Search - Coma on DVD

Michel D. (michelann) from WALNUT GROVE, MO
Reviewed on 12/22/2012...

One of the scariest books I'd ever read was turned into a great film directed by Michael Crichton. It is one of the best medical thrillers ever!

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Scientific Hospital Murder Mystery

D_shrink | SC United States | 05/30/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The hospital background is very well done with subplots and more subplots of infighting among various staff members, and there is the obligatory plot twist where the obvious suspect behind all the murderer is innocent, while the person who seems to befriend our heroine Genevieve Bujold is actually the killer. The movie goes into some detail in correctly describing anesthetic procedures and drugs used, at least commonly used a few years back. The movie goes into some detail describing surgical apparati. This is an area in which I have some knowledge and enjoyed the explanations, but the the method of carrying out the crime was truly off the mark. It would have been better had they stuck with the succinylcholine chloride [aka: ANECTINE]as the method of murder as there were no tests to detect it when the story takes place. It was a favorite drug of choice for the nefarious in the medical profession a few years ago. Look for Tom Selleck as an injured football jock, who becomes a victim. Michael Douglas is merely a male foil for Bujold's character to play off of. I also have a problem with taking Genevieve's part as serious, with her strong French accent, which makes little sense at a Boston Hospital. For people who enjoy medical who-done-its, this is a winner. I wish I had seen it earlier. I think you will enjoy it."

Timeless Classic Thriller

Jill Morris | 04/07/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the most fully realized movie thrillers ever made.

And, seeing COMA for the first time in years on DVD, I was reminded that when we become hostage to warpspeed paced, jump cut, special effects/techno generated movies---and they pervade---we lose site of the real potential of the medium.

That Michael Crichton, a medical school graduate,
wrote and directed COMA...insures the nuts and bolts of the medical world are pristine, and this becomes the foundation for our immediate ability to suspend disbelief and engaging fully.

Genevieve Bujold, her physical cuteness trumped as usual by her gravitas and naturalness, is perfectly cast as the independent, ingenuous but fiercely tenacious surgical resident who suspects and unearths something sinister and pernicious in the large Boston teaching hospital in which she is on staff. Her performance is spot on.

A young Michael Douglas, who, for once, delivers his lines in normal cadence, is also fully present and interactive.

Something I noticed for the first time: evidence that Ms. Boujold was not at all attracted to her co-star, and possibly quite the opposite. In their brief scenes of intimacy she can barely bring herself to even emulate a desire-generated kiss, and she appears almost repulsed.

On the other hand, if the observation is accurate....perhaps her inability to feign in this....should be respected.

Meticulously, brilliantly written and cast, COMA is also directed with such reserve and nuance, even the young Rip Torn is preluded from his propensity for over the top.

Beautifully shot and edited, this is a timeless, flawless film which, like all classics, will never get old and never cease to captivate, impact, and, within its genre, chill."

Put yourself in a "Coma"-VHS style

Jean A., CA | 12/30/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Coma" is a taut medical thriller which intrigues viewers from the first ten minutes of the film. Dr. Susan Wheeler watches a good friend lapse into an irreversible coma after a routine surgery. Her love interest is trying to snag the next chief of surgery title playing hospital politics, and is encouraged to stop Susan's quest to find answers to an alarming problem of comas in her own hospital. If you like suspense movies, medical drama, love affairs, or all 3, this is the movie for you. I found a terrific copy of it in VHS on Amazon.com."