Ghost Town (DVD)

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Add to the mix a script co-written and directed by David Koepp that operates in a remarkably restrained manner, and you get a surprise winner. I should also mention that Koepp directed "Stir of Echoes" and "Secret Window" and co-wrote "Spider-Man," "Mission Impossible," and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which makes the present film, so different from those, all the more astonishing.

Like all good romantic comedies, "Ghost Town" is sweet and affecting as well as gently humorous. Gervais makes a singular impression as the dyed-in-the-wool grump, creating a character at once offensive yet sympathetic.

And who can resist a winning moral lesson: People, living and dead, have to find their way home. Can't beat that.

Video:
The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture shows up clearly and brightly. You'll find deep black levels and rich, cushy colors throughout. However, you'll also find a touch of glassiness in the images, and faces can range from rather dark to yellowish to perfectly natural, sometimes within the same shot. Overall, though, I don't believe this standard-definition transfer will disappoint anyone.

Audio:
Although the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio delivers a fairly wide front-channel stereo spread, there isn't much surround activity involved. A few of the musical background numbers show off the soundtrack's bass and dynamics, but it doesn't amount to much. As one might expect, this is a dialogue-driven story, so the center channel gets a workout.

Extras:
Like most discs these days, this one contains an audio commentary by the movie's director, David Koepp, and star, Ricky Gervais. They keep their comments lively, ironic, informative, and humorous. After that are three featurettes. The first, "Making Ghost Town," is a standard behind-the-scenes affair lasting about twenty-three minutes. The second, "Ghostly Effects," is a standard CGI affair, lasting about two minutes. The third, "Some People Can Do It," is essentially a six-minute gag reel, with outtakes of Gervais cracking up and giggling during shooting.

Things wrap up with twelve scene selections; previews at start-up and in the main menu for other DreamWorks products; and English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles.

Parting Thoughts:
The most obvious comparison for "Ghost Town" would be the 1990 hit "Ghost" with Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Swayze, and Demi Moore. Like its more celebrated predecessor, "Ghost Town" combines fantasy, comedy, and romance in equal measure, although the newer film has the edgier tone. Also like "Ghost," "Ghost Town" ends on a sentimental yet wholly uplifting note, which in itself is probably enough to warrant a look. I enjoyed the film quite a lot more than I thought I would.

"Oh, my god, is he dead?"
"He ain't happy."

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