Coma Blu-ray Review

Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray presentation of "Coma" offers a visually faithful rendering of the original film's aesthetic. The muted palette and soft yet reasonably detailed picture provide a perfect backdrop for the low-key and everyday look that director Michael Crichton and cinematographer Victor J. Kemper aimed for. The natural grain structure is well-preserved, enhancing the viewing experience without becoming intrusive. However, a notable limitation is the black levels, which lack true depth, likely due to source material constraints. Importantly, Warner’s transfer shows no signs of degraining, high-frequency filtering, or artificial sharpening, maintaining the integrity of the original visual style.

The video quality of "Coma" presents a mixed bag, marked by inconsistencies. While certain scenes exhibit excellent contrast, clarity, and vivid hues, others come across as lackluster with faded colors and worn textures. The film’s various settings—from stark hospitals to low-rent apartments—almost inherently contribute to its visual monotony. Even exterior scenes, like a seaside montage, suffer from a hazy, muted appearance that fails to capture the coastal setting effectively. Despite these drawbacks, the film’s grain is managed well, with print defects nearly eradicated, providing a clean and pleasant image overall.

While not visually stunning, the Blu-ray release of "Coma" does uphold stable fleshtones and solid detail in close-ups. Background elements are discernible despite a general lack in sharpness. The black levels are satisfactory but lack intensity, and predominant whites are bright and well-defined. Despite its varied quality, no glaring digital enhancements or artifacts detract from the viewing experience. For a minor catalog title with modest visual ambitions, "Coma" on Blu-ray delivers a faithful and satisfactory presentation.

The Blu-Ray release of "Coma" features a DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track that, while being mono, is thoughtfully executed and does justice to the film's suspenseful narrative. The audio quality, though not groundbreaking, offers a solid and reliable listening experience. The first half of the movie allows the ambient sounds of Boston General Hospital to create tension, with minimal use of underscoring. As the plot thickens, Jerry Goldsmith's suspenseful orchestra comes into play, adding a dramatic and effective touch to the unfolding mystery. Dialogue remains consistently clear throughout, ensuring that no critical pieces of conversation are lost.

Goldsmith's score benefits from a robust presence and tonal depth, complemented by well-defined bass frequencies that enhance its ominous mood. Despite the limitations of the mono format, the soundtrack exhibits a commendable dynamic range, avoiding any distortion and ensuring that even the more intense auditory elements, like the loud whistle of a tea kettle in a crucial scene, make a significant impact. The mix is skillfully balanced, with crisp accents and subtle atmospherics seamlessly integrated, contributing to an engaging auditory experience.

Overall, while the audio presentation of "Coma" might not be particularly flashy or memorable by modern standards, it is effective within its context. The DTS-HD Master Audio track provides good quality sound that aligns well with the film's era and style, making it a competent and fitting choice for this classic '70s thriller.

The Blu-ray extras for "Coma" are sparse, featuring only the film's theatrical trailer. Presented in standard definition and enhanced for 16:9, the trailer runs for 2 minutes and 29 seconds. While it provides a glimpse into the film, viewers already familiar with "Coma" may find that it reveals a bit too much of the plot, although its somewhat fragmented presentation keeps the full scope of revelations ambiguous. Unfortunately, there are no additional featurettes or retrospective interviews with the cast, which would have significantly enriched the viewing experience.

Extras included in this disc:

Theatrical Trailer: Original trailer enhanced for 16:9, featuring key plot points.

Michael Crichton's "Coma," an adaptation of Robin Cook's best-selling novel, remains an enduring thriller, deftly merging medical authenticity with riveting suspense. Directed by Crichton himself, the film was intended to provoke the same visceral fear of hospitals as "Jaws" did for the ocean. The story revolves around surgical residents at Boston General Hospital, with Geneviève Bujold delivering a compelling performance as Dr. Susan Wheeler, who sets out to uncover a sinister conspiracy after her best friend falls into an inexplicable coma during a routine procedure. With the tension heightened by the medical backdrop and authentically portrayed hospital environment, "Coma" resonates deeply even decades later.

The film successfully captures and maintains suspense through meticulously crafted scenes. The non-reliance on special effects in favor of genuine performances and realistically depicted hospital settings strengthens its impact. One highly effective sequence is set in the eerie Jefferson Institute, where comatose patients are managed in a dystopian facility led by Elizabeth Ashley’s chilling Mrs. Emerson. The sustained suspense as Susan navigates this facility, unveiling grim secrets while avoiding capture, exemplifies Crichton's skill in creating atmospheric tension. Furthermore, the extended cat-and-mouse chase sequences manage to be both inventive and unsettling despite the film's PG rating.

Crichton's dual expertise as a writer and a director allows for a straightforward narrative style that doesn't sacrifice depth for pace. The plot, though stretching the bounds of realism, is grounded in plausible motivations that spark our intrinsic fears of the medical system's potential abuses of power. “Coma” also explores proto-feminist themes with its strong female lead challenging institutional authority—an element that adds substantive layers to the thriller. The supporting cast features notable performances from Michael Douglas and Richard Widmark, and cameos from then-future stars like Ed Harris and Tom Selleck augment the film's rich tapestry. As a medical thriller, "Coma" retains its bite and continues to provoke genetic unease about the healthcare system.

Coma, directed by Michael Crichton, endures as a compelling medical thriller, even after nearly 35 years. The film adeptly translates Robin Cook's bestseller into a tense and absorbing narrative, rich in suspense and engaging performances. Bujold and Douglas deliver earnest portrayals that elevate the material beyond its somewhat far-fetched premise. Despite being a catalogue release, the Blu-ray offers standard video and audio transfers that, while not exceptional, do justice to the film's atmospheric tension.

Technically, the Blu-ray transfer features clean visuals with a consistent color palette that enhances the clinical setting of the hospital scenes. The audio, though standard, effectively supports the film's suspenseful undertones, offering clear dialogue and balanced sound effects. However, the absence of notable extras is a missed opportunity for deeper immersion into Crichton's filmmaking process and the film's production nuances.

Conclusively, Coma's Blu-ray release is a solid addition to any thriller collection, demonstrating Crichton's knack for storytelling across multiple mediums. With this release of Coma, there’s hope more of Crichton's directorial works will be brought to Blu-ray. Westworld and The Great Train Robbery are prime candidates, while fans may also look forward to lesser-known gems like Looker. Coma is a fine example of Crichton's cinematic storytelling, and it comes highly recommended.