The film is presented in its original widescreen ratio of 2.35:1, is enhanced
for 16:9 widescreen televisions - thus allowing for higher resolution.
The sound comes in two formats: Dolby Digital 5.1 which will benefit all of
those with the suitable hardware and Dolby Surround for everyone else with a
surround setup. The sound comes across very clearly, with speakers only really
getting a workout with an explosion towards the end plus some crowd scenes.
Extras :
Chapters/Theatrical Trailer :
There are 28 chapters spread throughout the 113 mins of the film which is
just about enough here, although it would be nice to have a separate one at
the end for the closing credits.
There's no confusion this time over the "Trailer" option from the main menu.
It seems Columbia have learnt their lesson after providing a compilation
trailer on earlier releases as this is the original theatrical trailer.
Languages/Subtitles :
There's just the one language on this disc - English - plus subtitles in
English, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Icelandic, Hindi and Hebrew.
Menu :
The interactive menu works well. Just dragging the mouse pointer over an
option highlights it, although the menu is static. On playing the disc you get
the Columbia TriStar logo before the main menu appears.
When you select the "Start Movie" option, before it begins you'll be presented
with the copyright logo and then the film itself.
Overall, this is a rather cheesy and silly thriller with the acting hammed up
by Moore and Baldwin, with a plot and outcome that unfolds in the most obvious
way possible.
If you are going to buy this film though, the DVD will not have much competition
from video as only a fullscreen version was released in this format. However,
Encore Entertainment released a PAL Laserdisc in widescreen around 18 months
ago which originally retailed for £26.99, but is now discounted to
£14.99. It does have a theatrical trailer as well, plus a few more chapters
at 34, but lacks 16:9 enhancement and Dolby Digital which are present on the
DVD here.
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
