"I DREAMED OF AFRICA" doesn't live up to the potential one expects from a masterful director like Hugh Hudson.  His "GREYSTOKE" truly delivered a finely crafted film of epic proportions.  The true-life story of Kuki Gallman is compelling, and at times, Hudson delivers.  It's hard to not be moved and enthralled by the dynamics of such a strong person fighting for a cause and her own self-exploration amidst the sprawling landscape of Africa.

The film's opening segment involves a violent car accident, after which Basinger marries the driver and moves to Africa.  While it's never fully defined "what" her motivation is, the audience goes along with much anticipation.  Unfortunately, our expectations are seldom met.  Sure, there are great moments, including wildlife encounters of every sort.  There's also dilemmas involving poaching, etc.  But, the script seems to be devoid of character build-up, so these moments, while impressive on their own, never seem to have any connection.  There are great scenes, but they don't share a common bond.  I think the closest comparison would be to "AGAINST ALL ODDS".  There were great individual scenes in that movie, but again, nothing seemed to connect.

The transfer is another story!  It's magnificent!   Most often, it resembles an IMAX film in quality!  The African landscape holds many exciting and exotic colors, all of which are perfectly rendered here!  The contrast is fine and there's no grain anywhere!

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is filled with atmospheric and directional effects from start-to-finish!  When we arrive in Africa with Basinger and her family, we really feel transported, thanks to a creative sound mix, fully encompassing every surround opportunity.  The LFE track is also more aggressive than most, with a number of bass effects throughout the film.

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has included an isolated track for the film's wonderful score, in "5.1".  There's also a short featurette, in which we get to see various interviews with the cast as well as get the chance to see and hear the real Kuki Gallman! happy. The featurette is a lot of fun to watch. There are quite a few interviews with the entire cast and many of the crewmembers in addition to some clips with the real Kuki Gallman.