Geena Davis and Matthew Modine deliver a tidal wave of nonstop action and adventure in this swashbuckling saga of ruthless pirates, buried treasure, and bloodthirsty betrayal.
For thoughts on Cutthroat Island, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Lionsgate presents Cutthroat Island with a stellar 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer that handily bests any previous release of the film. The ancient Blu-Ray release from all the way back in 2009 was good for its era, but it’s high time to give this a proper remaster to harness its full visual majesty. This new transfer is derived from a 4K restoration of the Original Camera Negative conducted by StudioCanal in 2023. The transfer retains the original filmic look with no obvious signs that any grain reduction has been applied. You get a nice sheen of film grain that is thick but mostly resolves well. There are a couple of fleeting moments when the grain turns into splotchy noise in a few of the underwater shots. There is virtually no damage to be found after the careful clean-up. Outside of a few anomalies, this transfer knocks it out of the park.
The Dolby Vision HDR springs to life to unlock the subtleties of the visual palette. The practical locations are one of the most impressive elements of the entire experience, and they are captured quite beautifully. Detail and clarity are a standout as each setting appears to be showcased without a hiccup. Skin tones look natural and color saturation looks amazing with a slightly golden push that does not overwhelm the frame. Highlights offer greater stability under the sun without veering into blooming. The black levels reveal a substantial amount of depth and detail in shadowy environments. While many may not agree on the quality of the film itself, the look of the film can be appreciated by all who watch this fantastic disc from Lionsgate.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with an LPCM 2.0 stereo track along with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that both sound mighty. The buoyant score from John Debney elevates the film greatly as it permeates the room with peerless fidelity. The swashbuckling environmental sounds are deftly delineated alongside everything else. The low end response digs deep throughout with instances of cannon fire proving to be especially grand. Dialogue stays mostly anchored in the front channels with the occasional call from off-screen or other sonic flourishes. There is never a moment where the action threatens to overshadow necessary sounds. The soundscape captures the bombastic sound design of the film with perfect consistency. There do not seem to be any egregious instances of age-related wear and tear. Lionsgate has treated the movie well. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
Lionsgate has provided Cutthroat Island with a sleek new SteelBook available exclusively at Wal-Mart that is truly lovely in person. The case comes with a removable plastic slipcase that is mostly clear with some flourishes that enhance the artwork underneath such as an eyepatch and bandana. The artwork underneath is an animated depiction of a more extreme skull and crossbones with swords substituted for the crossbones The rear features an animated depiction of skeletons hanging above the open sea. The interior sports an animated depiction of a wanted poster for Morgan Adams alongside a desk with a burning candle and a skull on it. Video of the set can be found at the top of the review. The on-disc content is as follows:
- Audio Commentary: Director Renny Harlin offers an informative commentary track that delivers an informed overview of the production of the film, the many challenges that plagued the creation of the film, the chilly reception upon its release, what he learned from the experience, and more.
- The Adventure of a Lifetime – Making Cutthroat Island: A new 33-minute retrospective on the film with participants such as film historian C. Courtney Joyner, along with several cast and crew interviews, including Renny Harlin, Matthew Modine, and many more. In this piece, you get to understand the history of the genre, the origins and inspirations of the project, the casting of the feature, the production company, the stunts, the film’s legacy, and more.
- Charting the Course – Creating Cutthroat Island: A 24-minute piece that focuses on the creation of the screenplay including audio interviews with screenwriters James Gorman and Michael Frost Beckner that delves into how the script evolved to what we see on screen.
- Across the Bow – Editing Cutthroat Island: A 17-minute audio interview with co-editor Danny Retz who discusses his background and his experiences stitching together Cutthroat Island.
- Summon Your Courage – Scoring Cutthroat Island: A 31-minute interview with composer John Debney who discusses being brought on to score Cutthroat Island, his relationship with Renny Harlin, the inspirations for his creation, the compressed timeline for creating the score, and more.
- Ecce Pirate – A Short Film By Matthew Modine: A nearly 22-minute short film is provided in rough standard definition in which Modine brings some of his Cutthroat Island castmates together to tell this story of a young boy kidnapped and introduced to life on the high seas. This is provided with an optional audio commentary from Modine and another collaborator.
- Making Of: A six-minute piece that appears to be oddly encoded in a PAL source. My 4K player played the audio but no video was present.
- Behind The Scenes: A nine-minute piece that appears to be oddly encoded in a PAL source. My 4K player played the audio but no video was present.
- Storyboards: A two-minute piece that appears to be oddly encoded in a PAL source. My 4K player played the audio but no video was present.
- Interviews: A 32-minute piece that appears to be oddly encoded in a PAL source. My 4K player played the audio but no video was present.
- Original Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided.
Final Thoughts
Cutthroat Island has a reputation for being a major failure by Hollywood standards. While the film is far from perfect, the lore around the movie has grown to a place that is a bit too harsh. If you want a rollicking pirate movie that feels like an old-school Hollywood production, you should walk away satisfied. There is such care put into crafting this movie with actual ships built and placed in real-life tropical environments that have not been CGI’d into oblivion. The narrative is sound, and the movie really only comes up short when it comes to the expected romance that lacks chemistry between the leads. If you have let its notorious reputation keep you away, give it a shot and judge for yourself. Lionsgate has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with an amazing A/V presentation, stunning SteelBook packaging, and a good selection of new and archival special features. If you are a fan of the film, you are in for a treat. Recommended
Cutthroat Island is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook exclusively at Wal-Mart.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.