Reviewed by Johnny McNair

 

Fox Home Entertainment – 106 mins – 1994 – Rated PG – 1080p Widescreen 2.35: 1 – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio

 

 

After the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Hollywood was looking for something else to fit in that molding that would sell, but nothing really caught on. In 1984 an adventure comedy directed by Robert Zemeckis called Romancing the Stone fit in nice enough to fill the void between Indiana Jones movies. And though it’s not the high-flying effects filled adventure that Indy is associated with, Romancing the Stone works on its own level and after 25 years is still and enjoyable film. Romancing the Stone comes to Blu-ray from Fox Entertainment, so hang on for the ride.

 

THE MOVIE

 

A successful romance novelist named Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner), is nothing like the heroines she creates in her books, and is actually single and depressed with nothing exciting going on in her life. This all changes when she receives a call from her sister desperately asking her to bring a package to Columbia. Learning that the package only contains a map, Joan is baffled but goes on the journey to help her sister who she fears is in serious trouble. As soon as she arrives in Columbia, he life is instantly in danger as a man named Zolo (Manuel Ojeda) begins to track her trying to get the map. An attempt on her life is foiled as she is rescued by a stranger named Jack T. Colton (Michael Douglas), and American who is hiding out in South America. Being that he knows the territory, Jack agrees to help Joan for a fee, but things get crazier as the they are both targeted by Zolo, as well as having to deal with the bumbling kidnappers who hold Joan’s sister captive (played by Danny DeVito and Zack Norman). A quest begins to see who can get to the spot that marks “X” on the map first to get the treasure and stay alive long enough to grab it.

 

Romancing the Stone is a fun film that is worth watching again every few years. This movie works because all of the elements that bind it blend so perfectly. First, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner make a great team, (and went on to make several other movies together including the sequel to Romancing the Stone). Next the script by Diane Thomas is so well crafted, and finally, the director (a then unknown) named Robert Zemeckis, who would later go on to direct such classics as Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, and Who Farmed Roger Rabbit, nails it from start to finish. Instead of making another Raiders of the Lost Ark clone like everyone else was attempting to do at the time, he delivered a experience that was fresh and fun.

 

Michael Douglas will always be remembered as Gordon Gekko from Wall Street, but his portrayal as burnout adventurer Jack T. Colton should also be noted as a standout, because he’s very likeable, but at the same time holds that dashing and rugged characteristic that makes a movie hero. Sure Indiana Jones could whip his ass, but Jack would charm his way out of the fight, which is what makes him hold his own. And Kathleen Turner who was the blonde movie babe of the early 80’s, goes from being a damsel in distress to a strong women who can go toe-to-toe with the best of them.

 

Anyone desiring to see a smart romantic-adventure comedy should do definitely give Romancing the Stone a look, and if you haven’t seen this film in a long time it is very much worth re-visiting. One interesting piece of trivia worth noting is that the role of Jack T. Colton was originally supposed to be played by Sylvester Stallone, who turned it down to do the horrific Rhinestone (where he sings). Just imagine if Stallone made Romancing the Stone and it was successful? We would definitely be seeing a fourth or fifth sequel by now.

 

VIDEO

 

For a film over twenty-five years old, Romancing the Stone’s image quality puts many newer Blu-ray releases to shame. Offering a full 1080p picture in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Romancing the Stones delivers a great color palette that really stands out in the jungle and desert sequences. Flesh tones are sharp and blacks stand strong, and though there are hints of grain in the night sequences, overall this film looks great and is a big step up from your DVD and that faded VHS tape you have of the film somewhere sitting in an old box.

 

AUDIO

 

While the picture quality rocks, the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. With a standard DTS Master 5.1 sound track, you never get the pop and boom that you would expect from a film such as this. Dialogue is well done and clear, but the use of background sounds and effects sounds flat. Sound enthusiast will wish that much more effort could have gone into re-mastering the audio, because that would have made the experience much more gratifying. Overall, the sound is acceptable, just without the bells and whistles.

 

EXTRAS

 

Everything from the DVD has been ported over to this Blu-ray, but a nice touch is that the deleted scenes have been up-converted to HD. There’s not a huge variety, but it’s better than some of those Fox Blu-rays that ship with no bonus features at all.

 

Rekindling the Romance: A Look Back is a twenty minute retrospective of the film featuring interviews with Micheal Douglas, Danny DeVito, Kathleen Turner, but oddly not the director who made it all work Robert Zemeckis. This mini-doc is worth a look for fans of the film, just don’t expect anything that stands out.

 

There are seven deleted scenes that are nice to see in HD, but it’s obvious why they were deleted, though they are all worth watching.

 

A small three-minute clip ‘A Hidden Treasure’ pays tribute to screenwriter Diane Thomas who unfortunately died in a car accident shortly after the success of the two Romancing the Stone films.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

Romancing the Stone is an enjoyable film that still packs a punch after a quarter century. The Blu-ray offers an excellent picture, but the audio is more on the level of a standard DVD. This disc should be picked up by fans of the film, or anyone just looking for a fun romantic-comedy-adventure. Romancing the Stone is worth the ride.

 

SCORES: (Out of 5):

 

The Movie: 4.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 4.0