Plot: What’s it about?
Marie Clifford (Sarah Laine) hasn’t even turned eighteen, but her future is secure and her lifestyle will be lavish as long as she lives. Once her eighteenth birthday does arrive, she is the sole inheritor of her late mother’s fortune. No small sum to be sure and one that would afford Marie the kind of life most people dream of, but could never experience. She would never run out of cash, be a powerful figure in social circles, and do pretty much whatever she pleases. The prize of her soon to be fortune is a pair of flawless diamonds, worth so much, some people would kill to own them. When her father Jay (Brad Johnson) finds himself in legal trouble over an alleged sexual encounter with local bad girl Elena (Sandra McCoy), Marie is torn on what to do. But soon enough, a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal unfolds, with no one sure about who they can trust. When the dust settles, who will be proven innocent and who will possess the fortune?
The realm of sequels has expanded at an incredible rate, thanks to the rush of direct to video projects that have flooded the market in recent years. In some cases, the sequels were crafted as true sequels, but in other instances, a similar theme is enough cause to market a film as such. Wild Things was a smash hit on video, thanks to the incoherent plot and of course, torrid sex scenes. Now we have two sequels, neither of which have any kind of connection to the original, aside from basic themes. So don’t expect more Denise Richard lesbian action, as the sequels are new beasts. Diamonds in the Rough is the latest addition to the Wild Things stable, but is it as hot and enjoyable as the original? I was a little surprised, but I really liked this movie, as it knew what its audience wanted and delivered the goods. The focus is on outlandish plot twists, a liberal dose of sleaze, and of course, hot, naked women. So if you liked Wild Things, this is as close to that, but with some new twists as you’ll find, so check out Wild Things: Diamonds in the Rough.
Video: How does it look?
Wild Things: Diamonds in the Rough is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a brand new production and as expected, the visuals come off as clean and crisp. The move to home video was quick, so no time for grain or debris to be an issue in the least. The print looks great as a result, which means that softness is no problem and the visuals shine here. The colors have a lot of life, with rich hues and they’re complimented by stark, consistent black levels. The image is sharp throughout, so no detail woes and all in all, this is a terrific visual treatment.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, but aside from a few instances and the musical soundtrack, there isn’t much in terms of dynamic audio here. But the pop rock driven soundtrack comes across very well here, in rich and lush form at all times. The surrounds don’t see much action from sound effects, but a couple scenes do make good use of the extended channels. So this is not a powerful mix by any means, but it does the material justice and that is enough in this case. The dialogue is clean and crisp also, with no issues in terms of volume or clarity in the least. This disc also includes French, Japanese, and Portuguese language tracks, as well as subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Korean, Portuguese, Japanese, and Chinese, so almost all the bases have been covered in that respect.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s trailer.
