The Eclipse (2009/Magnolia/MagNet Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture:
B/B- Sound: B/C+ Extras: C Feature: C
In yet
another attempt to do a haunted drama with limited Horror thrills, Conor
McPherson’s The Eclipse (2009) as a writer (Ciaran Hinds of Excalibur, Veronica Guerin and There
Will Be Blood) starts seeing ghosts when he visits an Irish town by sea,
not to mention more than one religious locale.
Not that he is “asking for it” so see ghosts, but he is able to turn to
an expert on the subject (Iben Hjejle) and she tries to help, but an
egotistical novelist (Aidan Quinn of Avalon
and Jonah Hex) who used to date her
keeps getting in the way and chaos ensues.
I really
liked the locations, acting, some of the interaction and the fact that they
decided not to try and remake The
Shining yet again. However, the
Billy Roche screenplay is also not able to go all the way into the supernatural
zone as the underrated Exorcism Of Emily Rose (reviewed elsewhere on this site)
did. Still, there are a few good moments
for those interested and it is at least ambitious. See it if you are very curious.
The unusual
1080p 2.00 X 1 digital High Definition image aspect ratio was shot in High
Definition (reportedly 2.35 in theaters) and often looks better than expected
on the Blu-ray, while the anamorphically enhanced DVD has more problems
resolving detail and depth, but can also look good, just less often. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 mix
on the Blu-ray sounds warmer than the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on the DVD, which
sounds much weaker for some reason and simply does not deliver the full
soundfield of the DTS. Extras on both include
an HD Net special on the film and Making
Of Featurette.
- Nicholas Sheffo
