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DVD Reviews - Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct
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Basic Instinct (Collector's Edition)
(Artisan Home Entertainment)
DVD Release Date: September 18, 2001
Length: 129 mins.
Rated: NR
Format: Widescreen (2.35:1)
Languages: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Extras: Documentary, Audio Commentary, "Cleaning Up Basic Instinct" Montage, Photo Gallery, Storyboard Comparisons, Theatrical Trailer

It's been probably a decade since I've last watched this erotic thriller and I found it remarkable how I never saw it's brilliance before. The gorgeous cinematic visuals resulting from careful attention to lighting gave the film a very striking look. The score fit the tone of the film precisely. Everything about this film is nearly perfect. With wonderful performances, this very well thought out (although unlikely) story unbalances the audience right down to the suspenseful finale. A masterpiece.

This disc came with several nice extras. A good making-of documentary was included as well as some bland storyboard comparisons. There was also a rather amusing featurette on the dubbing of the film to make it network TV friendly. Other common extras include the theatrical trailer, cast and crew information, a photo gallery, and production notes. For commentaries, there were two. One was thickly accented by director Paul Verhoeven and cinematographer Jan de Bont. Though incomprehensible at times, and filled with moments of silence, it was still entertaining as their enthusiasm for their work reached the listener. The other commentary track was from an interesting source, feminist critic Camille Paglia. Thankfully, it didn't become a feminist critique, so much as a fan's (scarily meticulous) analysis of the film. While she had almost too much to say at the start of the film, her word count diminished considerably towards the end of the film. Still, it's nice to hear from an educated fan. Oh, and one other extra of sorts. This disc came packaged in a faux ice case with a crappy plastic ice pick pen. Just stupid and useless. Maybe if they had put in an actual ice pick...

And if you don't care for all that crap I stated earlier that made this film great, you still get to see a hot Sharon Stone bare all.


The Movie: 9/10
The Extras: 7/10

Recommendation: One For The Library

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Phil Wong - Associate Editor

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