In the very near future, efficient cloning of cattle, fish and even the family pet is an accepted reality. But human cloning has been banned - or at least everyone thought that was the case. After skipping out on a high-profile chartered flight in order to check into cloning his recently deceased dog at RePet, family man and ace pilot Adam Gibson returns home to find himself already at his own birthday party. Confused and more than a little upset by this turn of events, Adam suddenly finds himself fighting for his own life as an evil corporation tries to eliminate a major mistake - him.
As befits a Columbia release, The 6th Day is presented with a pristine 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colors are deep, rich and realistic, while black levels are solidly calibrated with excellent shadow detail. Minimal film grain is visible and no dirt or lint can be seen. Clarity and sharpness throughout the presentation is excellent. The movie is divided into 28 chapters and stored on a dual-layered disc with 5.3 gigabytes of data. The layer change occurs at 1:11.19 into the film, during chapter 18.
Naturally, one expects a Schwarzenegger movie to have a rip-roaring sound mix - and The 6th day really delivers. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is active in all fronts - plenty of rear channel usage and subwoofer activity here! Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, reproduced at a suitable volume level over music and sound effects. I heard no distracting problems such as background hiss or distortion. Also on the disc are English 2.0 and French 2.0 soundtracks, along with English and French subtitles and English Closed Captioning data.
Although Columbia Tristar is known for producing top-quality DVDs, they're conversely not known for feature-packed ones. The big bonus on 6th Day is an audio commentary with composer Trevor Rabin, dubbed over an isolated music score. Otherwise, there's a theatrical trailer in 1.77:1 anamorphic video and 5.1 sound, trailers for Gattaca, Hollow Man and Final Fantasy, the short RePet infomercial and TV spot from the film, production notes, plus cast filmographies and biographies. All of this is linked with animated menus complete with sound.
The 6th Day may not be considered as one of the best Schwarzenegger movies of all time, but it still is an interesting watch. Combining a realistic plot concept with Arnold's unique style of comedy and action makes for a fun two hour experience, and Columbia Tristar's DVD release doesn't detract in any way. More extras would certainly have been welcome, but The 6th day is still a quality release.
- Reviewed by Daniel Tonks on April 21, 2001.
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System Equipment
Sony DVP-S500D DVD Player
Marantz SR-18EX THX Receiver
Sony 32" XBR250 WEGA TV using Component
Nuance Spatial Baby Grand 3E & StarSat
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English Dolby Digital 5.1
English Dolby 2.0 Surround
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