Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment – 108 mins – 2009 – Rated PG-13  – 1080p Widescreen 2.40: 1 – Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 – Digital Copy

Fatal Attraction made a big impact in the 80’s, and there have been multiple takes on it over the past decade. Hollywood loves a familiar formula, so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that it will be re-invented every few years. The latest iteration of Fatal Attraction is now simply called Obsessed and stars pop star Beyonce Knowles. Obsessed stalks Blu-ray via Sony Entertainment, and if you have nothing better to do for a few hours, you may be entertained. And no, Beyonce does not sing and dance in this one.

THE MOVIE

The one thing you have to give the makers of this film credit for is that they didn’t take any chances in re-inventing the wheel, because Obsessed is as cut and paste as it gets.  Derek Charles (Idris Elba) is a successful businessman who is living a dream life, with a perfect family, home, and of course his trophy wife Sharon Charles (Beyonce Knowles). All is going perfect until a new temp comes to his company, Lisa (Ali Larter), a hot blonde who instantly has her eye on Derek, and doesn’t hide her flirtations. To make a long story short, Lisa puts Derek in various uncompromising positions that raises the suspicions of his wife Sharon, who believes her husband is doing the naughty-naughty behind her back. Derek is thrown out of his home, but after Sharon finds evidence that reveals that Lisa is actually the bad seed, she takes justice into her hands. A catfight with a lot of hair pulling ensues, and Beyonce…Uh, I mean Sharon, beats the hell out of the blonde who was trying to take her man. Derek and Sharon get back together. The end.

The main problem with Obsessed is that it never takes itself seriously or attempts to be anything other than a Fatal Attraction clone. The story, acting, and direction are combined to make to look no different than anything you can just pick off of the shelf at Blockbuster.  Many films borrow from others, but at least most try to add something new to the mix. Obsessed is not confidant enough to attempt that approach. You can literally predict everything that’s going to happen as soon as a scene begins. So what’s the purpose?

The ultimate problem with Obsessed is that it’s supposed to be sexy, but there is nothing beyond the slight hint of sex in this film. There’s no chemistry between any of the characters, and you’re never really sure why Lisa is obsessed with Derek, because just labeling her as some crazy bitch is not enough. The best thing about Obsessed is that no one will remember it and it’s not even worthy of being a guilty pleasure. If you’re a woman getting your hair done and this movie is playing in the salon, you’ll most likely enjoy it, otherwise there are better movies to watch about an obsessed woman trying to break up a marriage…such as Fatal Attraction.

VIDEO

Obsessed is a lame film, but at least it looks good on Blu-ray offering a full 1080p image in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The Director of Photography is the true hero of this film capturing great color tones and detail that is pitch perfect sharp. Obviously, everything has been done to make Beyonce look like an angel on film, with soft lighting to make her stand out. Grain pops up in certain scenes, but not enough to take away from the picture. Overall, if as much care went into the script as into the photography, watching Obsessed would have been a different experience.

AUDIO

The sound mix is a basic as it gets with a Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 mix that does a good job with delivering clear and crisp dialogue. Speaker direction is mainly focused on the center, but when background noises, such as in the party scene take place, rear speakers are given some play. This mix is nothing fancy, but given the material it gets the job done plain and simple.

EXTRAS

The bonus features are as anemic as the movie, not even offering a director’s commentary, but for those of you on the go there is a Digital Copy.

‘Girl Fight’ is a quick ten-minute segment that looks at the climatic catfight between Beyonce and Ali Larter. This includes the fight choreography for the actors and their doubles.

‘Playing Together Nicely’ is a basic making of featurette that runs fifteen minutes and includes quick interviews with the cast and filmmakers.

‘Obsessed: Dressed to Kill” is exactly how it sounds, a look at the stylish clothing worn by the characters in the film.

Finally there’s a Digital Copy that you can stick on your mobile device, so you won’t be forced to watch another Larry the Cable Guy movie when you’re on a plane.

BOTTOM LINE

In a nutshell Obsessed is a generic version of Fatal Attraction that can be added to the pile of the other rip-offs. The Blu-ray offers a solid image sound quality, but the bonus features are just standard. Die hard Beyonce fans who live for her may enjoy seeing her bitch slap some blonde, but other than that there really isn’t much to hold you. This one is only a rental.

SCORES: (Out of 5):

The Movie: 2.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 3.5

Extras: 2.5

Bottom Line: 2.5