How the
West Was Won, Spartacus, Ben-Hur, The Spirit of St. Louis, and
others. It also contains a look forward to the then yet-to-be-released Wyatt Earp. This
is a very well-done special and worth a look for anyone interested in the history of some of
cinema's finest films.
Eleven "lifted scenes" are available. All are presented in 480p and the total runtime is 17:58.
Each comes with a text-based introduction to the scene. A 480p theatrical trailer for Wyatt
Earp concludes this disappointing set of extras.
Wyatt Earp isn't a bad film. It's fairly entertaining, but it drags on for too long and never reaches the same level of excellence as some of the more recent westerns such as Unforgiven, Open Range, and the similarly themed Tombstone. Perhaps my biggest complaint, other than the flow and runtime, was that few of the actors were believable as old west lawmen. Costner, Pullman, Sizemore, and Quaid, all fine actors, just couldn't pull it off in the end. Warner Brothers once again disappoints with an average looking picture, a substandard Dolby Digital 5.1 track (they should be taking advantage of the medium and including a lossless option), and a slim selection of supplements. I'd recommend Wyatt Earp as a rental only.
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