Plot: What’s it about?
Peter Garrett (Chris O’Donnell) and his sister Annie (Robin Tunney) grew up around mountain climbing and as such, it has always been like second nature to them. The two scaled all sorts of terrain and mountains with their father, so it was like no peak was high for them, no matter what kind of troubles faced them. But when a routine climb with some tourists, a stupid mistake by another set of climbers caused their rope to almost snap, so instead of letting his children perish, their father cut himself loose and saved them in the process. This became a moment of choice for both of them, as Annie decided to take on all comers in her quest to climb, while Peter opted to play it safe and become a nature photographer. But he soon finds himself at K2, where his sister is also present and preparing to ascend the mountain with a band of climbers, including wealthy businessman & adventurer, Elliot Vaughn (Bill Paxton). The expedition starts off well enough, but soon turns sour and unless Peter can summon up his courage, gain the assistance of an eccentric climber, and beat the clock, his sister could wind up dead.
I was a little surprised as I watched Vertical Limit, as I expected a movie with big production values, ineffective emotional moments, and mediocre performances, but it turned out to be more than decent. I mean, the main focus is still on the special effects and visuals, but a few of the cast members prove to be on their game, which enhances the film to no end. This is not the kind of film to watch for character development and emotional content, but it does try to make those moments work, often with flat results. The visuals come through well and except for a few poorly crafted scenes, I think this conveys the tension, danger, and excitement of the situations, which is a vital element in Vertical Limit. I still think it is more style over substance and even then it fails at times, but it is still well worth a look, to be sure. This seems like a natural choice for the Superbit treatment, given the visuals and audio potential, so I am pleased to find it as part of the collection. If you’re a fan of the film and want the finest presentation out there, then this is the disc you’ll want to nab, even though the lack of extras does lessen the overall value involved.
Even with the visual mishaps and continuity errors, Vertical Limit could have been a better movie had someone else had the lead role, as opposed to Chris O’Donnell. He is able to turn in some solid performances in certain projects, but he was not a wise choice to take on this role and his presence drags the film down at times. I mean, he isn’t even that much of a draw these days, so I have no idea why he was chosen, since it is obvious the film had enough budget to get someone more talented in there. O’Donnell comes off as flat and forced in most scenes, but that is in his better moments, usually he seems asleep, just with his eyes open. So to think of someone else in his role adds a lot to the movie, without a doubt. Other films with O’Donnell include Batman Forever, School Ties, The Bachelor, Mad Love, and Cookie’s Fortune. The cast also includes Robin Tunney (The Craft, Supernova), Bill Paxton (A Simple Plan, Weird Science), and Scott Glenn (The Virgin Suicides, The Right Stuff).
Video: How does it look?
Vertical Limit is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. As the previous version sported an excellent visual treatment, I was skeptical of how much improvement would be present, even with Superbit’s superior reputation. In the end, you will see some upgrades in terms of sharpness and clarity, but when compared to other Superbit releases, the improvements don’t add up to as much. Even so, the image here is terrific and makes some nice steps to enhance the original effort, which looked great, but had some noticeable flaws. So no, this is not the best of the Superbits line, but it is still a tremendous, improved visual presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
Now this is where the Superbit edition leaves the old release behind, thanks to a new DTS option that leaves an avalanche in its wake that buries the Dolby Digital 5.1 counterpart, no doubt about it. As great as the Dolby Digital version is, this DTS track takes all the positive elements and enhances them many times over, from the bass to the immense surround use to even the more subtle moments, most impressive indeed. In addition, the DTS option just comes off as more seamless, in that you don’t notice the surround use, you’re just pulled into the audio atmosphere, which is very effective and adds a lot to the experience. Yes, both tracks will dazzle your ears, but the DTS option is simply superb, so make that your selection if you’re able. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese, and Thai.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc contains no bonus materials.
