Death Becomes Her definitely has its moments and even though it was made in 1992 well before the visual effects technology had taken off to what it is today, but it features some respectable effects, particularly with the hole in Hawn’s stomach. Outside of that, the jokes don’t entirely work but at the very least the core cast work well against one another, Streep especially.
Death Becomes her
(1992)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Comedy, Horror
Shout Factory | PG13 – 103 min. – $34.93 | April 26, 2016
Date Published: 04/21/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE – 2.75/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Two narcissistic arch rivals (MERYL STREEEP, GOLDIE HAWN) discover the ultimate accessory – a potion that will keep them forever young – when they meet a mysterious enchantress (ISABELLA ROSSELLINI) with deep ties to the Hollywood elite. But they get more than they bargained for when their newfound beauty only intensifies their vanity and rivalry. Stuck in the middle is a man (BRUCE WILLIS) with no backbone and two big problems on his hands. Quick Hit Review: I’ve seen Death Becomes Her several years ago and didn’t care very much for it then and frankly, although it is a tad better than before and has some impressive visual effects for its time (heck, better than most DTV films today) while the biting comedy does tend to work fairly well. The strongest asset resides with Meryl Streep, being able to see her darker streak not seen again until The Devil Wears Prada. For their parts, Bruce Willis, who is the weaker aspect, and Goldie Hawn do well enough.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Death Becomes Her is hardly great but works as passable entertainment that does wear thin by its convoluted, even by these standards, final act. That being said, it’s well worth renting off of Netflix or Red Box. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover and a reversible inner cover. The Making of Death Becomes Her (25:03; HD) – This newly produced featurette has interviews with Director Robert Zemeckis, Writer David Koepp, Cinematographer Dean Cundey, Production Designer Rick Carter and Special Effects Artists Lance Anderson and David Anderson. These participants discuss the movie and core theme about vanity with a darkly comedic tone before delving into their individual areas of expertise. Vintage Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (8:58; SD) are a collection of older interviews conducted on the set as they talk about the movie as they attempt to sell it to the viewers. Rounding things out is a Photo Gallery and the Theatrical Trailer (2:05; SD). |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Shout, through their Scream Factory line, releases Death Becomes Her with a rather impressive 1080p high-definition transfer and presented in its original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio. The picture offered here has some good colors though at times it does come across a bit oversaturated, though I assume it’s more how it was filmed than the transfer itself. There weren’t any major instances of dust marks or other flaws. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The disc comes with a standard but effective DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track which provides for nice and clear dialogue levels while the music by Alan Silvestri gives it some decent depth. It’s nothing noteworthy nor fantastic but gets the job done just fine being free of any hisses or pops. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
| Overall, Death Becomes Her definitely has its moments and even though it was made in 1992 well before the visual effects technology had taken off to what it is today, but it features some respectable effects, particularly with the hole in Hawn’s stomach. Outside of that, the jokes don’t entirely work but at the very least the core cast work well against one another, Streep especially. This “Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray release offers good video and audio transfers and adequate features. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.