Plot: What’s it about?
Ever feel like the town in which you live is just not your speed, and you’d do anything to get the hell out? Chris and Toni feel that way about Metroland, where their attitudes and style just don’t fit in, and they want to abandon their current lives and pursue life at it’s fullest. Not content with living the normal life of having a home, wife, and kids, they want to live life in the fast lane, enjoying all of life’s perks while shunning its responsibilities. They finally realize their dream, and leave Metroland in the past, and embark on their own personal pursuits of true freedom and happiness. Nine years later, after exploring the world, Toni returns to Metroland, and discovers something he never expected to see. Chris is back in Metroland, and is married to Marion, living the lifestyle he had once despised. This leaves Toni feeling he must do whatever it takes to free Chris from this suburban oppression, and permanently leave Metroland behind. But Toni may discover there’s happiness and freedom in some of the most expected places.
In all honesty, this was one awful movie. I didn’t like the storyline, I didn’t like the acting, and if Emily Watson would have been absent, there would have been no reason to watch this movie. The kicker with my disliking this film is that I went into the movie excited, and expecting to enjoy it. I read reviews about how the movie took an unemotional approach, and that seemed like a great premise. But as I watched, I became more and more disappointed with the style choices, especially the camera work. Simply put, remove the score and Emily Watson, and this is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. If you’re at all interested, rent this first by all means.
As I mentioned above, the only saving grace in Metroland is Emily Watson. Watson (The Boxer, Cradle Will Rock) is an excellent dramatic actress, and her performance here keeps that reputation intact. Which is amazing, since the material is dismal. But I suppose that only serves to further her talent in my mind. I suppose Lee Ross (Secrets & Lies, Rogue Trader) and Christian Bale (Newsies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) have talent buried in there somewhere, but they stink the place up here. It’s rare I really find performances miserable, but these two really dishonor the acting business. There are some smaller supporting roles, but none of them manage any better, so I won’t mention their names and save them the embarrassment.
Video: How does it look?
Metroland is presented in a full frame transfer. While full frame is usually scoffed at, this transfer seems to be framed well, with no visible pan or scan to bitch about. The movie uses a natural color spectrum, and the flesh tones and atmosphere hues all come across well, without resorting to bleeding or such. Black levels are also good, with good detail levels and no shadow layering problems. The disc is free from compression errors as well.
Audio: How does it sound?
The disc uses a surround track for audio, but the only time those surrounds are gonna wake up is during the score, which is outstanding, and the brightest portion of the film. Dialogue sounds clear and no distortion appears either.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Universal has included the theatrical trailer.
