THE PLOT THUS FAR
An ordinary man sees a bright light descend from the sky, and discovers he now has super-intelligence and telekinesis.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Phenomenon” opens on small-town mechanic George Malley sees a bright light and is struck down by it. Then his personality changes as he seems to be learning at a very fast rate from the books he reads. Could it have been aliens that have given him a higher level intelligence? The twist that comes has been telegraphed before, but time has put it to the wayside. Most people remember this flick for the Eric Clapton song.
The downfall of this film falls squarely upon the poor, scattered screenplay. Although built on an intriguing concept regarding the power of human thought that occasionally does hit the mark and make an insightful comment on human nature, it does not seem to know exactly where it wants to take this idea. Instead, the plot rambles about from one event to the next, which works for the first hour or so—up until we hit the twist. Also, for those that’ve read Dianetics…you’ll enjoy the brief drops and bits of Scientology scattered throughout. When I initially saw it, the material breezed past my 15 year old self.
The Blu-Ray comes with a trailer as its sole special feature. The 1080p transfer is damn near reference quality, as this film has become one of the opening Blu-Rays to get tested on the brand-new AndersonVision Theater. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio is strong, but it never gets many chances to shine. Still, the film is dynamic and it holds up better than a lot of older releases. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
