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| Reviewed by: Chris Burton 24 Apr 2008 Youth Without Youth
| |  After a ten year hiatus from film (who could possibly top Jack), Francis Ford Coppola returns with Youth Without Youth, an incredibly disappointing and stupid metaphysical meditation of mind boggling something. Its not really a movie. I couldn't really tell you what happened, and that's mostly because I don't care. The characters are paper thin and the writing is quite sub-par. Quite, I say. Pass the brandy.
"Romania is on the brink of war with Germany, and linguistics professor Dominic Matei (Tim Roth) has little left to live for. On Easter Day 1938, he crosses the street and is struck by a bolt of lightning. Badly burned and nearly dead, he amazes the doctors by healing in only a short time. He defies science and ages in reverse from 70 to 40. There's seemingly no limit to the wonder and love he can find in his new youth. He pursues lost dreams, endless knowledge, and the secrets of life until his secret is discovered. Now he must use his increased intelligence to keep his powerful secret safe from the wicked powers that would use it for evil."
Sounds interesting, right?... Wrong. Instead of making a fun adventure or even a captivating character study, Coppola delivers a textbook dry story along with some scenes that seem akin to acid trips for no discernible reason. There is very little substance here, and the style also leaves much to be desired. Its like a beautiful cake that doesn't taste good, except its not a beautiful cake- its an ugly cake.
Hopefully, Coppola has cleaned the bats out of the belfry. He's ready to return to form. He needs to put down that damn wine bottle and focus. Please wow us again. Or at least ask your daughter how she does it.
On the plus side, this breathtaking Blu-ray disc is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen and encoded at 1080p. Right off the bat, one sees the immense advantage of high definition, and it makes me want to see many more historical dramas in this format. Its interesting to see a different world portrayed so accurately and, because of the video quality, vividly. The color palette is lush and beautiful, which makes the film's subject matter all the more unsettling. Overall detail is absolutely incredible. Blacks and shadow detail are excellent. There are no grain or noise issues. Basically, I could find absolutely nothing to complain about with the video presentation
! Audio is PCM 5.1 surround, and utterly perfect for the film. Its quite often very subdued, but does occasionally kick in with considerable power. Bass is deep, and the surrounds do add some decent atmosphere. |
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Copyright (c) 2007 Rock Star Media Works, Inc. All rights reserved.
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