Northern lights over Edinburgh

Let me start with a warning – DON’T WATCH THE TRAILER! Basically, they give everything away, leaving no room for surprises and severely reducing your viewing pleasure. While there are many predictable Hollywood films out there, where you know exactly how it’s going to end after just five minutes, Frequency, while containing a few familiar moments, ultimately kept me guessing right to the finale. Saddled with the knowledge that the director, Gregory Hoblit’s, two previous films, the excellent Primal Fear, and the nearly-as-good Fallen, didn’t have traditional tinsel-town happy endings, I’ll admit I was really worried; which way would it go? (Also, by the way, a good sign that you’ve found the characters engaging; you’re actually worried about their ultimate fate.)

We are then introduced to Frank’s family; his wife Julia (Elizabeth Mitchell) and his young son, John. There is a moving scene where the father is teaching his son to ride a bike. The boy loses his confidence, and his balance, when his father lets go of the bike. His wife gently chides her husband, who is upset that his son quits, that the boy just wanted to know that his Dad was behind him. Immediately, we know that this is one of the themes of the movie and that some sort of tragedy will inevitably follow.

Frank is amazed to see John’s "prediction" come true and he manages to contact him again. As they talk they begin to realise that they have a lot more in common than just baseball. Initially suspicious of each other, as they begin to grasp their true relationship they both begin to freak. The link between the past and the present is brilliantly visualised when Frank accidentally sets fire to the desk and John literally sees the burn mark appear before his eyes as history changes. Then John realises that it is the night before his father dies. As the contact once again begins to fade, he desperately tries to communicate the information that will save him.

The fantasy element that drives the movie is certainly in contrast to the other main elements, both of which are grounded in reality: the worlds of fire-fighting and police investigations. The director, in his excellent commentary, details how important this verisimilitude was. Hoblit has the background for this, having worked on both NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues for a number of years. In fact, there is a nice in-joke, as John is watching an episode of the latter at one point.

Dennis Quaid is one of the most under-rated actors in Hollywood. Always believable in whatever role he is playing, he has failed to have that one big hit which might have cemented his position in the coveted A-list. He is quite simply excellent in this film, as is his co-star, Jim Caviezel. Still a relative newcomer, mostly known for his role in The Thin Red Line, Caviezel makes a convincing cop and appears to be another actor ready for the big breakthrough.

Now, on to the special features on the DVD. The first is the aforementioned trailer (Boo! Hiss!) Have a look at it after you’ve seen the movie and tell me if you agree.

There follows a documentary on "The Science and Technology behind Frequency". This comprises five sections: The Aurora Borealis (which is nominally put forward as an explanation for the phenomena which occurs in the film – even though the makers admit that the Northern Lights have never been reported as visible in Queens!); Ham radios; time travel; fighting fires and Creating Natural Phenomenon for Film. These each focus on a different aspect of the making of the film, and include interviews with scientists, enthusiasts and members of the special effects team. With a total running time of 38 minutes this is a very informative and entertaining feature. (The science stuff is surprisingly technical.)