Extraordinary Measures

Reviewed by Drav3n

Format: Blu-ray

Release: May 18, 2010

Rated: PG

Runtime: 106 Minutes

The Movie:

This 2010 film is based on the true story of John and Aileen Crowley, whose two youngest children have been diagnosed with Pompe's disease. Pompe's disease is a disorder that damages skeletal muscles and nerve cells throughout the body, particularly the heart and liver. Most children that are diagnosed with this disorder don't live past the age of two.

After almost losing their daughter, John Crowley (Brendan Fraser), a biotechnology executive, quits his current job to pursuit his dream to find the miracle drug that will give his children the opportunity to live a longer and healthy life. He and his wife Aileen (Keri Russell) starts raising money for research scientist Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford), to form a company that will allow them to conduct the necessary research and develop a drug to save the lives of children that have been diagnosed with this disorder, including their own.

When Brendan Fraser does serious movies like this and Crash, that's when you are able to see how good of an actor he can really be. He really needs to focus on these kinds of films instead of doing those terrible movies like Journey to the Center of the Earth or Furry Vengeance. He delivers such a powerful performance in this movie, it's almost impossible to not get a little emotional. Also delivering great performances are Keri Russell and Harrison Ford. I'd even go as far to say this is probably Ford's best role since What Lies Beneath.

Unless you're one of those people that have no soul, I think you would agree that a film involving sick children is known to trigger an emotional response While its not necessarily a tear-jerker movie, it's definitely easy for this film to get to you. And while this may not be a movie you will remember years from now, what the movie does best is educate the viewers on a disease that most people have never even heard of. And it's nice to see that movie companies will put out a movie about the lesser-known diseases, besides focusings on the well-known diseases/disorders like Cancer, HIV, Parkinson's, Autism, and the mentally challenged. You don't see fundraisers or telethons for all these lesser-known diseases that exist, so this could be the best way to become educated about these diseases.

Overall, it's not an amazing movie, but it's definitely worth a viewing. What does make this movie worth watching is Fraser's performance as a father doing everything that's possible to save his children and Ford's performance as a scientist who just wants to be recognized for his work, and not used for it.

Presentation:

Sony delivers another great looking blu-ray release here with this movie presented in full 1080p and a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Colors are dominant and will occasionaly pop out, and black levels are deep. Skin tones look good, with facial close-ups providing alot of fine detail. Objects such as clothes and even the backgrounds show fine detail that should impress the viewer. The overall image is crisp and clean with no evidence of dirt or speckles to be found, with only a very few scenes that present a softer image. Otherwise, viewers will be treated to a pleasant experience seeing this film on blu-ray.

Audio:

Extraordinary Measures is delivered with a great sounding 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio track. The dialogue comes through very clear and clean and viewers shouldn't have any issues. The score that's used, even though generic sounding at best, still adds a nice feel to the movie. This is more of a dialogue-driven movie, so there's not really much sound effects, but for the few that present they are delivered sounding strong and heavy.

Bonus Material:

• Meet John Crowley (1080i, Runtime 4:36) - A short feature that explains Pompe's disease and people that influenced the film.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, Runtime 9:22) - A total of nine deleted scenes.
• 'Extraordinary Measures:' The Power to Overcome (1080p, Runtime 10:43) - A short behind-the-scenes feature that includes the cast and crew on the film and the real story behind the film.
• Trailers
• BD-Live

Bottom Line:

While it's not a movie that screams "replay value" it does have a good story and overall very informative on Pompe's disease. Looks and sounds great, and even thought the special features are short, they are definitely worth a look. Those looking for a good heart-felt movie will want to check this out. I recommend this a rental.