Forces of Nature was one of those films you see
shorts for at the cinemas but never really make the effort to see it. To me it was a wait
for the DVD kind of film.
As I have mentioned recently though Sandra Bullock is really getting better each time I
see her. She used to come across like Jennifer Lopez in that she wasn’t terribly
convincing as an actor but manage to land some big roles and became famous none the less.
Anyway she does a pretty good job here and reminds me very much of her character in Miss
Congeniality.
Ben Affleck plays Ben Holmes a happy young man soon to be married to the lovely Bridget
(Maura Tierney).
Unfortunately Ben isn’t much of a flyer so after a little take off mishap on his
plane he decides not to fly to Savannah for his wedding. Instead he manages to hook up
with Sarah (Sandra Bullock) who believes he saved her life in the plane. They decide to
hitch a ride in a hire car with Vic to Savannah. From here the trip takes on more than
anyone could imagine, drug busts, train carriage shunting, home buyers tours, and burning
cash o grams to name a few. Basically in a humorous light the gist of the story is to
point out to Ben that this is all fate and that he shouldn’t get married at all.
Sarah is the distraction Ben needs .......
So how does this transfer hold up?
...  |
VIDEO
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is a little on the
disappointing side. The transfer has a very soft and unfocussed feel about it which is
more an effect from the source material rather that a transfer fault. There are some
instances of MPEG artefacting but on a normal television it is very hard to pick. This
would only be a problem on a projection screen or a much larger TV.
Shadow detail was also less than impressive. The softness of the film and the high
contrast has created a nightmare for shadow detail and was disappointing at the best of
times.
The colour palette is very bright and rich, but never too overbearing. Even during dark
scenes the colour was still very realistic. There are some minor instances of ailiasing
and shimmering but again not so bad that would be worried about them.
 ... |
AUDIO
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track was a little
better. Dialogue was clear and easy to understand throughout. Surround channels were
actually quite active, given that this is a predominantly dialogue driven track. The
surrounds were continually active in supporting the score and some sound effects.
The base channel frequently came into play, more for
supporting the score though rather than supporting the sound effects.
The score from John Powell was very well constructed. With
some nice bouncy bits and pieces and some sing along tunes all combined with a few
emotional classical pieces.
EXTRAS
... |
Theatrical Trailer
Deleted Scenes: 4 deleted scenes all poor quality transfer.
Featurette: Behind the Scenes: 3 minutes of promotional
bits on the film, nothing of any value whatsoever.
Overall
This was an enjoyable enough film but I was disappointed
with the transfer and the lack of extras for such a recent vintage flick.
| PICTURE
QUALITY |
7/10 too many small problems |
SOUND
- Quality
- 5.1 WOW Factor |
8/10 not too bad really
6/10 a lot of support in the surrounds |
| EXTRAS |
3/10 basically nothing
really |
| OVERALL |
8/10 enjoyable enough. |
Review Equipment
TV: GE 68cm (16:9 selectable)
DVD: Pioneer 737
Receiver: Yamaha DTS RX-V595a
Speakers:-
Fronts: Wharfedale Diamond R6 (on a pair of custom made stands you'd KILL for)
Centre: Venturi
Rears: Sony bookshelf
Sub: M&K v75
- Reviewed 17th April 2001
* jpeg files for internet promotion use
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...