Looker (DVD)
APPROX. 93 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 1981 - MPA RATING: PG
" If Crichton meant Looker as a satiric comedy, as he says he did, it doesn't come off as a very pointed or very funny one.
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When left just to the writing chores, Crichton has done such things as "Jurassic Park," "Westworld," "Twister," "Timeline," and "Coma," all better pictures than "Looker." So, maybe he should have given over the directing of this one to someone else. Even the music, sets, and location shooting are dull. The movie is rated PG for brief nudity; otherwise, there is just a trace of profanity and violence involved. Too bad. Anything would have helped.
"Looker" is another of several winners in "DVD Decision 2006," an initiative co-sponsored by Warner Home Video and Amazon.com. The idea was to give movie fans the opportunity to choose their favorite WB titles for release on DVD, titles that had not previously been available on disc. The ten movies that received the most on-line votes were "Operation Crossbow," "The Illustrated Man," "Presenting Lily Mars," "Up Periscope," and "There Was a Crooked Man," which WB released in December, 2006, and "The Arrangement," "Band of Angels," "Gymkata," "Looker," and "Madame Curie," released in January, 2007.
Video:
The screen size for "Looker" comes off well. The film's original aspect ratio of 2.40:1 shows up on disc as close to 2.20:1, depending on your television. Also in its favor is a strong color depth and realistically natural hues, excluding a few facial tones that appear too dark. However, the video also exhibits a rough appearance, with some small degree of grain, some softness to the image, and some minor moiré effects.
Audio:
The audio engineers render the sound by way of an ordinary Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. Beyond a few instances of background music, the left-to-right spread is mostly narrow, and like the video, the sound seems a little soft and compressed. Overall clarity and tonal balance are good, though, and residual noise is at a minimum.
Extras:
Michael Crichton himself is the major extra, with a four-minute introduction to the movie and an audio commentary. He seems like a pleasant chap with a creative mind, but he doesn't have much to say that we don't already know or couldn't have guessed. In addition, there are twenty-four scene selections but no chapter insert; theatrical trailers for "Looker" and "Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning"; English and French spoken languages; and English subtitles.
Parting Shots:
If Crichton meant "Looker" as a satiric comedy, as he says he did, it doesn't come off as a very pointed or very funny one, except at the very end. If he meant the film as a mystery, it isn't very much of a puzzle for the viewer, except to wonder why anybody had to kill the models in the first place. Well, you're right; you can't have a murder mystery without a murder. Simple me.
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