DRAGONFLY
($27) wasn’t warmly received by either the critics or audiences at the
time of its theatrical release and quickly disappeared. With that reaction
in the back of my mind, I was ready to write off DRAGONFLY as another
casualty of Kevin Costner’s hit or miss career. However, after watching
the film, I can say that DRAGONFLY is a lot better than I was expecting.
The movie produces a nice level of suspense and proves to be a reasonably
effective supernatural thriller. I liked much of what was going on throughout
the course of the movie, as well as a number of the characterizations.
However, I have to admit DRAGONFLY becomes somewhat waterlogged
at the climax, in addition to the surprise ending not being as satisfying
as one would hope.
In
DRAGONFLY Kevin Costner portrays Dr. Joe Darrow, who looses his
wife Emily (Susanna Thompson) in an accident in the Venezuelan jungle,
while she is volunteering her services as a physician. As a result Joe
begins burying himself in his duties at the hospital, where he and his
wife both worked. Keeping a promise to Emily, Joe visits some of the children
that were her patients in the juvenile oncology ward. During a visit,
Joe has a strange encounter with a child who has a "near death"
experience, while he is present. During a later conversation with the
recovered youngster, Joe learns that that the child saw Emily in that
realm between life and death, and that his wife has a message for him.
More and more, Joe has experiences that would seem to indicate that Emily
is trying to contact him- but is any of it real or is Joe slowly losing
his mind due to his grief? The cast of DRAGONFLY also includes
Joe Morton, Ron Rifkin, Linda Hunt, Jacob Vargas Robert Bailey Jr., Jacob
Smith, Jay Thomas, Lisa Banes and Kathy Bates (whom I’m happy to watch
in anything).
Universal
Studios Home Video has made DRAGONFLY available on DVD in a 2.35:1
wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement for
16:9 displays. This is a very fine looking transfer that produces a clean,
sharp and nicely detailed image. Colors are reproduced with strong hues
and natural looking flesh tones. There are no signs or chroma noise or
smearing at any time during the presentation. Blacks appear quite inky
ant the contrast is generally smooth, although there are a few harsher
moments due to particular photographic effects. Shadow detail is very
good during the films many darker sequences. Noticeable film grain is
modest and the element used for the transfer doesn’t display any appreciable
defects. Digital compression artifacts remain under the radar, thanks
to solid dual layer authoring.
DRAGONFLY
offers both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 channel soundtracks. The sound mix
makes aggressive use of all the discrete channels, but does it in a subtle
way. Small, atmospheric sounds help create the film’s supernatural creepiness
through the effective use of the surround channels. The viewer is made
to feel the tension that is produced by the rustling of the wind, thunderclaps
and the creaking of floorboards. While there are plenty of sonic elements
in the mix, the soundstage maintains an unclutteredness. Dialogue reproduction
is excellent, maintaining complete intelligibility, while rendering the
actors’ voices with a very natural timber. The bass channel is deep and
forceful, without being unnecessarily boomy. The differences between Dolby
Digital and DTS are pretty negligible, with DTS offering only a bit more
warmth and sonic detail. A French Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack
is also encoded onto the DVD, as are English and Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s suitably
spooky interactive menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard
scene selection and set up features, as well as the supplemental materials.
Director Tom Shadyac is featured on a running audio commentary that is
highly informative about the production of the movie, as well as with
the various themes brought out in the plot. Next up is a thirteen-minute
Spotlight on Location special that offers a mix of interviews,
with a look behind the scene and footage from the movie. The program is
a bit too fluffy for its own good, but it serves its purpose as entertainment.
More than ten minutes of deleted footage has been strung together to show
just what scenes didn’t make the final cut of the movie. One of the most
interesting features on the DVD is the six-minute "interview"
with author Betty Eadie, who discusses her own near death experience.
A theatrical trailer, production notes, cast & crew biographies/filmographies
and several DVD promos for other Universal titles close out the video
supplements. DRAGONFLY is also DVD-ROM enabled, offering appropriately
themed wallpaper and screensavers, as well as web links.
DRAGONFLY
isn’t perfect, but it does produce a number of supernatural thrills and
a good deal of suspense. I wish I found the ending to be more satisfying,
but I am sure there are many out there who will. Universal’s widescreen
release of DRAGONFLY is an excellent looking and sounding DVD,
and while a pan and scan version will also be available, I would recommend
that anyone interested in seeing the movie stick with the original aspect
ratio presentation.
