am i the only one who saw a homoerotic subtext to this thing?
i truly did. (although, a disturbingly weird, crooked one.)
okay. first off - the movie is not as crappy as those awful reviews made it out to be. come to think of it, if i hadn't read those reviews, i don't think i would've seen too many things wrong with the film. but the flack it got when it was originally released made it out to be this whipping boy for Gigli-wannabes.
i don't know what made me see it differently than those reviewers/filmgoers but i got into it. of course there are a couple of things i would've done differently (most notably, cut morgan freeman out - his performance was as weird and out of place as those bushy eyebrows he had on) but those are really minor things. minor things.
the film - and story (as i have to mention that i haven't read the book) - are a mix of human drama (childhood, male relationships, and, as with every Stephen King story, the subconscious) and invasion of the body snatchers, which i think is the part most people had problems with. but if you accept it as what it is, you're fine.
the actual standout in this film has got to be actor Damian Lewis, who plays jonesy. i won't spoil the fun but this man impressed, not only because i didn't know him but because of what he did with his performance. you'll see.
the special effects are cool but, thank god, mostly unobtrusive. there's only a minute of sillyness towards the beginning but once that's over with, it's high-flying all the way to the end.
i think that's all i wanted to say.
the dvd picture is good, although not as crisp as i expected, but everything works fine. no grain. solid colors and blacks. sound is really good, too. and the sub gets put to good use, finally.
extras are sparse - three featurettes (although not all-out fluff) (an interview with Stephen King, a feature on the production of the film, and something about the special effects), the teaser trailer, and cast and crew (no bios, just a one-page thing).
i really didn't see much of anything wrong with the film. maybe, as i read in one review today, it just plays better on tv than on the big screen. maybe. it would have made a cool 4-part miniseries, but as it stands i give it my renting approval.
Posted by Anonymous | 9:59 PM
