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Dragonfly
Universal // PG-13 // June 23, 2002
List Price: $26.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Something seems to be missing from the Kevin Costner thriller Dragonfly and all leads point to the missing wife. The film wastes no in setting up the main arc of the film and pushing forward with the death of Dr. Joe Darrow's (Costner) wife and therein lies the main problem.
The audience neither knows, nor cares, about Joe's wife and therefore finds it hard to connect with the story. Another film similar to this, What Dreams May Come, fell victim to the same fault in that it tells the audience everything about the relationship rather than showing. This, of course, is done to save time but leaves the audience caring less about the characters.
The love that Joe and his wife supposedly share is hard to discern from the events in the film. At the beginning he frantically phones here when she's in trouble, but almost every other indicator in the film seems to point otherwise. They have obviously differed in professional ways and personal ways and suffered from a lack of communication at times. That's not to say they didn't love each other. Most relationships suffer through situations like these, but the point is, we were never privy to the happy times and only have Costner's reactions to go upon.
In other supernatural thriller such as this, the lead often has a good companion to act off of. In The Sixth Sense, Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osmet made a great team. Likewise, Nicole Kidman and the cast of The Others supported each other perfectly. In contrast, Costner has no such luck in this film. Kathy Bates, an excellent actress, is used only to offer an outsiders opinion on the situation and does little else. Costner acts in a daze, appropriately so, for most of the film and has no support in his actions. He's alone in the film and the audience cannot help but feel the same way for him.
Plot-wise the film manages perfectly. The storyline blends enough fantasy with reality and religious philosophy to entertain anyone. There are a few creepy moments followed with a few blatant attempts to manipulate--the parrot saying "Honey I'm home" could be seen coming a mile away. The question of death and the afterlife is viewed from several angles with the world of science always—plausibly, I might add—explaining these things away. On it's on it's an interesting examination of death and the afterlife and the many different views that people often hold.
While not a perfect movie, the film is entertaining and interesting. Costner is not at the top of his game, but turns in a tortured performance as a husband dealing with the loss of his wife and struggling to answer the questions left by her sudden and tragic death. Director Tom Shadyac blends the supernatural scenery and the cold, angular halls of the hospital into a sharp contrast that visually cues the opposing viewpoint on the subject of life after death. The sterile hospital works as a visual reminder of the cold and unfeeling world that informed and scientific opinion can leave when not mixed with the proper personality and personal belief.
Video: The widescreen Anamorphic transfer captures the angles and colors in the hospital and jungles nicely. There's a brightness and richness to the color, but yet they're not over saturated and washed out. There are minor flaws in the print, but most aren't noticeable unless on a large screen TV. Edges and pixels drop in quality in a few scenes, but considering the many dark and waterfall scenes it's almost unavoidable at times.
Audio: Another shining aspect of this disc is the audio quality. The Dolby digital 5.1 soundtrack is perfectly creepy in places and positively quiet in others. The rear channels are extremely active in areas with a few great right to left pans and other moving effects. It's not an explosive soundtrack, but one that shows of the subtleties of good sound design.
Extras: There are a few nice features on this disc and a commentary from director Shadyac. Universal has a standard behind-the-scenes special that reveals a few interesting points, but nothing that has to be seen. Also included is an interview with author Betty Eadie. She discusses her near death experiences and herself has written several books on the subject. There are a few trailers included and approximately 10-minutes of deleted scenes.
One of these was one that should have been in the film. It was a scene in between Costner and his wife listening to her womb. It's a quiet moment that shows the love the two characters have and would have been a nice connection between the character and his wife.
The commentary is probably better than the film itself. Shadyac comes across as entertaining and honestly talks about his shortcomings in the film. He points out many problems that I had with the film and seems like someone that's tried his best to make a film and at times is thwarted by the complexness of the script and the studio system itself. He comments on the fact that audiences couldn't connect with the couple, like I stated, and he wanted to add more if possible. If you normally don't listen to commentaries you should listen to this one. You won't be disappointed.
