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I'm not the biggest Stephen King fan in the world. I can honestly say that I've never read any of his books. In terms of movies, his work is a little hit and miss. Usually more hit, but one too many misses for my liking. His latest miss? Secret Window.
Based on the novella "Secret Window, Secret Garden", it's the story of troubled author Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp). Troubled because he caught his wife (Maria Bello) with another man (Timothy Hutton). Troubled because he's fighting with a bout of writer's block. And things only get worse when he is accused of plagiarism by a man named John Shooter (John Turturro). The simple allegation turns into a lot more as Shooter becomes violent, burns down a house, kills some people and also kills a poor defenseless little puppy dog, all in the name of getting Mort to admit his guilt. Overall, not the best guy.
But what about the movie? Sadly, it's not the best movie either. Despite the efforts of Johnny Depp and writer/director David Koepp (Spider-Man), the material just isn't great to begin with. It's just too predictable. Sure, there will be those who will ohh and ahh about the shocking twist, I'm just not one of them. Any self-respecting movie buff will see the ending coming a mile away. Knowing next to nothing about the book or the movie, I guessed within the first 10 minutes. It was just that obvious.
The DVD isn't a total waste though, thanks in large part to some decent special features. They start with an informative commentary track provided by Koepp. The guy pretty much talks non-stop going over every last aspect of the film, from the adaptation of King's work, to the cast, the characters and why certain decisions were made in the filmmaking process. It didn't make the movie any better, but he proved to be a pretty interesting guy.
Four deleted scenes (two with optional director's commentary) are available next. Nothing too special, although the extended ending is rather gruesome. It doesn't necessarily add anything to the movie, but it's still worth a look.
For featurettes, we get three that, when put together, equal a nice hour-long look into the making of the movie. Although it is dominated by Koepp, we also get to hear from the rest of the cast. One problem? We go over a lot of the same material that was touched upon in the commentary track, including the adaptation, the characters, the set, and the locations making the experience a little redundant. I guess if listening to commentaries isn't something you like to do, this might not be a problem. But, if you're here for the complete DVD experience, be warned. (Be warned too that these features give away several plot points, including the twist ending. If you haven't watched the movie yet, stay away. Far away.)
The features are concluded by some animated storyboards and a variety of trailers this and other Columbia TriStar projects.
Looking back at the movie, I guess it wasn't so bad. Whether or not you are a fan of Stephen King, checking this one out isn't a total waste. Sure, I figured out the ending, but isn't that what you're supposed to try to do with movies like this? Plus, I gotta admit that Johnny Depp did bring a lot to this movie, making it a lot more entertaining than it could have been in the wrong hands.
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