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The Vow is a lackluster romantic drama that saw a theatrical release around Valentine’s Day this year. Based on a true story, the movie stars Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams as a happy couple who struggle to find each other again after a car accident. This could have been an interesting movie, but between the script and the direction, the movie never finds anything but the simplest clichés. The Blu-ray release sports solid picture and sound and a few extras, including a commentary by the director.
THE VOW
Studio: Sony/Screen Gems/Spyglass Entertainment
Year: 2012
Length: 1 hr 44 mins
Genre: Romantic Drama
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
BD Resolution and Codec: 1080p, AVC @ 25 mbps
Audio: English and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (@ an average 2.1 mbps, up to 3.0 mbps), English DVS 2.0, Czech, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Ukranian Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, French, Hindi, Indonesian/Bahasa, Korean, Lithuanian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Turkish, plus Commentary Subtitles in English, Spanish and Chinese
Film Rating: PG-13 (Accident Scene, Sexual Content, Partial Nudity, Some Language)
Release Date: May 18, 2012
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Sam Neill, Scott Speedman and Jessica Lange
Story by: Stuart Sender
Screenplay by: Abby Kohn & Marc Silverstein and Jason Katims
Directed by: Michael Sucsy
Film Rating: 1 ½/5
The Vow is one of those movies that desperately wants to be liked as a date night event. It’s an unabashedly romantic movie with an attractive young cast that wears its heart on its sleeve. It’s even based on the true story of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, a young couple who got into a car accident that left the wife without any memory of her husband. All of this should be enough to make for a good romantic drama, you might think. But alas, it isn’t. In spite of the earnestness of lead characters Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams), and the experience of the supporting cast (Sam Neill and Jessica Lange playing Paige’s parents), the movie stumbles through every cliché it can without finding any new ground. From the soulful narration by Leo (one might even think they were watching a hospital show in Seattle…) to the painfully obvious plot twists (the dramatic revelations come almost on cue) to the on-the-nose dialogue, the movie seems to be on a mission to plow past any thought of subtlety whatsoever. And while the movie is clubbing you over the head with the most obvious lines and situations, the cast is so relentlessly perky that it all becomes a bit too much to take – like a chocolate sundae buried in about three pounds of sprinkles. The sad part about all this is that there could have been a good movie here – one that could have earned the tears it is trying so hard to wring out of the audience. Instead, we’re left with what another reviewer has correctly termed the equivalent of the Transformers movies for the romance novel fanbase.
The Vow has been released this month on Blu-ray and DVD. The Blu-ray presents the movie in high definition, along with a director’s commentary, a gag reel, and a few featurettes and deleted scenes. The Blu-ray package also includes the DVD copy of the movie on a second disc. Instructions for getting an Ultraviolet copy are also included in the package, along with an ad for the book of the true story and instructions for downloading 5 free songs from Sony Music Pass.
VIDEO QUALITY 4 ½/5
The Vow is presented in a 1080p AVC 2.40:1 transfer that solidly presents the movie’s image, including a fair amount of seamless CGI that inserts falling snow into some scenes, and inserts the Toronto locations into Chicago backdrops. Flesh tones look accurate, and the black levels look solid. On a technical level, the Blu-ray offers a great presentation here.
AUDIO QUALITY 4/5
The Vow is presented in an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix in English and French, as well as a standard definition Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in five further languages, that clearly presents the dialogue and music. This isn’t that immersive of a soundtrack, although there is some atmospheric sound to be heard. The subwoofer occasionally presents itself, particularly during the pivotal accident, but there is never anything that would blow out any speakers. This is a quieter mix, which is appropriate for the subject matter.
SPECIAL FEATURES 3/5
The Blu-Ray presentation of The Vow comes with a director’s commentary, a gag reel and a few deleted scenes and featurettes. The DVD edition, containing the same extras minus the featurettes, is included in the packaging.
Commentary with Director Michael Sucsy (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD & BLU-RAY) – Michael Sucsy provides a scene-specific commentary where he mostly discusses the technical issues involved in making the movie. He clarifies right away that the movie is not directly based on the true story and that the issues created for the screenplay are not the ones faced by the real-life couple. He also points out the use of CGI and admits that the movie was actually shot in Toronto with a very brief shoot in Chicago to provide some recognizable exteriors. (The commentary has accompanying subtitles, as an added bonus.)
Deleted Scenes (5:56 Total, 1080p) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD & BLU-RAY) – A total of four deleted scenes are presented here, mostly just adding extra character beats.
Gag Reel (3:11, 480p) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD & BLU-RAY) – A short gag reel is presented in standard definition, mostly featuring Rachel McAdams stumbling over the set or the dialogue.
Til’ Death Do They Part (8:15, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – This featurette provides a general overview of the movie, including the usual footage from the set and the movie along with the usual mutual compliments between the director and the cast. A bit of additional material is included with a doctor to discuss the reality of memory loss.
Profiles of Love: Paige and Leo (9:59, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – This featurette is intended to focus more on the romance between the lead characters, using the same approach as the first featurette.
Trying to Remember (10:10, 1080p) (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE) – This featurette is intended to focus on the memory loss issue of the movie, including a little more time with the doctor from the first featurette.
Previews (AVAILABLE BOTH ON DVD & BLU-RAY) – Both the DVD and the Blu-ray feature a series of previews that start when the disc is first activated, and which can be accessed through a separate menu: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Tonight You’re Mine, The Artist, Damsels in Distress and The Woman in Black.
DVD Copy – A second disc is included in the package, holding the standard DVD of the theatrical cut of the movie. It contains the movie presented in standard definition in an anamorphic 2.40:1 picture with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound in English (448 kbps). The deleted scenes, gag reel and commentary from the Blu-ray are included.
Ultraviolet Copy – Instructions are included in the packaging for obtaining an Ultraviolet streaming copy to be placed up in the cloud. The instructions include a deadline of May 8, 2014 for activation. The same insert also includes a Disc Registration Code and a PIN number for downloading 5 free songs from Sony Music Pass. And the insert has an ad for the book about the real-life couple who inspired the movie.
Subtitles are available for the film in only seventeen languages, for the commentary in three languages and for the special features, in English, Spanish and Chinese. A full chapter menu is available for the film.
IN THE END...
The Vow is the kind of movie that gives romantic dramas a bad reputation. The basis for the movie is a true story with a real punch to it, but the movie is never able to find that story. Instead, the viewer is forced to endure the spectacle of an appealing cast trying to work their way around this situation without the benefit of any subtlety in the script. The Blu-ray presents this situation as well as it can, but in the end, you’re just looking at a great technical presentation of the loss of two hours of your life. Fans of Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams will probably have already rented this or purchased it, but if I can provide a caution here to anyone who hasn’t, I feel a responsibility to do so.
Kevin Koster
May 21, 2012.
Equipment now in use in this Home Theater:
Panasonic 65” VT30 Plasma 3D HDTV – set at “THX” picture mode
Denon AVR-3311Cl Receiver
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray Player
PS3 Player (used for calculation of bitrates for picture and sound)
5 Mirage Speakers (Front Left/Center/Right, Surround Back Left/Right)
2 Sony Speakers (Surround Left/Right – middle of room)
Martin Logan Dynamo 700 Subwoofer
