The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon Blu-ray features mediocre video and decent audio, but overall it's a poor Blu-ray release
After her father disappears while on an archaeological expedition to the Grand Canyon, his
daughter Susan (Shannen Doherty) descends the canyon’s chasms to search for him. There, she
encounters some startling mysteries that include ancient civilizations, hidden cities, and mythic
creatures. This Sci-Fi original movie also features performances by Michael Shanks and Duncan
Fraser.
One thing's for certain: the "lost treasure" of the Grand Canyon isn't this movie. Another insipid
original Syfy (previously "Sci-Fi") channel motion picture, The Lost Treasure of the Grand
Canyon isn't exactly bathed in Science Fiction motifs. It's more of an historically-based
adventure with minor spiritual and horror overtones, but no matter. The results are generally the
same, these sorts of pictures the kind of entertainment that seems made only to help those
bundled up under the blankets on the couch with the flu to catch some shut-eye while some
meaningless drivel plays out on the television screen, an inconsequential yet welcome distraction
from the annoyances of an illness. It's certainly not worth the time and effort otherwise, but still,
The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon isn't the end-all, be-all of bad Syfy movies. This
one is like drinking a warm and flat
Coke; it's not pleasant but not particularly harmful, either. It's a bland, tasteless, forgettable sort of
movie, one that most will strive to avoid, but when push comes to shove, things could be a lot
worse.
Yup, you're all going to die.
Archaeologist/adventurist Dr. Samuel Jordan (Duncan Fraser) has become lost during an
expedition deep within the Grand Canyon; his team is first attacked by native tribe people and,
subsequently, a mysterious monster that kills indiscriminately. Weeks later, his panicked
daughter Susan (Shannen Doherty) cobbles together a rescue party to find him. The adventure
sees the group faced with dangers both natural and manmade; on Dr. Jordan's trail, they
encounter booby-traps and angry natives that aren't happy to have their brutal sacrifices to the
ancient god Quetzalcoatl interrupted by outsiders. As members of the team are killed one by one,
Susan and team come face to face with a deadly ancient secret that threatens both their lives
and all they thought they new about Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl, and the Grand Canyon.
The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon is so dull, lazy, and routine that it's hard to
watch, let alone take seriously, and the problems are compounded by a nonsensical story and a
lazy script that retard any chance the film had to work on some low but respectable level. At
best, the film is unremarkable; it goes from quasi-interesting to boring to foolish, each act
becoming progressively more tedious and tiresome as more and more mythology and "history"
are written into the plot. One shortcoming of this and, indeed, plenty of other on-the-cheap
movies are plots that try too hard; back story, character motivation, and character
history matter not in a film like this. Crucial elements all to superior and more serious
pictures, yes, but more than the briefest of hints at anything that doesn't move the story and
action along at breakneck speed far more often than not cripple films like The Lost Treasure of
the Grand Canyon, and indeed, the film suffers a great deal in trying to explain away its
every component. All that matters in a movie like this is that there's plenty of action, violence,
and special effects, and the more chit-chat intermixed, the worse the movie's going to be.
Fortunately, The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon delivers when it counts. Yes, the
effects are bad and the acting around them not exactly Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade-quality
(though one character seems like he's trying for the Karl Childers lookalike of the year award),
but the film at least tries when it's not bogged down by meandering dialogue and slowly-paced
exploration scenes (the film loses any steam it had during an exceptionally long and arduous
middle segment as the team heads out in search of Dr. Jordan). The movie offers some
surprisingly
vicious gore, too; a decapitated head and a bloodied upper torso that's been ripped across the
waist makes for some neat and shocking visuals, certainly far and away better than truly phony
CGI
crowds of Aztec warriors and the abysmally-realized digital representation of Quetzalcoatl. On the
plus side, Shannen Doherty et. al. deliver decent performances; they take the material as
seriously as they can, and their efforts are accentuated by competent but not particularly
noteworthy direction from Farhad Mann (Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace).
The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon unearths a serviceable 1080p, 1.78:1-framed
transfer. Aside from some headache-inducing shaky tracking shots early on, minor banding in
several
scenes, bright gray blacks here and crushing there, a hint of haloing, and a slightly harsh
digital feel, the film doesn't look too terribly bad. This laundry list of issues are never
consistently apparent, and indeed, the transfer at-a-glance and, for the most part, upon further
scrutiny isn't all that hard to look at. Detail is fairly strong in close-up shots; whether tattered and
blood-stained clothing later in the film, dusty terrains marked with sand and small pebbles, and
various rock faces, The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon delivers generally eye-pleasing
detail through and through. Additionally, outdoor shots are vivid and quite colorful. Though the
image is generally dominated by earth tone exteriors and dim and dank cavernous interiors, the film
renders its color palette nicely enough. Flesh tones are stable throughout, too. Though certainly
not an upper-echelon image, this one is consistently average despite a plethora of minor issues and
considering its small-budget nature and effortless Blu-ray release.
The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon arrives on Blu-ray with an active Dolby Digital 5.1
soundtrack; no uncompressed or lossless options are included. Still, this one
delivers a healthy collection of room-filling and back-channel engaging sounds that add a bit of spice
to an otherwise dull picture, enough, in fact, to wake any viewers that might have dozed off during
the film's lackluster middle segment. Though lacking the precise clarity of better-mixed soundtracks
and their accompanying lossless or uncompressed Blu-ray presentations, The Lost Treasure of
the Grand Canyon features swooping sounds, strong panning across the front, a healthy low
end in several scenes, and a barrage of surround activity. From a passing horse and buggy that
traverses the front half of the soundstage to an aggressive and booming thunderstorm; from a
subtle breeze and chirping insects to a chanting Aztec crowd; and from reverberating and
hard-hitting gunshots to a rumbling low end accompanying Quetzalcoatl's roar; there's a good bit of
activity to enjoy throughout. Dialogue reproduction is adequately reproduced, too. Although
The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon serves up a rather enjoyable soundtrack, it's a
shame no superior option has been included. This is a mix that would have benefited from a
lossless or uncompressed presentation.
The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon delivers exactly what any
viewer even the least bit familiar with the Syfy Channel's modus operandi would expect: a
fantastically far-flung story, a poor supporting script, mediocre acting, direction that's not in the
least bit stimulating, and terrible special effects. The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon
delivers each with startling precision; it follows the Syfy formula perfectly, and the result is a film
that, despite differences in plot, casting, direction, and everything else that makes a movie unique,
is almost indistinguishable from any other of the channels' original efforts. It's fitting, then, that
this Starz Blu-ray
release is equally generic. Featuring a passable 1080p picture quality, a lossy soundtrack, and no
extras, The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon might make for a good gag gift for that
hard-to-shop-for Blu-ray collector to go along with Star Trek and Gone With the Wind
this Christmas, but this one is otherwise not worth the effort.
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