The
Age Of Adaline (2015/Lionsgate Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: A/B- Extras: B- Film: C+
Age
of Adaline
is a compelling romance with a solid cast and a time spanning tale
that uses similar elements that we have seen in the past (a parent
outgrowing their children such as in last year's Interstellar)
and maybe even a bit of Blast
From The Past
as well. Shot digitally on the Red Epic camera, the film looks (and
sounds) simply stunning on disc and is a great showpiece for home
demos as you're passing the tissues to your loved one as she watches.
This is a chick flick... but with great performances and solid
directions, it's bearable for us manly men to sit through.
The
film stars Blake Lively, Harrison Ford and his uncanny young
look-a-like Anthony Ingruber (to whom BETTER win the role of Young
Han Solo in the upcoming Star
Wars
Anthology films), Kathy Baker and Ellen Burstyn as Adaline's aging
daughter (which goes back again to her role in Interstellar).
29-year-old
Adaline (Blake Lively) has a normal married life in San Francisco in
the early 1900 and somehow survives a near-death experience of being
struck by lightning, and from that day on, obtains eternal youth.
Many aliases (and decades) later, a chance encounter with a
charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) reignites
her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents
(Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) threatens to uncover the truth,
Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.
Some
problems I had with the film were her keeping the secret of her age a
secret for so long. They touch upon it at one point when the
Government gets involved but that plot point quickly fizzles. The
last act is a bit of a letdown but it's the great performances that
tie the film together.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and
a powerful Dolby Atmos mix that is simply stunning, covered here as a
Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless mix on the disc and foreign language tracks
in lossy Dolby Digital 5.1, the film looks and sounds fantastic on
Blu-ray disc. This is a great showpiece for your home entertainment
system for sure.
There
is also a DVD edition included in standard definition with an
anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and a lossy Dolby
Digital 5.1 one that is fine for the format but doesn't compete with
the clarity of the Blu-ray. There's also a Digital Copy for your
tablet or smart phone if you like to watch your films on the go.
Special
Features include Audio
Commentary with Director Lee Toland Krieger, A Love Story for the
Ages, Style Throughout the Ages, Discovering Young Harrison Ford:
Anthony Ingruber: A YouTube Sensation, and Deleted Scenes.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