DRAGONFLY
($27) wasn’t warmly received by either the critics or audiences at the
time of its theatrical release and quickly disappeared. With that reaction
in the back of my mind, I was ready to write off DRAGONFLY as another
casualty of Kevin Costner’s hit or miss career. However, after watching
the film, I can say that DRAGONFLY is a lot better than I was expecting.
The movie produces a nice level of suspense and proves to be a reasonably
effective supernatural thriller. I liked much of what was going on throughout
the course of the movie, as well as a number of the characterizations.
However, I have to admit DRAGONFLY becomes somewhat waterlogged
at the climax, in addition to the surprise ending not being as satisfying
as one would hope.
In
DRAGONFLY Kevin Costner portrays Dr. Joe Darrow, who looses his
wife Emily (Susanna Thompson) in an accident in the Venezuelan jungle,
while she is volunteering her services as a physician. As a result Joe
begins burying himself in his duties at the hospital, where he and his
wife both worked. Keeping a promise to Emily, Joe visits some of the children
that were her patients in the juvenile oncology ward. During a visit,
Joe has a strange encounter with a child who has a "near death"
experience, while he is present. During a later conversation with the
recovered youngster, Joe learns that that the child saw Emily in that
realm between life and death, and that his wife has a message for him.
More and more, Joe has experiences that would seem to indicate that Emily
is trying to contact him- but is any of it real or is Joe slowly losing
his mind due to his grief? The cast of DRAGONFLY also includes
Joe Morton, Ron Rifkin, Linda Hunt, Jacob Vargas Robert Bailey Jr., Jacob
Smith, Jay Thomas, Lisa Banes and Kathy Bates (whom I’m happy to watch
in anything).
Universal
Studios Home Video has made DRAGONFLY available on DVD in a 2.35:1
wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement for
16:9 displays. This is a very fine looking transfer that produces a clean,
sharp and nicely detailed image. Colors are reproduced with strong hues
and natural looking flesh tones. There are no signs or chroma noise or
smearing at any time during the presentation. Blacks appear quite inky
ant the contrast is generally smooth, although there are a few harsher
moments due to particular photographic effects. Shadow detail is very
good during the films many darker sequences. Noticeable film grain is
modest and the element used for the transfer doesn’t display any appreciable
defects. Digital compression artifacts remain under the radar, thanks
to solid dual layer authoring.
DRAGONFLY
offers both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 channel soundtracks. The sound mix
makes aggressive use of all the discrete channels, but does it in a subtle
way. Small, atmospheric sounds help create the film’s supernatural creepiness
through the effective use of the surround channels. The viewer is made
to feel the tension that is produced by the rustling of the wind, thunderclaps
and the creaking of floorboards. While there are plenty of sonic elements
in the mix, the soundstage maintains an unclutteredness. Dialogue reproduction
is excellent, maintaining complete intelligibility, while rendering the
actors’ voices with a very natural timber. The bass channel is deep and
forceful, without being unnecessarily boomy. The differences between Dolby
Digital and DTS are pretty negligible, with DTS offering only a bit more
warmth and sonic detail. A French Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack
is also encoded onto the DVD, as are English and Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s suitably
spooky interactive menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard
scene selection and set up features, as well as the supplemental materials.
Director Tom Shadyac is featured on a running audio commentary that is
highly informative about the production of the movie, as well as with
the various themes brought out in the plot. Next up is a thirteen-minute
Spotlight on Location special that offers a mix of interviews,
with a look behind the scene and footage from the movie. The program is
a bit too fluffy for its own good, but it serves its purpose as entertainment.
More than ten minutes of deleted footage has been strung together to show
just what scenes didn’t make the final cut of the movie. One of the most
interesting features on the DVD is the six-minute "interview"
with author Betty Eadie, who discusses her own near death experience.
A theatrical trailer, production notes, cast & crew biographies/filmographies
and several DVD promos for other Universal titles close out the video
supplements. DRAGONFLY is also DVD-ROM enabled, offering appropriately
themed wallpaper and screensavers, as well as web links.
DRAGONFLY
isn’t perfect, but it does produce a number of supernatural thrills and
a good deal of suspense. I wish I found the ending to be more satisfying,
but I am sure there are many out there who will. Universal’s widescreen
release of DRAGONFLY is an excellent looking and sounding DVD,
and while a pan and scan version will also be available, I would recommend
that anyone interested in seeing the movie stick with the original aspect
ratio presentation.
