Cutthroat Island (4K UHD Steelbook) review

[David Vaughn]

Cutthroat Island (4K UHD Steelbook) review

Studio:  Lions Gate
 Release Date: April 2, 2024
 Rating: PG-13
Film: 2/5
 
 Plot
Geena Davis and Matthew Modine deliver a tidal wave of nonstop action and adventure in this swashbuckling saga of ruthless pirates, buried treasure, and bloodthirsty betrayal.

 My Thoughts
 Wile it’s been nearly 30 years since its theatrical release, Cutthroat Island the film is still considered one of the biggest box office flops of all time where it ranks #5 when adjusted for inflation. What went wrong? Well, just about everything—horrible writing, poor leadership from both the director and the failing studio, Carolco Pictures, and in my opinion, wooden performances from stars Geena Davis and especially Frank Langella.
 
Neither my wife nor I had seen the film but I mistakenly thought we would enjoy it given the genre—boy was I wrong. From the outset we were laughing at the cheesy dialog and overdramatic delivery. Furthermore, to watch Davis try and pull off the “tough girl” role was quite painful. While the role didn’t sink her career, it certainly could have. She quickly went back to light and quirky comedic roles, which was a very wise move.
 
Despite its poor track record of making money, Lions Gate went all out with the 4K restoration and the film looks great on UHD. Colors are vibrant and the encode preserves the natural look of the 35mm elements. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the lackluster DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. I kept having to adjust the volume level because of poor dynamics and the LFE track leaves a lot to be desired.
 
Video 9/10
Audio 7.5/10 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
 
 
 Special Features:
·        The Adventure of a Lifetime: Making Cutthroat Island
·        Charting the Course: Creating Cutthroat Island
·        Across the Bow: Editing Cutthroat Island
·        Summon Your Courage: Scoring Cutthroat Island
·        Ecce Pirate: A short Film by Matthew Modine
·        Audio Commentary from Director Renny Harlin
·        Maring Of
·        Behind the Scenes
·        Storyboards
·        Interviews
·        Original Trailer
·        4K + Blu-ray + UV Digital Copy
 



 Conclusion
 It’s easy to see why this film bombed at the box office garnering only $10 million in ticket sales against its reported $100 million dollar budget—ouch! Surprisingly, I’ve discovered there are actually people who enjoy the film and for them the 4K presentation should make them happy and I will give the Steelbook packaging some love—it’s excellent. For everyone else, do yourself a favor and pop-in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl if you’re looking for some swashbuckling action. The movies are surprisingly similar, but only one of them is worth watching.     
 
 
 Reference Review System:
 JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Screen
 Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
 ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
 ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
 Kaleidescape Strato + Server
 Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
 System Controller: URC MX-990
 M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
 M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
 Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
 Dual Rythmik FV15HP2
 Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
 Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
 PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[SRW1000]

I remember not much caring for this when it first came out and was curious as to whether it might have improved with age.  Thanks for clearing up that question for me.

It's good to see studios spending money on 4K versions of older movies.  I just hope they don't gage interest in the 4K discs by sales on lackluster titles like this one.

[David Vaughn]

I remember not much caring for this when it first came out and was curious as to whether it might have improved with age.  Thanks for clearing up that question for me.

It's good to see studios spending money on 4K versions of older movies.  I just hope they don't gage interest in the 4K discs by sales on lackluster titles like this one.

Given the lack of new content due to the writers/actors strikes, we'll be seeing a lot of catalog titles in the next 12 months. I was in LA this week on business and there's more trouble brewing--the Teamsters look like they are going to strike the movie studios this summer, so expect another halt in productions. 

[SRW1000]

Given the lack of new content due to the writers/actors strikes, we'll be seeing a lot of catalog titles in the next 12 months. I was in LA this week on business and there's more trouble brewing--the Teamsters look like they are going to strike the movie studios this summer, so expect another halt in productions.

I had heard the same thing about another upcoming strike.  That won't be good news for an industry that's already hurting.

It could be a boon for small, independent movies, though.  I think they were granted some exemptions during the last set of strikes.

[David Vaughn]

I had heard the same thing about another upcoming strike.  That won't be good news for an industry that's already hurting.

It could be a boon for small, independent movies, though.  I think they were granted some exemptions during the last set of strikes.

I do business with stores who work with the studios and business didn't pick up like everyone expected. Amazon and Netflix have really cut back and the studios that entered into the streaming wars (pretty much most of them) are cutting back as well. A new "normal" is coming into play. 

[bmoney]

Ugh 😩 

[Ralph P.]

Greetings,

This one doesn't hold up especially well. As for the listening track, I reviewed the original Blu-ray release which has a 7.1 channel DTS-HD MA track. It sounds head and shoulders better than this by comparison.


Regards,

[AVSCraig]

Never seen this. Probably never will.  

[bmoney]

Never seen this. Probably never will.

Same

[Paul Heroy]

Saw this back in the day. It was bad then, and I can't imagine it's gotten any better unless you drink a lot more than I typically do.