Kathleen Turner plays a writer of adventure stories who has been having trouble selling her works of late because they aren't remotely believable. The basic problem is that the mousy Turner has never had any real adventure in her life. All this changes when she receives a frantic phone call from her sister, whose is being held prisoner by evil art dealers in Colombia. It seems that sis has mailed Turner a map leading to a valuable treasure. Nasty but cowardly Danny DeVito, cousin of the principal villain (Zack Norman), has been assigned to claim the map from Turner. But upon arriving in Colombia, Turner and DeVito learn that others of a more homicidal bent are also after the map. Turner is rescued by soldier of fortune Michael Douglas, who isn't quite clear about his stake in the proceedings. Douglas and Turner undergo several perilous adventures in the wilds of Colombia. The treasure turns out to be a valuable jewel, which changes hands (one of them severed!) many times before it is swallowed by an alligator. Turner manages to break free from her pursuers, but Douglas is presumed dead. Douglas returns at the end of the film in Manhatten to surprise Turner. The sequel to Romancing the Stone was 1985's Jewel of the Nile. — Hal Erickson



BluRay Review at BluRay.com

Romancing the Stone Blu-ray, Video Quality 4.0 of 5
Romancing the Stone comes to life on Blu-ray like never before with an impressive 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The film's opening moments in the arid desert look fabulous; sweat glistens off of the heroine and the foe; detail is high; blacks are deep; and the imagery is sharp and well-defined. Once the film breaks from the fantasy world of Joan Wilder's novel and returns to the real world, various shots of her apartment are equally impressive in their own right. The image takes on a paler look than what was seen in the bright, orange- and brown-tinted desert, but the lighting scheme shows off a realistic flair to the interior of the apartment. All of the knickknacks, furniture, and the fireplace look clean and realistic, with a nice texture and depth about the entire set and sequence. The image further impresses in a myriad of subsequent scenes throughout the runtime of the film. Take, for example, the bus Joan first boards in Colombia. The tassels on the window curtains, the wear and tear on the seats, and even the grime as seen on the exterior of the vehicle all add their own small details to the film that bring it alive and create throughout the picture a definitive film-like cinematic experience. Colors are exceptional as well. The greens of the jungle, the multi-colored side of the aforementioned bus, and even the brown dirt of Colombian terrain is impressive. Flesh tones remain accurate throughout, and only a few select scenes appear excessively soft. Romancing the Stone offers viewers another high-quality catalogue title from Fox.

Romancing the Stone Blu-ray, Audio Quality 2.0 of 5
Romancing the Stone fails to impress sonically despite the inclusion of a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. From the film's opening moments, it becomes apparent that the sound is muffled and is presented with a harsh edge about it. The sound always comes across as undefined and lacking in clarity, perhaps a limitation of the original elements but is certainly more cluttered and jumbled than one might expect. It feels cramped and seems constantly struggling to be let loose and make a better impression. Make no mistake, it's loud and forceful, just not as natural and free-flowing as one might expect. Guns shots ring out with volume but little-to-no definition or oomph. Bass is lacking, and surround speakers offer little in the way of either discrete effects or environmental ambience in scenes ranging from the bustling streets of New York to the jungle locales of Colombia. Atmospherics are pronounced across the front, but the track never creates the immersive atmosphere one might expect to find in a film taking place in a dense jungle or urban environment. A heavy jungle rainstorm in chapter seven is front heavy and the sounds of the thunder, rain, and a mudslide become jumbled together with absolutely no definition, just a barrage of sound at a volume that's too high and the segment in question, fun from a visual perspective, is worsened thanks to the lack of even a decent audio presentation. These are but a few examples from early in the film, and the track never demonstrates any kind of improvement.