The Age Of Adaline (2015/Lionsgate Blu-ray w/DVD)

Picture: B+/B- Sound: A/B- Extras: B- Film: C+

Age of Adaline is a compelling romance with a solid cast and a time spanning tale that uses similar elements that we have seen in the past (a parent outgrowing their children such as in last year's Interstellar) and maybe even a bit of Blast From The Past as well. Shot digitally on the Red Epic camera, the film looks (and sounds) simply stunning on disc and is a great showpiece for home demos as you're passing the tissues to your loved one as she watches. This is a chick flick... but with great performances and solid directions, it's bearable for us manly men to sit through.

The film stars Blake Lively, Harrison Ford and his uncanny young look-a-like Anthony Ingruber (to whom BETTER win the role of Young Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars Anthology films), Kathy Baker and Ellen Burstyn as Adaline's aging daughter (which goes back again to her role in Interstellar).

29-year-old Adaline (Blake Lively) has a normal married life in San Francisco in the early 1900 and somehow survives a near-death experience of being struck by lightning, and from that day on, obtains eternal youth. Many aliases (and decades) later, a chance encounter with a charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) reignites her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.

Some problems I had with the film were her keeping the secret of her age a secret for so long. They touch upon it at one point when the Government gets involved but that plot point quickly fizzles. The last act is a bit of a letdown but it's the great performances that tie the film together.

Presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and a powerful Dolby Atmos mix that is simply stunning, covered here as a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless mix on the disc and foreign language tracks in lossy Dolby Digital 5.1, the film looks and sounds fantastic on Blu-ray disc. This is a great showpiece for your home entertainment system for sure.

There is also a DVD edition included in standard definition with an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 one that is fine for the format but doesn't compete with the clarity of the Blu-ray. There's also a Digital Copy for your tablet or smart phone if you like to watch your films on the go.

Special Features include Audio Commentary with Director Lee Toland Krieger, A Love Story for the Ages, Style Throughout the Ages, Discovering Young Harrison Ford: Anthony Ingruber: A YouTube Sensation, and Deleted Scenes.

- James Harland Lockhart V

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