If we have learned nothing else in 100 years of filmmaking, hopefully, we have discovered that having extramarital affairs never leads to good things. Who can forget Glenn Close going all "psycho" and boiling a rabbit (poor bunny) in Fatal Attraction? That visual and her performance will stay with us probably forever. So why would a Scientist and Professor sleep with a graduate student? Because director Robert Zemeckis (The Back To the Future Trilogy) thought it would make for a good horror/psychological thriller in the 2000's What Lies Beneath. Twenty-five years later, Shout Factory has made it available for purchase for the first time on 4K.
For those who haven't seen the film yet, here is a quick synopsis:
It had been a year since Dr. Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford; The Star Wars Franchise) betrayed his beautiful wife Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer; Batman Returns). But with Claire oblivious to the truth, Norman's life and marriage seem so perfect that when Claire tells him of hearing mysterious voices and seeing a young woman's image in their home, he dismisses her terror as delusion. Claire moves closer to the truth, and it becomes clear that this apparition will not be dismissed and has come back for Dr. Spencer and his beautiful wife.
With powerhouse actors like Ford and Pfeiffer in the lead roles, this film could have been so much more than it ended up being. Watching both actors fall apart, albeit for different reasons, is like watching a master class in how to act in a psychological thriller. Pfeiffer turns from scared to thinking she is losing her mind to angry at a slow simmer throughout the 126-minute runtime. Ford, on the other hand, goes from loving, concerned husband to hothead, annoyed tormentor in a matter of minutes. The rest of the cast is good, but is simply nothing more than "window dressing" as the audience watches the dynamic between husband and wife subtly change over time.
The Dolby Vision transfer, taken from the original 35 mm negative, is beautiful. The details are sharp and clean, and everything from the blooming flowers in the patio garden to the water rippling on the lake is incredibly well done. The steam wafting out of the bathroom from a tub overly filled with hot water is as eerie as it is oddly inviting. The makeup is so well done that the ghost looks waterlogged as she should, and the blood adds realism to the story.
I tend to wonder why, when movies are upgraded to 4K video, they aren't also automatically upgraded to Dolby Atmos audio. I assume there is a logical reason, such as budget, or the Atmos will actually make the audio quality worse, but I don't know for certain. What Lies Beneath is one of those mysteries (pun intended) as the 4K disc only comes with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Don't get me wrong, the audio is great, but why not upgrade it as well? Having said that, there is a clarity heard throughout the surround speakers that gives the audio a nice tonal quality. The soundtrack is haunting and hovers comfortably in the background while dialogue comes through clearly.
The 25th anniversary 4K combo pack comes with the 4K and Blu-ray Discs and one new extra, "You Know: Uncovering What Lies Beneath." There is also one archived extra, the "Constructing A Thriller" Featurette, and the Theatrical Trailer.
Despite having a strong cast and a great director, What Lies Beneath is only mediocre. It runs too long, and it is hard to believe that a man who seems to love his wife so completely could turn on her in the blink of an eye. However, as with most Scream Factory releases, the 4K version offers fantastic visuals and a new extra that is interesting to watch.
Grade: C+
