Wyatt Earp Blu-ray offers decent video and audio, but overall it's a mediocre Blu-ray release
Wyatt Earp (Kevin Costner) doesn't get to go to war with his brothers, but when the rest of his family relocates to California, he begins a career in the Wild West. After a tragic first marriage, he has a rough time as a drunk and a thief, but in Dodge City becomes a ruthless marshall. Gathering his brothers around him, he moves on to Tombstone Arizona in hopes of making his fortune, but run square into the political power machine of the local ranchers.
I wake up every morning looking in the face of death and you know what? He ain't half
bad.
I'll admit: I am a sucker for the all-star cast. This is the third film I have reviewed that manages
to
put together a cast of some of the best Hollywood has to offer (The Dirty Dozen and
Young Guns being the others).
Wyatt Earp stars Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid,
Gene Hackman (one the greats of his time), Mark Harmon, Michael Madsen, Bill Pullman, and
Tom
Sizemore, to name a few. Unfortunately, almost all of them seem to be miscast. Perhaps it's my
admitted bias
towards Tombstone, a similar film that also boasts an all-star cast, on par or maybe even
better than what we get in Wyatt Earp, but I could never quite buy the likes of Costner,
Quaid, and Madsen as old west lawmen, especially compared to their Tombstone
counterparts, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, and Sam Elliott. Gene Hackman as Wyatt's father was, as
expected, wonderful, and one of the few who managed to pull off a convincing role. Costner was
even nominated for a Razzie award for worst actor for this role. While I certainly don't believe
that nomination was justified, I do feel his portrayal of Wyatt Earp was rather flat and uninspired.
Lawrence
Kasdan's vision of the story is
not bad. It's just not Tombstone, and that's the problem. Wyatt Earp was
released some six months after Tombstone, a film that grossed double the box office
compared to its counterpart. Perhaps it was having seen a version of the story so recently in
Tombstone and a subsequent "burn out" over the tale, or perhaps it was poor word of
mouth that led to the lackluster showing of Wyatt Earp at the box office. Nevertheless,
Wyatt Earp is currently the only one of the two available on a high-definition format, so
those needing their fill of westerns will likely be interested in this one.
"Take this Kurt Russell!"
This is the story of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp. One of the primary differences between
Wyatt Earp and Tombstone is that this film delves into Wyatt's past. The first
act of the film deals with Wyatt's upbringing. A teenager at the time of the Civil War, Wyatt
attempts to sneak off to war to join his brothers, James and Virgil. Before he can leave, he is
caught by his demanding father Nicholas (Gene Hackman). Wyatt is convinced to stay home and
moves with the family to California. After several years, Wyat returns to his home state of
Missouri where he marries his longtime love Urilla (Annabeth Gish). Almost immediately after the
two marry (in movie time), she contracts typhoid fever and perishes. Wyatt descends into a
state of inebriation, losing all he has in the process. As the years go by and Wyatt once again
lands on his feet, he meets the Masterson brothers, Ed and Bat (Bill Pullman and Tom Sizemore).
After more moving around the country working as lawmen in various towns, meeting new
women and Doc Holliday (Dennis Quaid), Wyatt ends up in Tombstone, Arizona where he is
ultimately named
marshall. It is from here that the tale of Wyatt Earp becomes more familiar to us, having seen it
represented in films such as Tombstone and Gunfight at the O.K. Coral.
What we get with Wyatt Earp is a biopic of the famed lawman's life. It certainly delves
much farther into the lore and history behind the man than any version I have seen. As you can
see, the film meanders quite
a bit. To say the plot is convoluted is a major understatement. There is almost too much going
on here with too many characters to keep track of (not to mention they often dress and look very
similar), even for a 3+ hour film. There is never a consistent pace to the film and I frankly
found
myself bored at several points throughout the movie, some action sequences included. There is
certainly good reason for the inclusion of the rather lengthy buildup. The extensive character
study reveals and affirms Wyatt's motives and thought processes later in the film, but
nevertheless
I feel that this film could have been condensed a good 30-40 minutes and have been more
successful.
