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Supernova
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
"Supernova" is the kind of film that generates more press than it previously thought possible; the only problem is, it's not the good kind of press. The film was originally going to be a Summer release for MGM, who began to realize that the film couldn't compete in the Summer season. It didn't fare too well in the January release, either. The film's main director was Walter Hill, who left after he couldn't come to an agreement on the film with the studio. He wasn't the first director, either. Nor was he the last. Francis Ford Coppola stepped in to see if he could make something out of the film. He stepped aside and there was possibly even one or two more after him. The final result is still a mess; not the worst thing I've ever seen, but fairly dull and badly written. The studio could have saved a lot of time, money and frustration had they simply realized that this was not a script worth filming.
Where films like "Event Horizon" have been called "Alien" rip-offs, "Supernova" seems to be taking from "Event Horizon". Even James Spader's performance seems to be trying to imitate Laurence Fishburne's from that film. "Horizon" was certainly no classic, either. That film did provide some good effects and thrills though, and has went on to become somewhat of a cult film. In "Supernova", James Spader stars as a former drug addict and now co-pilot of the crew of the Nightengale. He is assisted by the ship's lead nurse (Angela Bassett) and her helpers, played by Robin Tunney, Lou Diamond Phillips and Wilson Cruz.
They recieve a distress call (don't most of these films recieve one?) and they pick up the lone survivor of a mining colony, played by "Can't Hardly Wait"'s Peter Facinelli. Of course, it's the lone survivor and his secret that causes quite a bit of trouble for the ship's crew. The performances vary, but none are impressive. The actors have to deal with what I call the "sci-fi" version of the "E.R. Syndrome". On "ER", doctors have to let loose with lines about medicines and problems that most have never heard of, but we understand all of what's going on. In "Supernova", the cast has to spout tons of "sci-fi" dialogue that they don't even look like they understand themselves.
Spader and Bassett are ok, but Tunney and the rest of the cast are not terribly memorable. Sex and nudity also figure into the plot, and probably more here with the film's R-Rated cut being the version included on the DVD instead of the PG-13 theatrical version. I'm not quite sure who's to blame, although the biggest problem lies with the screenplay, which is really flawed, with especially weak dialogue. All of the people (like Coppola) who came in to try and re-cut this film probably did the best they could with what little they had.
The film's special effects aren't half bad, but in a case like this, they provide something to look at since there's really nothing much to listen to. I was suprised by even how little suspense or thrills this movie generated. Even previous sci-fi failures like "Virus" were able to generate some basic shocks and scares. I didn't feel like this was a complete loss, but it's certainly a film that probably should never have been made in the first place.
The DVD
VIDEO: MGM has been shaky lately, offering good quality for the "Bond" films, but so-so quality for much of their other product, even some newer releases like "The Thomas Crown Affair". "Supernova" is a good-looking film and thankfully, it recieves a very good transfer with only one noticable flaw.
Print flaws are really the only problem that takes away from the picture quality. There are a number of minor marks on the print used. These are slight marks that wouldn't otherwise distract, but here they maintain a more consistent presence than I'd like to see. Thankfully, there are no instances of pixelation or shimmering at all, and the picture remains otherwise smooth.
Sharpness is excellent and never did I see the image go even slightly soft. I was similarly pleased with detail, which is excellent even in the film's darker scenes. Clarity is never lacking, as well. Colors are superb here, with deep blues and reds being on display for most of the presentation, with other similarly pleasing looking colors making an appearance now and then. Flesh tones are accurate and black level is strong as well.
MGM delievers fine work here; I would have liked to have seen less of the minor marks on the print used, but the rest of the presentation offers such good image quality that I didn't find the flaws too distracting.
SOUND: Before I start with my discussion of the film's sound, let me just ask someone at MGM one thing: turn the logo trailer at the begining of the disc DOWN. I've got everything ready, about to enjoy the movie and that trailer knocks me out of my seat.
Well, as for the sound in "Supernova", I definitely have no complaints. From the early "jump" sequence (think "Stargate") onwards, sound is used quite well to transport the viewer into all of the situations in the film. Surrounds are used terrifically well for the more intense sequences in the film and even get some work for the voice of the ship's computer. While the film itself isn't very good, there were times when I felt that the sound's enveloping nature did manage to slightly draw me into what was happening a few times throughout the film. Bass is apparent during the film's action scenes in appropriate amounts; powerful, but never overdone or lacking.
The musical score is clear and dynamic, and dialogue is easily heard with a couple of exceptions where it sounds slightly muffled. Strong audio for a not-great flick.
MENUS:: The main menus are nicely animated, but the sub-menus are pretty basic looking.
EXTRAS:
Deleted Scenes: About 20 minutes worth of deleted footage is included, with an alternate opening and ending and many other sequences. Apparently, there was a cut of the film that lasted somewhere near two hours, and this might explain at least some of that. The footage here really isn't all that remarkable, offering moreof the same. The footage is in ok condition, watchable but a little rough at times.
Trailer: Theatrical trailer, offered in Dolby 2.0
Final Thoughts: Silly sci-fi that's not a total loss, but pretty close. MGM's DVD offers good audio/video quality as well as some moderately interesting extras. Still, I can't really recommend the movie.
