Review of What Lies Beneath

Introduction

Alfred Hitchcock was the master of suspense - a cinematic genius who knew just how to keep the audience on their toes, to lure them into the realms of unpredictability, so when the twist came, it was totally unexpected...and therefore very welcomed.

Now it is Robert Zemeckis` go at doing the suspense genre - a thriller that mixes the supernatural in equal amounts. Zemeckis made his name for his design of detailed and believable worlds, places were characters who might be deemed eccentric live and breathe like real people. His most famous work to date is Back To The Future: the story of middle-class American teenager Marty McFly and a weird & wacky professor, and their travels through time.

What Lies Beneath is the story of Dr. Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford aka Mr Solo), a respected scientist who is married to a beautiful wife, Claire (played by the very sexy Michelle Pfeiffer), and they have recently moved into a big mansion by a lake. Horror terrority already! However, Norman has a secret - a year ago he had an affair with a young woman: something that will come back to haunt him...

For a film like this to succeed, it requires a good, strong narrative; tight and almost-claustrophobic directing; a feel of impending doom; and of course, strong performances from the main players.

Video

It is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, and the print is flawless...as you would expect from a modern print. It is crisp and clear throuhgout, and there are no artefacts nor any dust or grain. The visuals in the film are atmospheric, although it could be slightly better in places.

The set-pieces are generally good, and the mansion goes from what looks like an idyllic family home to something much more sinister. Zemeckis directs well, and it is evident that he is a talented director.

Audio

A DD 5.1 track is on offer - and they`ve done a good job here. The surrounds kick into action frequently, the main way that scares are achieved, and the main audio stream is crisp and clear for the dialogue. Overall, an ambient track...something that is most definitely needed in this genre.

Clark Gregg`s script is good, if a little lacking. The characters are shaped up as much as possible (without giving too much away), and it has its moments...but there is something missing, which I can`t quite put my finger on.

Features

The main extra is an audio commentary with director Robert Zemeckis and the producers. It is insightful, and full of anecdotes and the odd bit of humour. Worth a listen, if only for the enthusiam they possess.

Then, there is a 14 minute featurette entitled "Constructing The Perfect Thriller". This is a look at the film as well as a short biopic of Zemeckis` film-making life...it is in fact pretty damn interesting. From his early Back To The Future days to Contact, it is full of soundbytes from previous actors he has worked with (Hanks, Foster, Fox et al) and then of course focus on this production. Its only flaw? It`s too short!

The last `moving` extra is the theatrical trailer - quite a good one at that.

Now we move onto the realm of `static` extras...by that I mean production notes and filmographies of the cast and crew.

The menus are animated well, and the first time I booted the disc up I actually did flinch due to the `scare nature` of the opening menus...felt like an absolute w**ker after it though! Anyway, to go back to the technical side, they are animated with clips from the film and sudden burts of music (which made me jump...). Ahem...

Conclusion

The film is a good stab at the chiller/suspense genre, an atmospheric film that whilst it never delivers on the true suspense level, it does offer 124 minutes of mindless entertainment. Ford and Pfeiffer are good as the married couple, and the supporting actors are convincing as the pawns around them.

The scares are mainly achieved through sudden bursts of music, which, whilst slightly cheap, do actually work at times, and they are helped by some imaginative cinematography. Going back to the flaws, the third act is a mixture of creative tension and then full-blown implausibility (the lake bit...right).

The disc is strong presentation wise, but the extras need some real beefing. 20th Century Fox have been pretty lazy here...where is the solid making-of, interviews et cetera? At least we get a commentary though.

This disc is the object of many `buy this player, get this disc free` deals, and of course, the extraordinary freebie deal straight from the distributor. Most people would therefore think it isn`t worth a place in their collection - but they`d be wrong. Sure, it isn`t excellent, it isn`t Hitchcock-standard, but what it does offer is a good bit of Hollywood suspense pie. Take your (free) slice, and enjoy.