Overall: It's a mixed bag of a film. The characters are on a journey, discovering the boundaries between religious and scientific beliefs of the afterlife. Though flawed, the basics are there and present an interesting film that can be looked at on many levels. Definitely worth a purchase for the commentary alone.
The audience neither knows, nor cares, about Joe's wife and therefore finds it hard to connect with the story. Another film similar to this, What Dreams May Come, fell victim to the same fault in that it tells the audience everything about the relationship rather than showing. This, of course, is done to save time but leaves the audience caring less about the characters.
The love that Joe and his wife supposedly share is hard to discern from the events in the film. At the beginning he frantically phones here when she's in trouble, but almost every other indicator in the film seems to point otherwise. They have obviously differed in professional ways and personal ways and suffered from a lack of communication at times. That's not to say they didn't love each other. Most relationships suffer through situations like these, but the point is, we were never privy to the happy times and only have Costner's reactions to go upon.
In other supernatural thriller such as this, the lead often has a good companion to act off of. In The Sixth Sense, Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osmet made a great team. Likewise, Nicole Kidman and the cast of The Others supported each other perfectly. In contrast, Costner has no such luck in this film. Kathy Bates, an excellent actress, is used only to offer an outsiders opinion on the situation and does little else. Costner acts in a daze, appropriately so, for most of the film and has no support in his actions. He's alone in the film and the audience cannot help but feel the same way for him.
Plot-wise the film manages perfectly. The storyline blends enough fantasy with reality and religious philosophy to entertain anyone. There are a few creepy moments followed with a few blatant attempts to manipulate--the parrot saying "Honey I'm home" could be seen coming a mile away. The question of death and the afterlife is viewed from several angles with the world of science always—plausibly, I might add—explaining these things away. On it's on it's an interesting examination of death and the afterlife and the many different views that people often hold.
While not a perfect movie, the film is entertaining and interesting. Costner is not at the top of his game, but turns in a tortured performance as a husband dealing with the loss of his wife and struggling to answer the questions left by her sudden and tragic death. Director Tom Shadyac blends the supernatural scenery and the cold, angular halls of the hospital into a sharp contrast that visually cues the opposing viewpoint on the subject of life after death. The sterile hospital works as a visual reminder of the cold and unfeeling world that informed and scientific opinion can leave when not mixed with the proper personality and personal belief.
Video: The widescreen Anamorphic transfer captures the angles and colors in the hospital and jungles nicely. There's a brightness and richness to the color, but yet they're not over saturated and washed out. There are minor flaws in the print, but most aren't noticeable unless on a large screen TV. Edges and pixels drop in quality in a few scenes, but considering the many dark and waterfall scenes it's almost unavoidable at times.
Audio: Another shining aspect of this disc is the audio quality. The Dolby digital 5.1 soundtrack is perfectly creepy in places and positively quiet in others. The rear channels are extremely active in areas with a few great right to left pans and other moving effects. It's not an explosive soundtrack, but one that shows of the subtleties of good sound design.
Extras: There are a few nice features on this disc and a commentary from director Shadyac. Universal has a standard behind-the-scenes special that reveals a few interesting points, but nothing that has to be seen. Also included is an interview with author Betty Eadie. She discusses her near death experiences and herself has written several books on the subject. There are a few trailers included and approximately 10-minutes of deleted scenes.
One of these was one that should have been in the film. It was a scene in between Costner and his wife listening to her womb. It's a quiet moment that shows the love the two characters have and would have been a nice connection between the character and his wife.
The commentary is probably better than the film itself. Shadyac comes across as entertaining and honestly talks about his shortcomings in the film. He points out many problems that I had with the film and seems like someone that's tried his best to make a film and at times is thwarted by the complexness of the script and the studio system itself. He comments on the fact that audiences couldn't connect with the couple, like I stated, and he wanted to add more if possible. If you normally don't listen to commentaries you should listen to this one. You won't be disappointed.
Overall: It's a mixed bag of a film. The characters are on a journey, discovering the boundaries between religious and scientific beliefs of the afterlife. Though flawed, the basics are there and present an interesting film that can be looked at on many levels. Definitely worth a purchase for the commentary alone.
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