Blu-ray Review: Coma

Blu-ray Reviews, Reviews, Top Story

For all the great films and stars that came out of the 1970s, which may have been Hollywood’s peak on a sheer creative basis, the one thing that doesn’t get enough credit is in the horror genre. Many classic titles from the genre, as well as many of the standard-bearers and genre establishers of the genre were crafted in that decade. And one that goes under the radar for many is Coma, an interesting thriller from famed novelist Michael Crichton, which may not have had long lasting effects but is an interesting but flawed genre piece from the era that hasn’t aged well.

The film revolves around a doctor (Genevieve Bujold) who discovers that not all is right in the hospital she works at. But no one believes her as she winds her through a conspiracy that winds up pissing off a lot of powerful people. As she moves up the chain of command she discovers that there are some secrets that some would kill to keep.

It’s a fairly clichéd thriller, starting out ambitious and falling into the usual traps a film like this provides, but the film suffers because it’s too ambitious. Crichton overuses his score to add tension, even when it isn’t needed, and parts of the film become nearly insufferable because of how overdone many parts of it. Nearly 40 years later it’s almost comical at times, which takes away from the film’s generally solid moments.

Coma may have been forgotten because it didn’t impact horror cinema but it’s not a bad film. It hasn’t aged as well as others, and some of its big moments are unintentionally comical now, but as a whole it’s not a bad film. It’s just not a good one, or a special one.

No extras are included, so if you’re looking for anything special with Coma you’ll have to keep waiting. It has updated a/v, so if you were waiting on this version for anything special you’ll have to keep doing so. If you didn’t pick it up on DVD then this is actually reasonably priced.

Warner Bros. presents Coma. Written and Directed by Michael Crichton based off the novel “Coma” by Robin Cook. Starring Michael Douglas, Genevieve Bujold, Rip Torn, Tom Selleck. Running time: 113 minutes. Rated PG. Released: July 10, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.