Frank Marshall's debut as a film director, "ARACHNOPHOBIA" was an entertaining misfire. He seemed to be shooting for a fun and scary film, and while it offered a bit of both. The humor took too much away from the thrills.  In "ALIVE," Marshall really attempts at dire seriousness, and while there are some truly great moments, there are plenty more of unintentionally funny ones.  

The story of the "Andes survivors" has actually been told before, but always in cheapo productions, with bad actors, and in one case, bad dubbing.  For "ALIVE," Marshall managed to secure an apparently decent budget, some fine actors, and a great cinematographer.  Unfortunately, the screenplay from John Patrick Shanley, is horrible!

The best scene in the film, and one that almost makes it worth watching for alone, occurs right after a quick introduction featuring John Malkovich.  A completely believable and horrifying plane crash occurs, and it's absolutely riveting!  It's truly a shame that nothing in the rest of the sequences which follow, offers the same type of suspense and power.  

As most viewers probably know, after the plane filled with rugby players crashes, there's little hope for survival. The plane isn't spotted by rescuers, and food...well,...  Eventually, the survivors turned to cannibalism.  But, one thing that the film achieves, is making the viewer so empathize with the plight of these people, it's made more understandable than just hearing about it does. 

BUENA VISTA has provided the correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio with 16:9 enhancement for this release.  It's generally pleasing, with vibrant colors and no artifacting.  Unfortunately, during darker scenes, the contrast is less-than-perfect, creating a loss in definition.  Fleshtones appear natural throughout.

BUENA VISTA has provided a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix for this release, and while it really offers some aggressive effects during the aforementioned crash scene, there is little for the remainder of the film.  There are a few directional effects, but these are delegated to the front soundstage. Dialogue is always intelligible and free from distortion.

Director Frank Marshall provides a quick introduction to the film, and there are two documentaries, making this a "special edition" of sorts.  Although it's actually "30 years" after the event, the documentary "20 Years Later" is offered.  It features interviews with some of the real survivors, as well as behind-the-scenes footage.

A shorter documentary, "RETURN TO THE ANDES," is a short but entertaining look at one of the survivors revisiting the Andes Mountains.