Film Dissapoints (Unbreakable (DVD))

Member Name: Welshy

Product:	Unbreakable (DVD)
Date:	26/06/01 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cracking DVD

Disadvantages: Boring film

First off, I'd just like to add that I think I am one of the VERY few people that actually hated 'The Sixth Sense', sound it to drag, very boring, and even predictable! Knowing the film was from the same director (M.N.Shayamalan) and featured many of the same actors, took a similar approach, and to many was even regarded as the sequel to the sixth sense, I still fancied watching this movie (for some unknown reason) and thus purchased the R1 DVD upon its release...


Unbreakable --> The film itself


As with the mighty Sixth Sense (tongue Firmly in cheek here!), this is an M Night Shyamalan movie which takes very much the same suspense-thriller approach, has an eerie supernatural background and intends to shock its audience right before the credits. Now this is actually a very clever approach to a film. One last big twist that will leave a lasting and foremost impression on the audience, possibly changing their opinions on the film and even in some cases covering up a distinctly average movie. That was certainly the case with the Sixth Sense, and is most definitely the case with Unbreakable, but for me it was nowhere near enough.

Starring Bruce Willis as with its much compared to brother film, along with Samuel L Jackson, the story (without giving the only remotely interesting part of the film (i.e. the finale) away) tells how David Dunn is passenger on board a train. However, a horrendous crash sees devastation and a high casualty list. In fact, EVERY person on the train is killed, except for one - Dunn. Not only is he alive, but he is also completely unharmed - not a bruise, break or scratch in sight, and merely walks away from the Hospital minutes after arriving! While this could be a freak of nature and a very large slice of luck (which Dunn believes it is), a mysterious stranger in the form of Elisha (Jackson) knows otherwise, and after leaving a freaky 'thought-provoking' note, they soon meet.
The initia
l meeting doesn't go well. Things are fine until Elisha tells Dunn of his crazy ideas - that is his belief that Comic Book Hero?s walk the earth un-known to others, and he believes Dunn to be one of those very Hero's. Dunn simply walks away, but after a great deal of harassment, Elisha begins to convince Dunn of his beliefs, and a number of reasons that support his argument begin to make Dunn a believer in the concept.

The film then goes on to this 'twist' that changes the outlook on the film and then ends. I would like to write more detailed information about the ending of the film, but there really will be no point in seeing this film for yourself if I do, so I'll leave it there!

The film lasts for 107 minutes, a time well suited to this kind of film. However, the film is strange in its construction, and formed the basis for my main criticism. Most films will have the familiar START->MIDDLE->END pattern, and this works well. Now I am no abhorrer of originality and something new, but this film just went from start to end, there was no 'middle' body of the film so to speak. Of the 107 minutes, 77 were the beginning - getting the storyline, plot and characters established, and then from nowhere, the film started to end in its conclusion. We had an hour or more of the same thing, moving incredibly slowly dragging no-end and this was a very boring part of the film to the viewer. Don't get me wrong, it was certainly necessary in the context of the film, but other films have adopted a similar Long-start->Quick Finish approach and done a far better job. I guess I'm not a fan of Shyamalan's approach to his movie(s), and for me, they take a too drawn out and slow approach.

In every bit the same way the Sixth sense bored my silly for the first hour, this managed exactly the same, and although this is just about the only major criticism I have of the film, so major is it, that it cannot score highly as a resul
t. This was just a very boring movie, with the exception of the ending (which for the matter of fact I rightly predicted half hour before it ended (there is one statement made by Elisha to Dunn that gave the story completely away for me!)) and this took further enjoyment out of the movie.

The acting is of a high standard, the dialogue is pretty good, and the plot is very interesting and imaginative, but it simply does not develop over the course of the first hour. We spend too long getting to know the main character (and those on his periphery), along with his 'realisation', and the film ends...Something I didn't appreciate, and felt this film could have been so much better.

Experiencing the exact same emotions as I did with the Sixth Sense, this leads me to believe that those that liked the first film (god knows there were enough that did) will love the second, and having watched (and hated) both, I would say unbreakable is the better of the two. I guess this film was just not for me, and down to personal opinion.


Unbreakable --> The DVD review

Not long out of the UK Cinema?s, this film is out on R1 DVD, coming in a particularly lovely 2 disk package. The firs thing about the DVD I'd like to mention is the packaging, which is lovely. An outer cardboard sleeve houses a folding quad-page card case, holding two lovely shiny disks and a booklet. It looks superb, feels like quality and I felt deserved to be singled out, as being on of the nicest looking DVD cases I have seen to date.

Picture Quality
---------------

The movie itself is also not dropped short - the movie picture wise looks lovely. Anamorphically enhanced for 16:9 TV's and presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the film looks sensation. Colours are vivid, the print is crisp, clean and very rigid - almost perfect so to speak. No artefacts, pixilation of blurring spoil the transfer in the slightest, this really is as good (if not
better) than going to see the film in the cinema!

Audio Quality
-------------

The Audio on this disk is a dual DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 track that instantly screams quality. The inclusion of a DTS track will please any keen home Cinema fan, and with this in mind I was eager to get this disk in my player and see what it could do. Being THX certified, this should ensure that the film was of the utmost quality, and this only added to my haste.
However, when this movie did reach my player, I could not help feeling somewhat disappointed! The DTS is never really utilised in a way it could be, the film is 99% dialogue, meaning the front speakers are almost exclusively used. When the rears and split effects do come into play, the admittedly sound spectacular (e.g. when we hear the rainfall, or the train going through tunnels etc.) but this is far to rare an occurrence, and was not the kind of movie the exploit the sound that I was hoping for.
Dialogue comes through the centre speaker, is at a perfect level, crystal clear and is accompanied by the Front Left and Right speakers well. This is again perfectly amicable for its job, but the sight of those DTS and THX logos just left me wanting more, and this film failed to deliver.
Having not listened to the Dolby Digital mix, I cannot comment on its quality, but I suspect it is very must alike the DTS track - that is does its job perfectly well, just 'hampered' by the movie.

Extra features
--------------

The second disk contains nothing but extras, which include the following:

* Extras scenes not shown in the cinema
* Behind the scenes
* Comic Books feature
* Train station MULTI-ANGLE feature
* Early Shyamalan movie extract (boy this is REALLY BAD!)
* Deleted Scenes
* THX certified
* 2 'collectable' Illustrations

The extras are on there are of good quality, including half an hour of deleted scenes, and prove mo
re then enough for this film. Overall, we cannot complain about the extras on-board, although it surprises me that there is no Directors commentary on the disk.


Overall OPinion - Both Film & DVD



On reflection, this is a very disappointing movie. It begins well, slows right down after about 10 minutes, then drags its heels for the next hour simply going nowhere. It then starts to conclude in a quite predictable manner before ending and leaving me feeling cheated. I found myself bored and irritated by the movie, but can see why it has gained comparisons to the Sixth Sense, and it is lover of the movie that will enjoy this. However, it just wasn't for me.
DVD wise, we have something again of very high quality, but I again felt let down. Picture wise it is superb and cannot be faulted and the Audio does its job well, if a little under-used. The audio, for me was like having a Ferrari on the drive, and getting a taxi to work - such a waste, and this is what I felt of the DTS & THX utilisation.
Extras are good, and overall, the DVD is of a very high quality, which will explain (along with the films excellent reputation) why this has sold so well since its recent release.

Many will love this film, and its very collectable, but for me, it just wasn't my cup of tea, and I certainly cannot recommend this to readers of this review.

Summary: