review: MARTIAN CHILD

New Line  //  Buy from Amazon.com John Cusack stars in this "inspirational and uplifting journey" (Cynthia Wickenkamp, Starz Entertainment) as a lonely science-fiction writer who adopts a boy who claims to be from Mars. With the help of his quirky friend (Amanda Peet) and his sister (Joan Cusack), this new father discovers that being a parent means anything is possible. I've been a fan of John Cusack ever since the "Better Off Dead" days and have been consistently impressed by his gradual maturity in the roles he's taken on, even "1408" which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment as a movie, but was a fantastic performance by Cusack. My hopes for "Martian Child" were some type of mix between "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy" - perhaps a bit grandiose, definitely self-stimulated - but still hopeful given the plot synopsis. As it turns out, the film does nibble on both of those flicks, but kind of plods along as an entertaining, but still fairly predictable, story. I liked it, I enjoyed it, but it did seem "fluffy" - however, there's really nothing wrong with that, as a light evening's entertainment is more than you can expect from most flicks these days. I'll take it. Video Presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, the picture quality of this presentation is excellent, with sharp detail and strong coloring throughout. Audio A very clean & crisp Dolby 5.1 surround mix is included and does the job admirably. Extras audio commentary w/ producers & writers deleted/alternate scenes "Handle with Care: Working with the Martian Child" featurette "The Real Martian Child" featurette trailers Closing Thoughts A heartfelt tale + solid collection o' extras = worth checking out for some light, digestable and enjoyable entertainment