It was easy to be excited while watching the trailer for “WATER FOR ELEPHANTS.” The imagery, music, with the taglines referring to “life as the greatest show on earth,” and a script credited to Richard LaGravenese, all suggested a beautiful, stirring film. Well, the people behind the trailer deserve some kind of marketing award, and those responsible for the actual film should really be embarrassed. “WATER FOR ELEPHANTS” is one of the worst films of the past decade, hands down, easily!!!

Book-ended by a silly, predictable device wherein an old man, drenched by a rainstorm and brought into a circus owner’s office begins to recollect his experiences working for the Benzini Brothers Circus, before the infamous tragedy and its demise happened! The Benzini Brothers?  An infamous tragedy? How does the viewer learn about these spectacular events, one might ask? Were they even spectacular? How these things are learned by the viewer, is the biggest problem with “WATER FOR ELEPHANTS.”  Nothing is handled or conveyed in a way which allows empathy to be something elected, rather it’s just thrown at them, instead.

Instead of nuance, the film offers a heavy hammer. Reese has always been a fine actress. Anyone having seen her incredible range in “MAN IN THE MOON,” or “FREEWAY,” knew she was destined for fame. But, to see her in unmitigated crap like this is just frustrating. The longer the film goes on, the more annoying the 2-dimensional characters become, and any discerning viewer has already checked out by the 30 minute mark, making the 120 minute running time unbearable. YECCH!  Run away from this at all cost!

FOX has provided the correct 2.40:1 aspect ratio for this AVC MPEG-4 1080p blu-ray release. Colors are rich and beautiful, even when pushed to near unnatural limits, with diffused lighting. Detail is flawless! Every bead of Reese’s wardrobe, every crack on the poor, abused elephant’s body, is clearly defined. The image is as wonderful as the film is bad!

FOX has provided a DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix.  The circus setting is ripe for immersive effects and this lossy mix provides plenty, with panning/discrete and bass effects from all speakers. The elegant score is beautifully rendered with the fully impressive dynamic range presented. Even subtle effects are well handled and plentiful throughout, and the dialogue is always intelligible and perfectly balanced with the other elements. A TERRIFIC MIX!

Having been a fan of Richard LaGravenese since seeing his brilliant “LIVING OUT LOUD,” this reviewer was excited to hear his participation in the commentary shared with the film’s director. Unfortunately, little insight regarding the film’s actual production or its adaptation challenges, are actually conveyed, and these two don’t seem to realize the steamy crap they’ve created.

Other extras are mostly featurettes, all in HD, explore visual effects and other aspects of the production.