Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

The movie that made every man think twice about infidelity is now available to scare you straight in high-def. Fatal Attraction was a huge success when it was released back in 1987, even snagging an astonishing six Oscar nominations.  But in hindsight, the movie seems hardly worthy of such praise. Maybe it was the '80s. Maybe the Academy feared Glenn Close. Either way, the thriller doesn't quite hold up. Maybe that's why director Adrian Lyne updated the concept slightly, with 2002's Unfaithful.

Here, Dan (Michael Douglas) is a very married lawyer left home alone for the weekend. He uses that time to meet and bed Alex (Close), who apparently mistook his one-night stand for love and parental possibilities. What ensues is a vicious rollercoaster of blackmail, vandalism and boiling rabbits (OK, just one rabbit).

Although it's not the powerhouse that it once was, Fatal Attraction is still pretty entertaining. Lynne has a knack of making seemingly happily married people flush their lives down the toilet in a matter of minutes (again, Unfaithful). The one thing that the movie seemed to lack was a motive for Dan's infidelity. Maybe that's the point.

The Picture

This 1.85:1 transfer is decent, but nothing jumps off the screen quite like Glenn Close’s crazy. Most of the film is dark, which adds to some of the edge. However, you just want to walk into some of those scenes and turn on the lights -- even in the scene where Close keeps flipping the light on (and off). Other than that, the fleshtones are fair, but there's not a whole lot of color or detail throughout.

The Sound

Paramount has given Fatal Attraction the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 treatment, although it doesn't do a whole lot with it. The entire movie is all about the dialogue. There's a bit of other activity going on, but those sounds are few, far between, and only really hover around the front speakers.

The Extras

There are a few bonus features here, but nothing new since 2002's special edition DVD. The making-of feature is 28 minutes of everyone involved talking about everything from the origin of the movie to Close's role to the original ending. Speaking of which, if you're a fan, that's probably the one extra worth spending your time on. Without spoiling anything, the original ending doesn't wrap up in a nice neat package and it's even a little cheesy. However, it delivers a pretty creepy close-up on Close's crazy -- again!

Final Thoughts

This is probably the best that Glenn Close has looked on film -- and it's not just the Blu-ray. Over 20 years later, Fatal Attraction may not scare you into a happy marriage, but it's still pretty entertaining. However, a dim picture, almost non-existent soundtrack and rehash of extras hardly make this '80s classic worthy of a high-def upgrade.

Where to Buy:

• Fatal Attraction on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)

Product Details

• Actors: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer
• Director: Adrian Lyne
• Audio/Languages: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English), Dolby Surround (French), Mono (Spanish)
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: R
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: June 9, 2009
• Run Time: 119 minutes
• List Price: $29.99
• Extras:
  • Commentary by Director Adrian Lyne
  • Forever Fatal: Remembering Fatal Attraction
  • Social Attraction - The Cultural Phenomenon of Fatal Attraction
  • Visual Attraction - Behind-the-Scenes Production Featurette
  • Rehearsal Footage
  • Alternate Ending with Introduction by Adrian Lyne
  • Original Theatrical Trailer