Plot: What’s it about?
Blue Bay is one big country club, where the richies play on yachts and divorces out-number marriages. But greed, lust, and betrayal are very evident as well, and WIld Things takes a long, hard look at those elements. I won’t give too much away, as this movie’s sole reason for being is suprise plot turns, well, that and the sex scene between Denise Richards and Neve Campbell. So, to sum it up nice and neat, a popular school-teacher (Matt Dillon) is accused of rape by one of his students (Richards), and during the trial, another student (Campbell) gives a similar story. A investigator (Kevin Bacon) seems to think something is amiss with the whole thing, and gets personally involved in the mess. Campbell is an outcast with a bad reputation, and Richards is a well-thought-of rich girl, so Dillon does not discriminate by social class.
This movie was a pretty big success at the theatre, and it thrived because of hype about it’s shocking plot-twists. Now, had I not heard all the hype before-hand, I might have enjoyed this flick more. But, I went into it expecting a dog of a different color, a truly ground-breaking suspense thriller. While Wild Things is a decent movie, the hype killed this one, setting standards that the movie can’t live up to. Sure, the twists are kinda neat, but by no means that suprising, and after a while, the twists make the movie predictable. Every time things seem to be worked out, you know something’s gonna happen. Explanations are few and far between, but a few segments run during the credits, filling in some of the blanks. Don’t be fooled, this movie is not a no-brainer or anything, but it does not live up to all the press it got while on the big-screen. This new unrated version isn’t all that either, with only a few scant additions to mention. But even so, fans will without a doubt want to add this alternate edition to their collections.
Where this movie does deliver is decent enough acting, and the T&A factor. There is a car-wash scene with Richards and a friend which redefines wet t-shirt scenes, and sets a new standard for playful young twenty-somethings. The actresses do a tremendous job of keeping a youthful, playful tone to the sex scenes, and even the hardest scenes still seem playful and explorative. A movie with a thirty-year old acting seventeen sucks like nothing else, these girls, in their early 20’s, pull of the teen thing nicely. The sex scenes are what made this movie happen, as everyone I talked to about the film first spoke of the Campbell/Richards scene. So, if you are looking for a young T&A movie hiding out as a thriller, pick up WIld Things. It is more than a soft-core porno, just not much more. Also, there is a small role of Dillon’s lawyer, played by Bill Murray, which is a must see!!
Editor’s note: It was with my original review of this disc (no longer available online) that brought Fusion to ask if he could review for the site. Five years later, the rest, as they say – is history. Who says movies don’t influence people’s lives?
Video: How does it look?
Wild Things is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This looks to be the same transfer as the previous release, with no marked improvements. But that isn’t bad news per se, as that means we have a more than solid presentation. Wowsers, you can see every drop of sweat and saliva in this one! And although the picture does not to be perfect to view Richards’ breasts, it helps alot. A beautiful wide-screen anamorphic trasnfer, with no artifacts, discoloring, or bleeding of any type. Even the darkest scenes, which are plentiful, the blacks are crisp and clear. The pan & scan edition has been dropped this time around, which is to be expected, as more and more people accept the intended visual formats.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio seems to have been fine tuned a little, but aside from some added depth, the track clocks about the same. Again, not a problem in the least, as the soundtrack is well crafted and brings a lot of atmosphere. Dolby Digital 5.1 used brilliantly here. A majority of the scenes are in the Everglades and immerses you into the feeling with the soundtrack. There is a brilliant “jungle montage” in a few scenes. Other than that, channel seperation is clean and clear with a very natrual dialogue track. Surround effects are sparce, but add to the overall feeling of the movie. This disc also includes a Japanese language track, as well as subtitles in English, French, and Japanese, should you need those at some point.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Most of the supplements have been dropped, so all that remains are some talent files and the film’s theatrical trailer.
