Based on Valerie Martin's outstanding novel, the film version of "MARY REILLY" misses the boat in many aspects!   Director Stephen Frears is wonderful at creating atmosphere, and the production design to the film is both elaborate, and at times, breathtaking.  However, the story has no substance here!  What made the novel so compelling was the manner in which Dr. Jekyll's chambermaid, Mary Reilly, became the central figure, the narrative voice to the mystery she becomes a part of!  Her role is without any real meat here.  It's as if script adapter Christopher Hampton and director Frears decided to keep Mary Reilly in the plot as a prop!  Even Jekyll's personalities are lackluster.  One wishes he had a third personality!  More to the point, if this is an intelligent horror film, there's little wit and "no" horror!

The 1.85:1 16:9 enhanced image looks quite good.  While the blacks could be blacker,(There are many dark scenes!) the fleshtones are accurate, and there are no artifacts.  The production design lends itself to subdued colors, and this isn't a bright looking picture.  With that in mind, the transfer is far sharper than the laserdisc counterpart. 

The dolby digital 5.0 soundtrack offers minimal directional effects.  Most separation is focused on the front channels, with clear, well balanced dialogue.  There is no LFE track, so bass effects are minimal.  George Fenton's musical score is wonderful, although Frears utilizes it to create power where there is none on screen!  It makes the most use of all five speakers.

There is a mini-featurette, offering scenes from the film and "very-brief" behind the scenes moments and interviews, clearly not one of the better featurettes offered by COLUMBIA TRISTAR.

The trailers are not offered in dolby digital 5.1 sound or with anamorphic enhancement!