Sneakers
(HD-DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C- Film: D
As part
of a small cycle of films that tried to be hip thrillers about computers before
The Internet took off, Field Of Dreams
writer/director Phil Alden Robinson attempted to do one with Sneakers in
1992. It was the worst of them all and
continued Robinson’s losing streak after the Kevin Costner hit. Even with a cast that included Robert
Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, David
Strathairn and the late River Phoenix (the #1 reason it is a curio at the
moment), it is one of the amazing turkeys of the 1990s.
At the
time, Hollywood was anxious to fill the gap left by the end of The Cold War and
the then-temporary end of the James Bond franchise. Instead, they proved once again was they had
in the 1960s that they still had not figured out why the Bond films worked in
the first place. On top of that, the
films in this cycle and especially this one have aged very, very, very badly as
far as the technology is concerned.
Thanks to the script by Robinson, Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes
is too busy being self impressed by the technology and itself (before there was
this cast, yet), it is an instant relic.
Now, that is more obvious.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 VC-1 digital High Definition image looks older and shows its age with
color, depth and detail that seem 15 years old, not helped by John Lindey’s
uninspired cinematography. The Dolby
Digital Plus 5.1 mix tries to upgrade the old Dolby A-type analog sound and
does not do a very good job of this. The
combination is one of my least favorite HD-DVD and Universal HD-DVD releases to
date technically. Extras include a
making of featurette, commentary track with Lasker, Parkes & Robinson that
is very odd and the original theatrical trailer.
- Nicholas Sheffo
