The Film
Cliff and Cydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) are honeymooning in Hawaii. Smitten with each other, not a care in the world, the only thing this pair wants to do is explore the lush, overgrown island of Kauai. When they spy a beautiful remote beach during a helicopter tour, a beach that's only accessible "by foot or by kayak," Cliff and Cydney decide that's where they need to be. One way or another, they're going to make it to that beach. There's only one problem. News is coming out of Honolulu that a pair of honeymooners has been murdered and the killers - a man and a woman - are at large. And authorities believe these "natural born killers" have made their way to, you guessed it, the lush, overgrown island of Kauai.
David Twohy (The Arrival, Pitch Black) is our cruise director on this Perfect Getaway and you really have to hand it to the guy. In lesser hands, this ridiculous story (written by Twohy) would make for a ridiculous mess on screen. Instead, A Perfect Getaway manages to be ridiculously good fun, if a bit too predictable. [SPOILER ALERT: Although I won't be overtly divulging any spoilers here, I would hate to ruin the fun if your brain fills in the blanks. If a honeymoon whodunit from the Director of Pitch Black sounds like fun to you, rest assured it is and stop reading here.]
The Picture
Watch a few episodes of "Lost" and one thing becomes abundantly clear: Hawaii looks absolutely spectacular in high definition. From the lush greens of island vegetation to the eye-popping yellow of Cliff and Cydney's Jeep, Getaway boasts a punchy color palette and excellent contrast throughout. The cinematic 2.39:1 image also sports an impressive degree of fine detail, particularly evident during a close-up of Chris Hemsworth's chiseled jaw during his character's introduction. (Twohy only shows us the lower half of his face.)
The Sound
Universal presents Getaway packing an exceptional DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Dialogue is crisp and intelligible throughout the film and the surround channels provide ample ambient support for the front sound stage. The obligatory helicopter roaring overhead and around the room is sufficiently startling and the occasional gun shots pack ample oomph on the low end.
The Extras
In a bizarre and unusual twist, Universal gives us absolutely nothing in the way of bonus material here. We do get BD-LIVE connectivity and the "shocking alternate ending" (it's not that shocking), but there's nothing here about the genesis or production of the film. For a movie that's fun to talk about when the credits roll, this feels like a major missed opportunity. Then again, for a film that prides itself on zigging when you expect a zag, perhaps this should have been expected.
It should also be noted that Universal's Blu-ray includes both the theatrical cut and an unrated Director's Cut of the fillm. There is a 10 minute run time difference between them. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hate this trend in home video. Not having seen the film before, which one do I watch first? Which one is better? What are the differences between the two versions? No, wait! Don't tell me! You might spoil something! I opted for the Director's Cut here, but it annoys me to no end that there's no on-disc summary of the differences between the two cuts. How hard would it be to add that?
Final Thoughts
If you've seen The Arrival or Pitch Black, you know that David Twohy is master of elevating would-be ridiculous material. A Perfect Getaway is no different. Though a bit too self-aware for its own good, Getaway will keep you guessing until the end and it manages to be a great popcorn movie worthy of watching with a bunch of friends. Despite a supremely disappointing lack of extras, Universal's Blu-ray does at least give the film a terrific technical presentation.
Product Details
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