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(About Our Ads) DVD REVIEW FOR "AT FIRST SIGHT" (1999) (Val Kilmer, Mira Sorvino) (PG-13) Length Screen Format(s) Languages Subtitles Sound Sides 129 minutes Letterbox (1.85:1) 16x9 - Widescreen Full Frame (Pan & Scan) English French English French Dolby Digital 5.1 2 PLOT & PARENTAL REVIEW VIDEO: (B) Although the picture is decent enough, it's surprisingly not as sharp as one would expect for a new release. While it has perfectly toned, rich colors (that nicely contrast with the cold and often monotone wintry surroundings), the picture has an overall softness that gives it more of a VHS feel than that of what one has come to expect from this detail friendly format. It's not horrible by any means, but easily could have been far sharper then it is. AUDIO: (A) With a romantic drama one doesn't expect a great deal from the accompanying soundtrack, but this one easily delivers what's expected of it. While I would have imagined more use of the spatial effects during Virgil's blind scenes to bring the audience further into his world (a few do occur, such as listening to the rain), there are some decent spatial effects and a good score present. EXTRAS: Scene selection/Jump to any scene. Theatrical trailer. 4-page "Behind the Scenes" booklet insert. COMMENTS: Based on a real-life story from the 1995 novel "An Anthropologist on Mars" by Dr. Oliver Sacks and somewhat similar in tone and plot to the 1990 Robin Williams/Robert De Niro film, "Awakenings" (also based on a Sacks novel and real-life case), "At First Sight" is a moderately successful film that teeters on the brink of melodrama, but manages to succeed mainly due to its interesting plot and good-looking stars. It does have a big problem, however, in that while the concept -- of having a person blind from birth suddenly being able to see as an adult and whether their visual cognition is physically or cognitively based -- is intriguing and offers a myriad of wonderful opportunities and frustrating complications, it's a near impossible task to fully and satisfactorily present on film. Unless the audience has been in very similar shoes (which is highly unlikely), it's difficult for them to see and enjoy this more as a cinematic subject than one pertaining to the academic/research field. Those same moviegoers, however, love seeing the pairing of attractive performers in romantic dramas, and those of both genders couldn't ask for much better than Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino. The two make an attractive and believable couple, and their "easy on the eye" good looks prevent the audience from fully realizing that the material from which the performers are working -- intellectual and conceptual elements aside -- is standard issue dramatic fodder. As such, the film -- whether true or not to the real story -- is too predictable and features too many symbolic bits of forced ideological dialogue about not really seeing something until you really look at it, etc... Although the film does make one pause to reflect on how most everyone takes their senses for granted while also offering an interesting educational/physiological question about the true meaning of sight, as an overall piece of dramatic work it's only moderately successful. As far as the disc goes, it's decent, but the picture is curiously not as sharp as one might expect. Supplemental material is rather sparse and includes just the theatrical trailer and a small 4-page "Behind the Scenes" booklet (but could have included an interesting film piece on the people behind the real story as well as information on the whole sight/cognitive process, etc...).