| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Cutthroat Island
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
This title is being re-released on 7/25/00 for the lowered price of $14.98.
"Cutthroat Island" certainly will be remembered as one of the bigger flops in recent film history, but is it really that bad? No. It's certainly not good, but the material did not deserve to have 90 million dollars spent on it. Although director Renny Harlin has since rebounded with "Deep Blue Sea", his former wife and star Geena Davis's career took a serious splash after the film's release.
The film stars Davis as pirate Morgan Adams, a tough-as-nails woman who can do battle with any man who is up to the challenge. The film's minimal plot involves Davis's character in a race to find "Cutthroat Island", where millions in gold are buried. She has one piece of the map, and her evil Uncle Dawg(an over-acting Frank Langella) has one of the other pieces.
The film may not be spectacular in story, but what it lacks in plot, it almost makes up for in visuals. The film seemingly had the budget to do whatever it wanted and it practically does. Huge, elaborate sets are the special of the day here, and many scenes end with impressive explosions. I've never been a huge fan of Davis or her acting ability, but she does ok here. Even less impressive is Matthew Modine, who fails to make an impact in the middle of all of the chaos.
It's one of those films where it's not too bad, but there was certainly too much money spent on such a thin story.
The DVD
VIDEO: Artisan's presentation of "Cutthroat Island" is definitely one of their first; although it's non-anamorphic, it's actually not too bad, and better than some of their other opening efforts. The films is beautifully shot and some impressive set and locations, and the cinematography by Peter Levy("Lost In Space") is excellent.
Sharpness is very good, although not quite perfect in a couple of shots that tend to be a tiny bit soft. Both daylight and dimly lit scenes are equally well-rendered, and detail is good. Clarity is fine, and flesh tones are very natural and accurate. Colors are especially strong, looking bold and rich, with no problems at all.
There are some flaws, although for an early title from the studio, it's not too much of a complaint. These include some minor marks on the print used and some trace amounts of pixelation once or twice. No shimmering is apparent. Most of "Cutthroat Island" actually looks very good, and although it's not the greatest film, it certainly has plenty of nice visuals.
SOUND: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is suprisingly good and thrilling at times. Director Harlin has previously stated that sound is an important part of the presentation for his films, and that is certainly evident here - this is excellent audio. The film's almost overly agressive score from Jon Debney plays loudly from all sides at many points in the picture and while it's a good "adventure" score, it also becomes a little overdone.
Some of the action scenes open up remarkably well, and make for a wide soundfield that really envelops the viewer(check out the storm sequence about 52 minutes in & many other scenes). Gunfire frequently comes from all sides, and there is some strong surround use. Surrounds are used quite well for both effects and music. Explosions(and there are quite a few of them included here), pack a very solid punch. Even in the softer scenes, there is still a good amount of detail and dimension.
I found this to be a pretty impressive soundtrack. I didn't know quite what to expect, but I was pretty amazed at how agressive some of the action sequences were. It's not exactly "Twister", but it's still remarkable.
MENUS::Basic, non-animated score with the main images includes in the background.
EXTRAS: Trailer & teaser trailer(in mono, d'oh!), cast&crew bios.
Final Thoughts: Certainly not the greatest film, but the sound is excellent and picture quality ain't half bad either. Most online stores will probably have this available now for around 9-11 dollars.
This title is being re-released on 7/25/00 for the lowered price of $14.98.
"Cutthroat Island" certainly will be remembered as one of the bigger flops in recent film history, but is it really that bad? No. It's certainly not good, but the material did not deserve to have 90 million dollars spent on it. Although director Renny Harlin has since rebounded with "Deep Blue Sea", his former wife and star Geena Davis's career took a serious splash after the film's release.
The film stars Davis as pirate Morgan Adams, a tough-as-nails woman who can do battle with any man who is up to the challenge. The film's minimal plot involves Davis's character in a race to find "Cutthroat Island", where millions in gold are buried. She has one piece of the map, and her evil Uncle Dawg(an over-acting Frank Langella) has one of the other pieces.
The film may not be spectacular in story, but what it lacks in plot, it almost makes up for in visuals. The film seemingly had the budget to do whatever it wanted and it practically does. Huge, elaborate sets are the special of the day here, and many scenes end with impressive explosions. I've never been a huge fan of Davis or her acting ability, but she does ok here. Even less impressive is Matthew Modine, who fails to make an impact in the middle of all of the chaos.
It's one of those films where it's not too bad, but there was certainly too much money spent on such a thin story.
The DVD
VIDEO: Artisan's presentation of "Cutthroat Island" is definitely one of their first; although it's non-anamorphic, it's actually not too bad, and better than some of their other opening efforts. The films is beautifully shot and some impressive set and locations, and the cinematography by Peter Levy("Lost In Space") is excellent.
Sharpness is very good, although not quite perfect in a couple of shots that tend to be a tiny bit soft. Both daylight and dimly lit scenes are equally well-rendered, and detail is good. Clarity is fine, and flesh tones are very natural and accurate. Colors are especially strong, looking bold and rich, with no problems at all.
There are some flaws, although for an early title from the studio, it's not too much of a complaint. These include some minor marks on the print used and some trace amounts of pixelation once or twice. No shimmering is apparent. Most of "Cutthroat Island" actually looks very good, and although it's not the greatest film, it certainly has plenty of nice visuals.
SOUND: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is suprisingly good and thrilling at times. Director Harlin has previously stated that sound is an important part of the presentation for his films, and that is certainly evident here - this is excellent audio. The film's almost overly agressive score from Jon Debney plays loudly from all sides at many points in the picture and while it's a good "adventure" score, it also becomes a little overdone.
Some of the action scenes open up remarkably well, and make for a wide soundfield that really envelops the viewer(check out the storm sequence about 52 minutes in & many other scenes). Gunfire frequently comes from all sides, and there is some strong surround use. Surrounds are used quite well for both effects and music. Explosions(and there are quite a few of them included here), pack a very solid punch. Even in the softer scenes, there is still a good amount of detail and dimension.
I found this to be a pretty impressive soundtrack. I didn't know quite what to expect, but I was pretty amazed at how agressive some of the action sequences were. It's not exactly "Twister", but it's still remarkable.
MENUS::Basic, non-animated score with the main images includes in the background.
EXTRAS: Trailer & teaser trailer(in mono, d'oh!), cast&crew bios.
Final Thoughts: Certainly not the greatest film, but the sound is excellent and picture quality ain't half bad either. Most online stores will probably have this available now for around 9-11 dollars.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||