It's disheartening to see three so extraordinary talents as Craven, Williamson, and Ricci create so distinctly ordinary a product.
The CGI werewolf designs often look cheap and phony, the monster movements much too fast and jerky. But there are two cute touches: Werewolves at a PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) party; and the family dog turning into a werehound.
Still, nothing can make up for a plot devoid of frights, thrills, suspense, tension, or humor. Poor Ms. Ricci does what she can but has nothing to do. Most of the second half of the film is taken up by a chase and fight in the wax museum, and it's not very interesting even for its first few minutes. Even the added violence in the "unrated" version is so exaggerated as to be laughable in a non-funny way.
It's disheartening to see three so extraordinary talents as Craven, Williamson, and Ricci create so distinctly ordinary a product. "Cursed" is veritably cursed.
Video:
Buena Vista's picture quality is very good, making the body mutilations all the more grotesque. Colors are bright, deep, and vivid. The screen size is wide, almost as wide as its 2.35:1 theatrical-release aspect ratio, and reproduced in a high-bit rate, anamorphic transfer. There is very little noticeable grain except in a few nighttime scenes. The inner detail and object delineation are good, but not quite perfect. Facial tones are a tad dark. And there is a slightly glassy sheen to some of the images; nothing of any concern.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound reproduction is the best part of the show. The bass is big and deep; the dynamics are wide, and the transient impact is strong. A car crash early on almost knocked me out of my seat. The surrounds are well utilized most of the time, with lots of rear-channel activity. If anything, the sound may be too much of a good thing, overdone at times and distracting from the action on screen.
Extras:
The bonus features are more plentiful than I expected, but they are mainly of the self-promotional variety. A featurette, "Behind the Fangs: The Making of Cursed," is seven minutes of interviews and film clips praising the movie. "The Cursed Effects" is a six-minute segment on special effects that we've seen on a hundred other DVDs. "Creature Editing 101" is five minutes with film editor Patrick Lussier on how the action was supposed to be strung together for maximum shock and excitement. "Becoming a Werewolf" is a seven-minute bit with makeup artist Greg Nicotero. And there are four scene-specific audio commentaries by special effects/makeup supervisor Greg Nicotero and actor Derek Meers, which include "Car Wreck: Becky Dies," "Parking Garage," "Tinsel," and "Final Fight." You can play these particular scene commentaries singly or in sequence, or you can play them integrated into the rest of the film.
The extras conclude with a mere fifteen scene selections, plus chapter insert; Sneak Peeks at five other Dimension films from Buena Vista; English and French spoken languages; and Spanish subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired.
Parting Shots:
The original theatrical release of "Cursed" was rated PG-13. If the Unrated Version had been submitted to the motion-picture ratings board, I have no doubt it would have gotten an R for its added blood and gore. There are also a couple of harsh words, but there is no sex or nudity. It might have helped. As it is, the movie contains only a series of monster-movie stereotypes, a lot of running around, a bunch of fighting, and some occasional screeching. It's hardly enough to frighten anyone, yet it doesn't keep its tongue in its cheek as the "Scream" movies did, either.
A bad horror movie? Nahhh. Just a disappointing one.
Still, nothing can make up for a plot devoid of frights, thrills, suspense, tension, or humor. Poor Ms. Ricci does what she can but has nothing to do. Most of the second half of the film is taken up by a chase and fight in the wax museum, and it's not very interesting even for its first few minutes. Even the added violence in the "unrated" version is so exaggerated as to be laughable in a non-funny way.
It's disheartening to see three so extraordinary talents as Craven, Williamson, and Ricci create so distinctly ordinary a product. "Cursed" is veritably cursed.
Video:
Buena Vista's picture quality is very good, making the body mutilations all the more grotesque. Colors are bright, deep, and vivid. The screen size is wide, almost as wide as its 2.35:1 theatrical-release aspect ratio, and reproduced in a high-bit rate, anamorphic transfer. There is very little noticeable grain except in a few nighttime scenes. The inner detail and object delineation are good, but not quite perfect. Facial tones are a tad dark. And there is a slightly glassy sheen to some of the images; nothing of any concern.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound reproduction is the best part of the show. The bass is big and deep; the dynamics are wide, and the transient impact is strong. A car crash early on almost knocked me out of my seat. The surrounds are well utilized most of the time, with lots of rear-channel activity. If anything, the sound may be too much of a good thing, overdone at times and distracting from the action on screen.
Extras:
The bonus features are more plentiful than I expected, but they are mainly of the self-promotional variety. A featurette, "Behind the Fangs: The Making of Cursed," is seven minutes of interviews and film clips praising the movie. "The Cursed Effects" is a six-minute segment on special effects that we've seen on a hundred other DVDs. "Creature Editing 101" is five minutes with film editor Patrick Lussier on how the action was supposed to be strung together for maximum shock and excitement. "Becoming a Werewolf" is a seven-minute bit with makeup artist Greg Nicotero. And there are four scene-specific audio commentaries by special effects/makeup supervisor Greg Nicotero and actor Derek Meers, which include "Car Wreck: Becky Dies," "Parking Garage," "Tinsel," and "Final Fight." You can play these particular scene commentaries singly or in sequence, or you can play them integrated into the rest of the film.
The extras conclude with a mere fifteen scene selections, plus chapter insert; Sneak Peeks at five other Dimension films from Buena Vista; English and French spoken languages; and Spanish subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired.
Parting Shots:
The original theatrical release of "Cursed" was rated PG-13. If the Unrated Version had been submitted to the motion-picture ratings board, I have no doubt it would have gotten an R for its added blood and gore. There are also a couple of harsh words, but there is no sex or nudity. It might have helped. As it is, the movie contains only a series of monster-movie stereotypes, a lot of running around, a bunch of fighting, and some occasional screeching. It's hardly enough to frighten anyone, yet it doesn't keep its tongue in its cheek as the "Scream" movies did, either.
A bad horror movie? Nahhh. Just a disappointing one.
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[release]15911[/release]