Check out our belated review of Ridley Scott’s man-hating (but for good reason, of course) drama, Thelma & Louise starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. MGM releases its latest catalogue title in quick and cheap fashion porting over previous features with only a basic audio and video transfer. But how good or bad is it?
Thelma & Louise (1991)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Drama
MGM | R –130 min. – $19.99 | February 8, 2011
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Writer(s): Callie Khouri (written by)
Cast: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Brad Pitt
Theatrical Release Date: May 24, 1991
DISC INFO:
Features: Commentaries, Featurettes, Music Video
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 2.35
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
THE MOVIE – 2/5
Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis star as accidental outlaws on a desperate flight across the Southwest after a tragic incident at a roadside bar. With a determined detective (Harvey Keitel) on their trail, a sweet-talking hitchhiker (Pitt) in their path and a string of crimes in their wake, their journey alternates between hilarious, high speed thrill ride and empowering personal odyssey…even as the law closes in.
It’s been well over a decade since I last saw this film, and my opinion of the film is still the same – over-hyped, slow, dimwitted and tedious. Why so many people put this film on a pedestal is beyond me, but I can’t get over the fact that this thing could have ended with a simple discussion with the police. Instead, Thelma and Louise seem destined to kill themselves instead of doing the right thing.
Look – I understand that Louise shot and killed the ‘rapist’, but gees, just go to the cops. They left so many breadcrumbs along their journey it’s amazing they even made it several days instead of several hours. But what bugs me the most is they should – no would – have never been caught. Only one person at the bar even remembered them, and there was no evidence pointing to them until the detective looked up Louise’ unique car and started putting the pieces together.
Even forgetting that, the whole way the Police tracked them is just idiotic. And why is Thelma, so distraught over her poor marriage (to the always wonderful Christopher McDonald), sleeping with a guy only a day or so after her attempted rape? Most Women would be freaking out, but here she is spreading her legs wide open.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.75/5
It appears everything from the 2002 Special Edition DVD Release has been carried over.
Audio Commentaries:
1. Director Ridley Scott; 2. Screenwriter Callie Khouri and Actresses Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis
The Journey (1 Hour; SD) – A three-part documentary that covers everything you could ever imagine from the film. Casting, production, interviews etc. Interesting, but very dated at this point.
Rounding out the disc is a few smaller featurettes worth a sample.
Multi-Angle Storyboards of the Final Chase, a Music Video (Glenn Frey; “Part of you, Part of Me”), Theatrical Trailer, an Extended Ending (5 Minutes; SD) with Optional Commentary, and some Deleted and Extended Scenes (40 Minutes;SD) which are mostly complete scenes from the film with a bit extra added on to the end.
VIDEO – 3.5/5
Thelma & Louise is presented in 2.35:1 on a 50GB Disc. MGM is not known for doing substantial upgrades to their Blu-rays, and this one follows the same path. Taking what appears to be the dated DVD master, this Blu-ray looks decent for a catalog title had it been released in 2007. But it’s 2011 and we shouldn’t be seeing so many marks/scratches throughout the film.
AUDIO – 3.75/5
MGM has included an English 5.1 DTS MA Track for this release. Inconsistent at times, this mostly sounds great – with the exception of dialogue dipping a bit and the rears going from loud to louder within seconds.
OVERALL – 3/5
At $10, it’s hard to pass this one up if you’re a fan of the film. But as a blind buy… I’d say just rent it.
Brad Lowenberg
Published: 03/04/2011