Even by the time Wyatt's first wife dies of typhoid, we know so little about her (and Wyatt, for
that matter) that it's frankly hard to feel the sense of loss Kasdan was trying to convey by having
the marriage and death so close together. It's devastating to Wyatt to be sure, but not so much
for an audience still searching for a rhythm almost 45 minutes into the movie.
Warner Brothers presents Wyatt Earp in 1080p high definition, framed in its original 2.40:1
aspect ratio. What we get here is a decent video presentation, one that looks fine but has some
intrinsic flaws that keep this disc from receiving a higher score. The print itself is pretty clean.
There are not many scratches or pops in it. I did not notice much noise, either. The image
is especially soft, however, through the majority of the runtime. Colors, especially during indoor
scenes and at night, are muted and drab, though I would venture to say that this is the director's
intent. I noticed some aliasing here and there, and blacks did not impress. Darker scenes especially
appeared to be more gray than black. This is definitely not a three dimensional looking image. It
certainly lacks the depth and vibrancy we have come to expect from the better Blu-ray releases.
Overall this is an acceptable image but it's not one of the better ones I have seen.
Following the rule rather than the exception, Warner has included no lossless audio track on
Wyatt Earp. The included Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is pleasant on the ears and it
never
overly
disappoints sonically, but it never reaches the upper echelon of Blu-ray soundtracks either, even
among its Dolby Digital 5.1 only counterparts. It
sounds pretty good overall, but I can only wonder what a difference a
lossless track could have made. Nevertheless, this is a fine audio presentation as-is. Surrounds
are
used somewhat sparingly but effectively when they come into play. Dialogue is generally handled
well, though I noticed a few instances where it was muddled and difficult to make out. Bass is
solid
but at times underwhelming. Some shots where one would expect a heavy, foundation rumbling
"thump" came through rather punily, emanating more from the center channel than the
subwoofer. The front soundstage is quite active. All three channels are discrete,
sounds flows naturally, and sounds are well-placed across the front. My favorite aspect of the
soundtrack was the score by James Newton Howard (Batman Begins). The first word
that
came to mind when listening to the score over the opening credits was "quintessential." This
score
just sounds like it belongs in an epic movie and it's one of the better scores out there.
This
was the first time I have heard it and it won't be the last. Bravo.
A rather weak offering of supplements compliment Wyatt Earp. There are two
Behind the Story featurettes. It Happened That Way (480p, 14:03) is a
reference to the final line of the film. This is a basic behind-the-scenes look into the story of the
making of
the film, it's meaning, and Wyatt's journey from "innocence to earned knowledge." Participants
include Lawrence Kasdan, Gene Hackman, Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, and others. Walk
With a Legend (480p, 22:41) is billed as a "vintage making-of TV special." It is hosted by
Tom Skerritt and is a look at some of Hollywood's more memorable films such as How the
West Was Won, Spartacus, Ben-Hur, The Spirit of St. Louis, and
others. It also contains a look forward to the then yet-to-be-released Wyatt Earp. This
is a very well-done special and worth a look for anyone interested in the history of some of
cinema's finest films.
Eleven "lifted scenes" are available. All are presented in 480p and the total runtime is 17:58.
Each comes with a text-based introduction to the scene. A 480p theatrical trailer for Wyatt
Earp concludes this disappointing set of extras.
Wyatt Earp isn't a bad film. It's fairly entertaining, but it drags on for too long and never
reaches the same level of excellence as some of the more recent westerns such as
Unforgiven, Open Range, and the similarly themed Tombstone. Perhaps
my biggest complaint, other than the flow and runtime, was that few of the actors were believable
as old west lawmen. Costner, Pullman, Sizemore, and Quaid, all fine actors, just couldn't pull
it off in the end. Warner Brothers once again disappoints with an average looking picture, a
substandard Dolby Digital 5.1 track (they should be taking advantage of the medium and including a
lossless option), and a slim selection of supplements. I'd recommend Wyatt Earp as a
rental
only.
