I’ve
read a whole lot of nasty reviews of the movie GHOST SHIP ($28) and
really can’t understand why the critic savaged to film so badly. Sure,
the movie isn’t great cinema, but I actually found it to be a fun,
albeit somewhat mindless, horror outing. GHOST SHIP makes use of
the standard haunted house premise, but instead of being landlocked, the
film takes the audience out for a bit of sea cruise. Like the legendary
Marie Celeste, GHOST SHIP tells the story of a derelict ship with
not a soul on board. Enticed by aerial photographs of an ocean liner
adrift in the midst of the Bering Sea, a salvage team takes a chance that
on the ship being worth a small fortune to them.
Once
they actually find the ship, the leader of salvage team is shocked to
discover that the derelict is none other than the Antonia Graza
a luxurious Italian ocean liner that mysteriously disappeared forty years
earlier. With no signs of what befell the passengers and crew of Antonia
Graza, the salvage team begins exploring the rusting hulk, in
search of something that would make their excursion to the middle of
nowhere worth the effort. What they find is a rather sizable shipment of
gold bars, something that will make each of them wealthy beyond their
wildest dreams. However, before the gold can be offloaded, the ghostly
inhabitants of Antonia Graza make it impossible for the
salvage team to leave the liner, as well as extending a deadly and eternal
invitation. The cast of GHOST SHIP features Gabriel Byrne, Julianna
Margulies, Ron Eldard, Desmond Harrington, Isaiah Washington, Alex
Dimitriades, Karl Urban, Emily Browning and Francesca Rettondini.
Warner
Home Video has made GHOST SHIP available on DVD in a 1.78:1 wide
screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement for 16:9
displays (a separate full screen version is also available, but not
reviewed here). I have to complement Warner on the DVD, because this is an
out and out superb transfer. The image is supremely crisp and utterly well
defined, which brings out each and every ghastly, gory detail of the film’s
production design and special effects (got to love that bloody opening
showstopper). Colors are garishly vibrant; especially the reds, plus all
of the hues are perfectly rendered, without noise or fuzziness. Blacks are
pure and velvety, while the whites are crisps and stable. Contrast is very
smooth, shadow detail is excellent and the picture produces a great sense
of depth. Digital compression artifacts remain completely out of sight
throughout.
GHOST
SHIP comes with a great sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack.
The sound design heaps on tons of atmosphere, which enhance the ghoulish
goings on. Sounds come out of everywhere, creating an enveloping aural
experience the places the viewer right in the middle of the action.
Dialogue reproduction is first rate, with every word spoken in English
being completely understandable. In addition, all the voices are rendered
with a genuine sense of character. The bass channel is deep and
commanding, without sounding artificially boomy. Fidelity is excellent,
which allows the film’s score and incidental music to shine. A French
5.1 channel track is also encoded onto the DVD, as are English, French and
Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as the DVD’s supplement materials. Max
on set: Ghost Ship is a fifteen minute look behind-the-scenes that
features clips, as well as cast & crew interviews. Secrets Of
The Antonia Graza presents the viewer with a bit of a puzzle to
solve, before it unlocks four vignettes. Visual FX Featurette
offers a five-minute look at the film’s miniature and special effects
work. A Closer Look At The Gore takes the viewer up close
and personal for a five minute tour of the film’s splatter and
dismemberment. Designing the Ghost Ship is another five
minutes on the film’s production design and sets. A music video for
Mudvayne's song Not Falling, as well as a theatrical trailer
and cast & crew filmographies close out the supplements.
GHOST
SHIP may not be the greatest horror film to come down the pike, but I
sure had popcorn munching good fun while watching it. Warner’s DVD looks
and sounds great; so if you are a horror fan, this is a DVD you will want
to check out.
I’ve
read a whole lot of nasty reviews of the movie GHOST SHIP ($28) and
really can’t understand why the critic savaged to film so badly. Sure,
the movie isn’t great cinema, but I actually found it to be a fun,
albeit somewhat mindless, horror outing. GHOST SHIP makes use of
the standard haunted house premise, but instead of being landlocked, the
film takes the audience out for a bit of sea cruise. Like the legendary
Marie Celeste, GHOST SHIP tells the story of a derelict ship with
not a soul on board. Enticed by aerial photographs of an ocean liner
adrift in the midst of the Bering Sea, a salvage team takes a chance that
on the ship being worth a small fortune to them.
Once
they actually find the ship, the leader of salvage team is shocked to
discover that the derelict is none other than the Antonia Graza
a luxurious Italian ocean liner that mysteriously disappeared forty years
earlier. With no signs of what befell the passengers and crew of Antonia
Graza, the salvage team begins exploring the rusting hulk, in
search of something that would make their excursion to the middle of
nowhere worth the effort. What they find is a rather sizable shipment of
gold bars, something that will make each of them wealthy beyond their
wildest dreams. However, before the gold can be offloaded, the ghostly
inhabitants of Antonia Graza make it impossible for the
salvage team to leave the liner, as well as extending a deadly and eternal
invitation. The cast of GHOST SHIP features Gabriel Byrne, Julianna
Margulies, Ron Eldard, Desmond Harrington, Isaiah Washington, Alex
Dimitriades, Karl Urban, Emily Browning and Francesca Rettondini.
Warner
Home Video has made GHOST SHIP available on DVD in a 1.78:1 wide
screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement for 16:9
displays (a separate full screen version is also available, but not
reviewed here). I have to complement Warner on the DVD, because this is an
out and out superb transfer. The image is supremely crisp and utterly well
defined, which brings out each and every ghastly, gory detail of the film’s
production design and special effects (got to love that bloody opening
showstopper). Colors are garishly vibrant; especially the reds, plus all
of the hues are perfectly rendered, without noise or fuzziness. Blacks are
pure and velvety, while the whites are crisps and stable. Contrast is very
smooth, shadow detail is excellent and the picture produces a great sense
of depth. Digital compression artifacts remain completely out of sight
throughout.
GHOST
SHIP comes with a great sounding Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack.
The sound design heaps on tons of atmosphere, which enhance the ghoulish
goings on. Sounds come out of everywhere, creating an enveloping aural
experience the places the viewer right in the middle of the action.
Dialogue reproduction is first rate, with every word spoken in English
being completely understandable. In addition, all the voices are rendered
with a genuine sense of character. The bass channel is deep and
commanding, without sounding artificially boomy. Fidelity is excellent,
which allows the film’s score and incidental music to shine. A French
5.1 channel track is also encoded onto the DVD, as are English, French and
Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as the DVD’s supplement materials. Max
on set: Ghost Ship is a fifteen minute look behind-the-scenes that
features clips, as well as cast & crew interviews. Secrets Of
The Antonia Graza presents the viewer with a bit of a puzzle to
solve, before it unlocks four vignettes. Visual FX Featurette
offers a five-minute look at the film’s miniature and special effects
work. A Closer Look At The Gore takes the viewer up close
and personal for a five minute tour of the film’s splatter and
dismemberment. Designing the Ghost Ship is another five
minutes on the film’s production design and sets. A music video for
Mudvayne's song Not Falling, as well as a theatrical trailer
and cast & crew filmographies close out the supplements.
GHOST
SHIP may not be the greatest horror film to come down the pike, but I
sure had popcorn munching good fun while watching it. Warner’s DVD looks
and sounds great; so if you are a horror fan, this is a DVD you will want
to check out.
