Meg Altman
(Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) play a
deadly game of cat and mouse with three intruders - Burnahm
(Forest Whitaker), Raoul (Dwight Yoakam) and Junior (Jared Leto)
- during a brutal home invasion. But the Panic Room into
which they escape is the very place that holds what the
intruders are desperately seeking.
To be honest
with you, I really didn't think a movie about two people being
locked up in a room at the same time as burglars where outside
trying to get in; would hold my attention. I was wrong. This
movie yanked me right inside the room. But hold on… I admit, the
film had some engaging, heart pounding, and thrilling moments,
but there is little to make the film stand out apart from Jodi
Foster; but even that is not enough to raise this film up from
being an average suspenseful film. After a while, this
nerve-racking picture turned into a cat-and-mouse game that just
had to end.
PANIC ROOM
appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this single-sided,
double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9
televisions. The film transfer was superb. Sharpness was
incredible. There were no signs of softness or vagueness. I did
detect some jagged edges but enough to create any major concern
to the film. I didn’t detect any print flaws in the films
transfer. Colors remained solid without any problems. Black
levels were deep and rich but at times appeared somewhat grimy.
PANIC ROOM is not one of the better Superbit DVD’s I’ve
seen, but nonetheless I thought theDVD presentation
offered a fresh and unsullied film transfer.
The
Audio
PANIC ROOM
includes both the Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS
mixes. The DTS track provided a stronger bass response and added
a more wide open sound field, but as a whole, either one of the
mixes came across as in a similar fashion. Effects moved well
around all five channels and they blended together precisely.
Dialogue was crisp and well defined at all times. The films core
also appeared intense and active. Ultimately, PANIC ROOM
provided a grand audio event.
Superbit Editions are known for
not including any type of special features. If you're a fan of
this film, wait for the special edition that's already in the
works.
Overall
PANIC ROOM
offers its share or thrills and suspense but
generally feels like a run of the mill type of film. It succeeds
somewhat, but then falls short. The DVD offers great picture and
sound but close to no extras. PANIC ROOM isn’t a bad film; I
just felt that not enough of the film stood out to make it
brilliant.