"Supernova" is the kind of film that generates more press than it previously thought possible; the only problem is, it's not the good kind of press. The film was originally going to be a Summer release for MGM, who began to realize that the film couldn't compete in the Summer season. It didn't fare too well in the January release, either. The film's main director was Walter Hill, who left after he couldn't come to an agreement on the film with the studio. He wasn't the first director, either. Nor was he the last. Francis Ford Coppola stepped in to see if he could make something out of the film. He stepped aside and there was possibly even one or two more after him. The final result is still a mess; not the worst thing I've ever seen, but fairly dull and badly written. The studio could have saved a lot of time, money and frustration had they simply realized that this was not a script worth filming.
Where films like "Event Horizon" have been called "Alien" rip-offs, "Supernova" seems to be taking from "Event Horizon". Even James Spader's performance seems to be trying to imitate Laurence Fishburne's from that film. "Horizon" was certainly no classic, either. That film did provide some good effects and thrills though, and has went on to become somewhat of a cult film. In "Supernova", James Spader stars as a former drug addict and now co-pilot of the crew of the Nightengale. He is assisted by the ship's lead nurse (Angela Bassett) and her helpers, played by Robin Tunney, Lou Diamond Phillips and Wilson Cruz.
They recieve a distress call (don't most of these films recieve one?) and they pick up the lone survivor of a mining colony, played by "Can't Hardly Wait"'s Peter Facinelli. Of course, it's the lone survivor and his secret that causes quite a bit of trouble for the ship's crew. The performances vary, but none are impressive. The actors have to deal with what I call the "sci-fi" version of the "E.R. Syndrome". On "ER", doctors have to let loose with lines about medicines and problems that most have never heard of, but we understand all of what's going on. In "Supernova", the cast has to spout tons of "sci-fi" dialogue that they don't even look like they understand themselves.
Spader and Bassett are ok, but Tunney and the rest of the cast are not terribly memorable. Sex and nudity also figure into the plot, and probably more here with the film's R-Rated cut being the version included on the DVD instead of the PG-13 theatrical version. I'm not quite sure who's to blame, although the biggest problem lies with the screenplay, which is really flawed, with especially weak dialogue. All of the people (like Coppola) who came in to try and re-cut this film probably did the best they could with what little they had.
The film's special effects aren't half bad, but in a case like this, they provide something to look at since there's really nothing much to listen to. I was suprised by even how little suspense or thrills this movie generated. Even previous sci-fi failures like "Virus" were able to generate some basic shocks and scares. I didn't feel like this was a complete loss, but it's certainly a film that probably should never have been made in the first place.
The DVD
VIDEO: MGM has been shaky lately, offering good quality for the "Bond" films, but so-so quality for much of their other product, even some newer releases like "The Thomas Crown Affair". "Supernova" is a good-looking film and thankfully, it recieves a very good transfer with only one noticable flaw.
Print flaws are really the only problem that takes away from the picture quality. There are a number of minor marks on the print used. These are slight marks that wouldn't otherwise distract, but here they maintain a more consistent presence than I'd like to see. Thankfully, there are no instances of pixelation or shimmering at all, and the picture remains otherwise smooth.
Sharpness is excellent and never did I see the image go even slightly soft. I was similarly pleased with detail, which is excellent even in the film's darker scenes. Clarity is never lacking, as well. Colors are superb here, with deep blues and reds being on display for most of the presentation, with other similarly pleasing looking colors making an appearance now and then. Flesh tones are accurate and black level is strong as well.
MGM delievers fine work here; I would have liked to have seen less of the minor marks on the print used, but the rest of the presentation offers such good image quality that I didn't find the flaws too distracting.
SOUND: Before I start with my discussion of the film's sound, let me just ask someone at MGM one thing: turn the logo trailer at the begining of the disc DOWN. I've got everything ready, about to enjoy the movie and that trailer knocks me out of my seat.
Well, as for the sound in "Supernova", I definitely have no complaints. From the early "jump" sequence (think "Stargate") onwards, sound is used quite well to transport the viewer into all of the situations in the film. Surrounds are used terrifically well for the more intense sequences in the film and even get some work for the voice of the ship's computer. While the film itself isn't very good, there were times when I felt that the sound's enveloping nature did manage to slightly draw me into what was happening a few times throughout the film. Bass is apparent during the film's action scenes in appropriate amounts; powerful, but never overdone or lacking.
The musical score is clear and dynamic, and dialogue is easily heard with a couple of exceptions where it sounds slightly muffled. Strong audio for a not-great flick.
MENUS:: The main menus are nicely animated, but the sub-menus are pretty basic looking.
EXTRAS:
Deleted Scenes: About 20 minutes worth of deleted footage is included, with an alternate opening and ending and many other sequences. Apparently, there was a cut of the film that lasted somewhere near two hours, and this might explain at least some of that. The footage here really isn't all that remarkable, offering moreof the same. The footage is in ok condition, watchable but a little rough at times.
Trailer: Theatrical trailer, offered in Dolby 2.0
Final Thoughts: Silly sci-fi that's not a total loss, but pretty close. MGM's DVD offers good audio/video quality as well as some moderately interesting extras. Still, I can't really recommend the movie.
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