There's no
love lost between undefeated middleweight fighter Kelly Robinson
(Eddie Murphy) and CIA superstar Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) -- a
mismatched pair who are teamed up by the government to track
down a missing stealth bomber in this action-comedy. If they're
to accomplish their dangerous mission, they'd better find a way
to get along, first!
I-Spy
appears in both an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a fullscreen
version on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has
been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Sharpness was extraordinary.
The film was well-defined. No signs of jagged edges; I did
notice some edge enhancement. The film was mastered in high
definition and it shows. This was a brilliant presentation. The
colors were vibrant throughout the film using a naturalistic
palette at all times. Black levels were deep, whereas shadow
detail looked fittingly dense and somewhat thick. In the end, I
felt that I-Spy presented a high-quality image.
The
Audio
I-SPY is
presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. For the most part the
audio track was energetic and exceedingly dynamic. My only
concern was in it’s audio dialogue presentation; it seemed
somewhat murky at times, but for the most part I would have to
say that the DD5.1 track worked exceptionally well for this
action packed comedy.
The
Extras
Commentary by director Betty
Thomas, editor Peter Teschner, producer Jeno Topping, and
writers David Ronn and Jay Scherick
Four featurettes: Cloak and
Camouflage, Gadgets and Gizmos, Schematics and Blueprints, The
Slugafest
Theatrical trailer(s)
Overall
I found
I-Spy quite amusing, however after awhile it seemed that the
pranks and hilarity dragged on too much and I found myself
wanting the film to end. I like Murphy and Wilson and I thought
the two worked well together bringing to the plate some terrific
comedic scenes, however as a hole the film just lost its
liveliness.
The DVD
offers definite picture and sound along with a reasonable roster
of extras. I can only recommend this film as a rental; for fans
of Murphy and Wilson, you shouldn’t be looking for anything
outstanding. The film is nothing more then another ridiculous
slapstick action film putting together to likely characters in
an unlikely circumstance.
