Cruel Intentions, Blu-ray (1999)

by | Jun 13, 2007 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews | 0 comments

Cruel Intentions, Blu-ray (1999)

Starring: Sarah Michelle Geller, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon
Directed by Roger Kumble
Screenplay by Roger Kumble
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Video: 1.85:1 Enhanced for 16:9 Widescreen, 1080p HD
Audio: English PCM 5.1 Uncompressed, English and French DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, English, Spanish, French, 24 other languages
Extras: Deleted Scenes, Filmmaker Commentary, Making of Featurettes, Music Videos
Length: 97 minutes
Rating: **1/2

‘Cruel Intentions’ is a modern twist on the classic ‘Dangerous Liaisons,’ with Sarah Michelle Geller and Ryan Phillippe playing siblings who get intense pleasure out of meddling in the lives of their contemporaries. In this particular instance, the targets are Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair, and the scheming siblings plan and wager toward the ultimate ruination of their unsuspecting targets. The pair are so downright conniving and even evil in their machinations, it’s hard to imagine hardened adults capable of such treachery, much less the youthful twenty-somethings portrayed here. This is the kind of movie that’s difficult to watch in mixed company, and has a definite ‘squirm’ factor – during a recent screening, my twenty-two year old daughter walked in and definitely gave me the ‘raised eyebrow’ look that easily brought into question my choice of viewing material. Oh, well!

Image quality is pretty good for eight-year-old source material, but not pristine by any stretch of the imagination. You’d think for a high-resolution disc release a little more attention would be paid to the details, especially in the source transfer. Scenes throughout contain flecks of dirt, and the overall color balance of the film is inconsistent, with some scenes looking really good, and others more washed-out. The audio quality is also nothing spectacular; it appears that the original soundtrack was pretty much employed without any real enhancements that break through on the uncompressed 5.1 audio offered here.

Die-hard fans will want this disc; for the rest of us, it’s just a rental.

– Tom Gibbs

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