Francis Ford Coppola's first film in a decade is a strange blend of magical romanticism and a tale of lost opportunities. Tim Roth plays Dominic Matei, a 79 year old university professor who regrets a lot in his life, including the loss of his fiance (Alexandra Maria Lara). While crossing the street on Easter day in 1938, he is struck by lightning and while in the hospital, makes a miraculous recovery in record time. He not only recovers but begins to age backwards and is taken in by his Dr. (Bruno Ganz) to help him cope with his new found abilities and youth. He soon discovers he has developed other abilities beyond growing younger; he can absorb all the knowledge of a book just by touching it, and his mental powers help him defend himself against the Nazis, that have invaded his native Romania. He still reflects onhis most regrettable mistake, the loss of his one true love from his first youth and one day finds a woman identical to her ,whose jeep is struck by lightning on a remote mountain road. When she is found, she is speaking an ancient language. Any more would be a spoiler.

Coppola's challenge in this film was to make a beautiful film and he succeeds immensely. The Blu-Ray format is perfect for this kind of film; no it's not atcion packed but the stunningly beautiful images throughout this film are made even better by Blu-Ray. Colors are rich and saturated and intricate details are brought out to maximize the impact of the images. This is not a film you will forget watching simply because of its sheer beauty.
Extras are the same as on the standard dvd. There is full length audio commentary from Coppela, a lengthy "making of" feature with lotsof Coppela interviews and insights, a special on the music of the film, and the incredible makeup of the film.

Coppola's first foray back into film is something some fans will find hard to swallow;there is not a lot of action and even the magical aspect of the story is not empahsized much. Instead he has created a beautiful piece of film, with a fascinating story which will haunt you for many viewings; what he calls, "the art of cinema".