Coma
Ten cases. Now 12. Why are young, healthy patients admitted for minor surgery at Boston Memorial Hospital ending up on life support? Dr. Susan Wheeler wants to know. Somebody else wants her dead.
Long before he created ER, Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, Twister) adapted and directed this medical chiller based on Robin Cook’s bestseller. Genevieve Bujold plays Wheeler, trailing clues, clambering along ductways, hiding among morgue cadavers, infiltrating the eerie Jefferson institute (an unforgettable marvel of spooky technology) and persuading her skeptical boyfriend and fellow doctor Mark (Michael Douglas) that her suspicions are not mere paranoia. For thriller fans, Coma is heartpoundingly good medicine.
Member Reviews
A surprise - Gaucho
The 70's didn't do well with suspense.
There, I said it.
50's, 60's, and then in the 90's....the formulas, I believe, worked. However, in the age of disco this genre (much like the western is today) was sick.
This film, though, is the exception. The acting is terrible, the music is awful...but Chrichton knew how to make long, silent scenes chock full of tension. Kind of like a silent film.A fine thriller - Island_Mami
A well-constructed plot and solid acting from Bujold and Douglas and the supporting actors produces a thoroughly-enjoyable thriller. A real sleeper of a movie; I don't know how I missed it when it came out.
Bujold does a fine job as the young doctor who suspects that something is going horribly wrong in the hospital. Hospitals are good settings for scary movies because they are scary places: patients during an operation necessarily place themselves in the complete control of strangers and subject themselves to treatment that they do not fully understand. So a plot based on unexplained events leading to brain death in operations can easily touch a chord with the audience.
Highly recommended.Good enough conspiracy film - Coconut_Willy
It is true that this is an odd affair considering that Michael Crichton is the director of this film based on a Robin Cook novel. Crichton is much better known today as a writer of stories that have inspired some excellent movies. Regardless, this is a pretty good movie. The storyline is interesting, well developed with a very good suspense escalation. The pace is a bit uneven as some parts go by very quickly while others drag a bit but, all in all, it is quite entertaining. The cast includes a few big names of the era and a few more that have become very well known since. The acting is good with a well written dialogue even if some of the characters' traits are sometimes a bit exagerated. The sets and locations are great, the soundtrack is appropriate as well as the camera work. I would certainly recommend this to all thriller/suspense fans even if there is not a lot of action scenes. The story is good enough to sustain interest on its own.
The transfer to DVD is of good quality. This is a double-sided disc with the widescreen version on one side and the full screen version on the other.
Member Reviews
Read All...
A surprise - Gaucho
The 70's didn't do well with suspense.
There, I said it.
50's, 60's, and then in the 90's....the formulas, I believe, worked. However, in the age of disco this genre (much like the western is today) was sick.
This film, though, is the exception. ...A fine thriller - Island_Mami
A well-constructed plot and solid acting from Bujold and Douglas and the supporting actors produces a thoroughly-enjoyable thriller. A real sleeper of a movie; I don't know how I missed it when it came out.
Bujold does a fine job as the young doctor ...Good enough conspiracy film - Coconut_Willy
It is true that this is an odd affair considering that Michael Crichton is the director of this film based on a Robin Cook novel. Crichton is much better known today as a writer of stories that have inspired some excellent movies. Regardless, this is a pretty ...