DVD
REVIEW: Death Like Me: Life After
Death
02/15/09
SYNOPSIS: When
George and her colleagues get a new boss whose focus is on
moving souls quickly and enjoying life without consequences,
the team begins to break the strict reaper rules. While her
friends fall victim to their desires for money, success, and
fame, George breaks another rule by revealing her true
identity to her living family. As the reapers struggle with
their roles on Earth, they each find that death can be just
as complicated as life. Through its strong storyline, Dead
Like Me delves into the intricate mythology and dark comedy
created by the TV series and appeals to the show’s legions
of fans as well as those new to the world of the reapers.
REVIEW: Dead Like Me
was a comedy drama TV series that aired in Showtime from
2003 to 2004. The show had a creative and well developing
story, humor, some drama , and very good acting that in my
opinion had everything to be extended at least two or more
seasons that unfortunately for many fans the series was cut
short and unresolved leaving the fans expecting for more.
Fortunately, aster 5 years of waiting all the uncertainties
left in the series are going to be answer, well.. Not
really, but at least Dead Like Me: Life After Death , a full
length movie based on the show, will leave the fans with a
better feeling than the inconclusive second season.
As I was watching the movie, I could not helped to relate it
to the show, as matter of fact I did not feel that I was
watching a movie, but just a long episode of the series.
Nonetheless, I was pleased, the director was able to re
introduced the characters and situations from the series in
to a new audience without creating a feeling of repetition
and annoyance to already fans of the series. Also the same
style from the series was kept where we have George
reflecting as the story progresses, also that they kept a
sort of timeline where all the characters have evolved since
the last time it was aired. From the beginning of the movie
the audience is transported to George’s universe and it is
kept satisfy to the end. This is also helped for the
returning cast performance. Ellen Muth, Callum Blue, and
Jasmine Guy, conserved that undead chemistry that made fans
fall in loved with them and the series, also Britt Mckillip,
and Cynthia Stevenson and specially Cristine Willes gives
the audience the best drama and humor that keep us in a non
ending happy time.
Unfortunately, the movie has major flaws that might annoy
returning fans, first the writers omitted major pre-
establish rules that were set during the series and added
more to the conflict of the main characters, specially the
one involving the relationship between George and her
family. Also the story is not delivery correctly, as it
begins with a promising plot as it develops some of the
characters main characteristics are distorted to an extreme
point and when they try to bring everything to normal
everything looks too forced. And the number one flaw of the
series is called Daisy Adair, who is interpreted by Sarah
Wynter is the major disappointment the movie has. Sarah is a
talented actress but somehow she fails to fill Laura Harris
shoes with her performance as one of the funniest
characters. In some scenes she looks as she is not even
trying, in other she is just trying too much, looking goofy
and silly. It would have been better that the producer and
writers would of taken the same approach as they did with
Rube (Mandy Patinkin) and introduced her as a new character.
For some reason she lacks the chemistry that the other three
reapers had.
Overall, I think this is a movie that everyone would enjoy.
I think fans of the series would have split opinions about
this one. Personally, I liked the movie, it was gratifying
seen this characters one more time. The story is kind of
shaky and some performances are not as good as the original,
but keeping in mind that it has been 5 years since the last
episode, I think that the main story was kept intact,
although the ending appears to be the ultimate ending for
the series, I hope a follow up DVD or show is on its way. I
recommend this movie to everyone who enjoyed the show, so
they can come out with their own conclusions, also to people
who have not knowledge of the series and enjoy cynical and
smart comedy, it’s a good choice but I recommend to check
the TV Show first to learn the mythology behind it.
.
VIDEO:
Widescreen (1.78:1)
AUDIO:
English 5.1 Dolby
Digital
Subtitles - English Spanish
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The DVD come
with the usual making of featuratte, which could be fun to
watch if you are a fan of such things, it has interviews
with all the cast members and their opinion and comparisons
between the movie and the show.
Audio Commentary from
Director Stephen Herek and Ellen Muth.: Watch the
movie as the director and main actress discussed the
different scenes
Back From The Dead:
Resurrecting Dead Like Me: It is basically the making of
featuratte where most of the actors give their impressions
about the movie and series. It is the only feature of the
disk. (14:04)
Review
By Milo
milo@smartcine.com
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