Wild
(2014/Fox Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B+ Film: B
Based
on the true story and memoir by Cheryl Strayed, Wild is an
intense character study about a woman who must walk away from her
complicated personal life and undergo a 1,100 mile solo hike
undertaken as a way for her to recover from her unhappy life. At
first completely unprepared, she soon heightens her awareness and
overcomes incredible obstacles. Think Eat Prey Love only
darker and minus all of the romance.
From
Jean-Marc Vallée, the
director of last year's Dallas Buyers Club, the filmmaking
here is top notch with solid production design, cinematography,
editing and an unbelievable performance by Reese Witherspoon in the
title role. Alongside Reese is Laura Dern (as Strayed's mother),
with Thomas Sadoski, Michiel Huisman and Gaby Hoffmann among several
others in supporting roles of characters that she meets along the
long journey.
The
premise: In 1995, Cheryl Strayed decides to hike more than a thousand
miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone as a way to heal herself
following her divorce, the death of her mother, and years of
reckless, destructive behavior.
Wild
presents a multi-linear narrative, presenting events from Cheryl's
hike in chronological order, with frequent flashbacks to earlier
points in her life, featuring her (as a child, teenager, and young
adult), her mother and brother, her former husband, and other people
she has known. This unique style of storytelling is my favorite as
it puts the viewer inside Cheryl's mental state and keeps the tension
up high.
Fox
has done an excellent job with the presentation of Wild on
Blu-ray. Picture and sound on this disc are really top notch with a
flawless 1080p high definition transfer with a 2.39:1 widescreen
aspect ratio. The sound is superb with a lossless DTS-HD Master
Audio 5.1 track in English, French, and Spanish and UV digital copy
of the film for your tablet or smart phone.
Extras
include a nice collectible booklet with a mini-essay by Cheryl
Strayed and photos and also plenty of great additional features
including...
Deleted
Scenes
The
Real Cheryl Strayed
The
Real Location is the Best Location
How
Much Does a Monster Weigh?
The
Pacific Crest Trail Interactive Map
Promotional
Featurettes
Audio
Commentary by Jean-Marc Vallée, Bruna Papandrea and David Greenbaum,
Experiencing
the PCT: A Special Message from Cheryl Strayed, a Theatrical Trailer,
and Still Gallery
All
in all, a great film and great release by Fox that is not to be
missed.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
