|
The Movie: "Pet Sematary" is not one of the best Stephen King adapatations, but it's a bit better than the reviews that came out around that time would have one to believe. The story has all of the elements of a good King tale, but it just doesn't really bring them all together in a coherent fashion towards the end. The picture has some interesting characters, decent plot, and a few remarkably good scares. The story revolves around an otherwise unremarkable family moving into a small-town house on a road that just happens to have trucks screaming by at all hours of the day or night. Up a path next to their house, they have a graveyard for the pets that have been lost to the trucks going by on the road. And, this being a Stephen King movie, wouldn't you expect this to be a slightly "different" graveyard? Again, I said there were "some" interesting characters. It's unfortunate that our main character, the father played by Dale Midkiff, comes across as rather bland. The only interesting character is the neighbor played by Fred Gwyne, who is creepy without even having to do much. Unfortunately, their cat is a victim of the truck, and it's buried in a graveyard in a forest (which looks like something out of the "Blair Witch Project") by their house. With the magical powers of the area, the cat comes back. And it's pissed. I'm not going to spoil the rest of the film, but it doesn't always take the right choices, although since I haven't read the novel, maybe its characters meet similar events as well. The interesting thing about the film once its over is how the opening of the film actually works better with less than the ending, which is goes more with visual scares than solid atmosphere and tone. The film was apparently a hit with audiences ($57m gross over an $11.5m budget.) and certainly, it's not a totally flawed movie. It's just one of those instances where I would have liked to have seen what I different director would have done with the film. Technically, the film is ok; score by Elliot Goldenthal is enjoyably creepy and cinematographer Peter Klein("Ernest Goes To Jail")'s work is fine is not remarkable. As for the effects, well, with the small budget, I won't go into how the effects look. Director Mary Lambert returned this year, unsuccessfully, with the teen film "The In-Crowd". The DVD VIDEO: Paramount's 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is mighty good, looking crystal clear and with few flaws. Sharpness is good, and detail and clarity are both good even in the nighttime sequences. Flaws are suprisingly minimal. Where one might expect a few flaws on the print used from a movie that's over 10 years old, we really find none. I may have spotted a speckle or two, but that's literally it. A very slight trace of pixelation appears once or twice, but this is hardly distracting and barely noticable. There's no shimmering, either. Colors are natural and subtle, but not vibrant or bright in any way, keeping towards a more basic color palette likely by intention. This is very good work from Paramount, keeping the film in strong shape. SOUND: I was quite pleased with the film's new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack! No, it's not "The Haunting" in terms of agressive activity, but it certainly sounds very good for a movie that's now 11 years old. The opening scene offers voices from all sides, and it doesn't really stop there. Surrounds are used very nicely for effects and ambient sounds. During the more intense sequences this becomes quite a creepy experience. Elliot Goldenthal's score comes through full-bodied and clear, and I never felt that the film sounded at all thin. Dialogue is clear and clean, and generally, although not a hugely agressive soundtrack, one that's at least basically effective and at a few times very effective. MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with basic film-themed images serving as the layout. EXTRAS: Well, here's where it falls a little flat. There are no extras, not even a trailer. Final Thoughts: Fans of the movie will be pleased with the audio/video quality, but would have liked an extra or two - for them it's recommended. Others (especially fans of the genre) may find it worth looking at as a rental. 
Film Grade The Film B- DVD Grades Video 91/A = (364/400 possible points) Audio: 91/A = (364/400 possible points) Extras: -/F = (0/300 possible points) Menus: 75/C = (150/200 possible points) Value: 79/C = (237/300 possible points) TOTAL POINTS:1115/1600 DVD GRADE:C-/70% FILM GRADE: B- DVD GRADE: C- |