DVD
REVIEW: CAPTIVITY
10/27/07
Here is a film that plays
on most people’s worst fears. Being captured, isolated, in
the dark, without any control, and mentally and physically
tortured. To most people the thought of even one of these
situations is a fate worse than death, and all of these
things combined would be equivalent to hell. Here is a film
that you’re going to need to see through to the end, just to
see what happens, even if you’re disappointed when you get
there.
Elisha Cuthbert (House of Wax, The Girl Next Door) plays a
fashion model at the height of her career. Her face is
everywhere and details of her life and feelings on display
for everyone’s scrutiny. In this group of onlookers is a
psychopath who’s stalking her and has hellish plans to use
the notoriety her fame has given her, against her. He uses
the information obtained through her fame to mentally
torture her with the promise of physical torture to come. He
drugs her to disorient her concept of time, he taunts her
with messages and media bits about herself, and shows her
through video of other victims, what his plans for her are.
The proverbial cat and mouse game is played out in the movie
until one day she finds she is not alone. When she discovers
she has a male ally in her predicament, they cling to each
other for hope, grateful that they don’t have to endure
their hell alone, and she begins to have hope that together
they can escape from their prison and maybe even live
happily ever after. Unfortunately she has no idea how sick
and sadistic her captor really is.
A large part of the movie is centered on Elisha Cuthbert’s
character and I have to say she really did a wonderful job
carrying the movie as far as she could. She is phenomenal
and delivers a very believable performance. While the movie
itself is far fetched, her performance kept the movie
interesting with the level of suspense and fear you’d hope
to feel from her character. Her male supporting character
played by Daniel Gillies also lent a great talent to all
facets of his character. The movie is suspenseful and will
keep you interested and guessing till the end .
Unfortunately it is at this point that the story unravels in
futile attempts to culminate the movie with a twist, and the
attempt is both unsuccessful and anti-climatic. With all the
buildup, the ending falls very short and is unrealistic and
disappointing. With such great performances and a really
great idea behind this film, it had the potential for a
great thriller if given a different ending. In the end, it
leaves you feeling cheated. I’d recommend it for the
suspense and shock value, and of course for the realistic
performances, especial Elisha Cuthbert’s, but I would expect
too much. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.35:1) Enhance for 16x9 TVs
AUDIO:
Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround EX - 6.1 DTF Audio English
Subtitles - English Spanish - Optional
BONUS FEATURES:
The Making of Captivity -
Director, Roland Joffé, and cast discuss the making of
Captivity. (11:24)
On the set of Captivity -
Witness the terrifying sets with discussion from the cast
and crew. (14:27)
Deleted Scenes
1. Vulture Attacks Jennifer (2:08)
2. Vulture on a plate (1:40)
3. Jennifer and Gary in the dark (5:42)
4. Susan finds the graves (1:02)
5. Alternate Ending - An abbreviated version of the ending that was kept in the movie. This ending would have been worst than the one that was kept.(3:20)
6. Other Alternate Ending - A new Jennifer is shown as a kinder person after her ordeal and helps a woman with her groceries. A pretty lame ending, but probably more realistic than the one that was kept.(3:18)
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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Review
By Helen
helen@smartcine.com
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