Strange Days DVD

 Overlooked and years before its time
...make the best "cult classic" films, and "Strange Days" is no exception. In several way it deviates from the prototypical cult film - it was written and edited by A-lister James Cameron and directed by ex-wife and acclaimed action director Kathryn Bigalow ("After Dark"), it had the stellar casting of Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore and a secondary characters starting with Vincent D'Onofrio and continuing on the same level, original music by P.J. Harvey, Deep Forest, and Peter Gabriel, a sizable budget and beautiful cinematography... so what went wrong at the box office? You can argue that the audience simply wasn't prepared for the idea that things would go wrong at the end of the 1990s, something that didn't happen until the Y2K scare (which "Strange Days" predated with "Y2G"). It could be that no character in the film is your average "Good Guy" (or Girl) - everyone has flaws in this movie, everyone is tempted by something, whether it be money, love, or power. Also, like most Cameron films, it's a touch overlong and can bore a viewer not fully watching... and this is a movie that requires your concentration. And it does become a bit predictable near the end. Not nearly enough to ruin it or even make it "bad", but just enough to throw off your average viewer. However, "Strange Days" has certainly found it's audience upon videotape release, cable television, and now DVD where it's shown in its correct aspect ratio (back in the videotape days I had to special order the Widescreen Version), Dolby Digital 5.1, an excellent technical commentary by director Bigalow, and two cut scenes that show just how far one character was willing to go. Add to that unparalleled SteadyCam work before CG transitions, huge setpieces, and one of the best opening sequences I've ever seen, and you've got yourself one "non sci-fi" Science Fiction film.
Submitted by scarred2112 (Akron, OH, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  1 of 1 found this helpful.

 Nice & Sleazy!
Not the greatest sci-fi or thriller I've ever seen, but I think it's a fast-paced film with a lot of imagination thrown in, and well directed...the cast fits their parts and it's just a bit sleazy, which is for some reason something I personally like in a movie...and also I'd describe it as Noirish if that's an adjective these days...Enjoy, I thought it worth the purchase!
Submitted by a reviewer (Summertown, TN, USA) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No

 Quirky, above average Sci-Fi
Kathryn Bigelow pushed the envelope on steadicam work with this one. The opening sequence is a masterpiece of editing and blocking. A tad too long, the film has some neat plot twists, some great set pieces, and good ensemble acting from Fiennes, Bassett, Sizemore and D'Onofrio. If you can ignore that fact that 2000 is long passed, this is well worth the discount price.
Submitted by a reviewer (Singapore) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No

Have you seen this movie?