FILM REVIEW: Judging from the trailer, you would think that Seven Pounds is a pounding and surprising mystery film. At least that was my first reaction to the trailer. When I heard that the film was getting a heavy Oscar Buzz, I immediately figured that drama has to be the main focus point of the film. Changing completely the expectations that I had for the movie. By the end of the film I was correct, Seven Pounds is that mystery film that slowly evolves into a heavy drama by trying to get across the story of a tragic redemption.
The beginning of the film is a just a big mystery. We see Ben Thomas (Will Smith) talking and meting strangers, with the idea of helping them, but we don’t know what his motive is. Is he dead? , Did he win the lottery and want to share some of his fortune? Are the people that he is meeting good people? These were some of the speculations that blew through my mind in the first 20 minutes of the film. However, between the flashbacks of Ben’s Thomas life and the conversation with his brother in law. The meaning of the Seven Pounds became evident and the film changed from a mystery to a deep drama. I must admit that once the mystery was out of the equation, the film became just another drama. It is the dramatic performance by Will Smith and Rosario Dawson that kept the movie interesting to the end.
Seven pounds has the drama and caliber performance to obtain an Oscar nomination in any category, however judging from the quality of films released in this year’s Oscar’s season the road to that nomination will be very difficult.
DVD: In this release the film is presented in widescreen format with a 2.40:1 aspect ration. The picture is complemented with a 5.1 digital sound in English and French. In terms of special features the DVD includes four deleted scenes and a very good featurette called “Seven Views on Seven Pounds”, in which the filmmakers share their views of the film. The other two featurettes that I found to be interesting were “The Box Jellyfish: World’s Deadliest Co-Star”, in which a marine expert talk about the Box Jellyfish. The second was “Emily’s Passion: The Art of the Printing Press” which is about the history of printing in the USA.
Release Date: March 31, 2009
