Someone needs to send a memo to director Julian Jarrold and writers Sarah Williams and Kevin Hood and tell them that just because their protagonist is Jane Austen that people aren't going to immediately connect with her. Therein lies the first problem of Becoming Jane a film filled with boredom and characters you couldn't give two shits about.

From the opening scene it reeks of a Pride and Prejudice rip-off, and yes, I know Austen took instances from her own life and integrated them into her stories, but with a new adaptation of her classic novel hitting theaters only two years prior to the release of Becoming Jane they should have take a few more precautions so as not to feel like a complete regurgitation. Either that, or they just shouldn't have made the film at all, the latter being my recommendation, but it is too late now.

The film stars Anne Hathaway as the famed author and to watch the featurette included on this disc you get a far more interesting snapshot of the author's life that way as opposed to wasting your time watching Hathaway saunter around until her and Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy) find a common bond. There is an obvious similarity to "Pride and Prejudice" character Mr. Darcy, the only difference being that his story is an exercise in how not to entertain your audience. It is as if the filmmakers counted on the audience to draw comparisons to Austen's characters and in that sense finding their connection. Sorry, I count on my filmmakers to help me connect to my characters through good storytelling, not through character connections to 195-year-old characters.

I have never found Hathaway to be anything more than a mediocre actress and she again does nothing to impress me here. James McAvoy is a great actor and his turn as Lefroy is so paper thin he has nothing to do but stand around and act like an oaf. The dialogue in the film can be anticipated at every turn with not a single surprise to be found.

In terms of design, this Blu-ray disc looks fantastic and that is the only thing it has going for it. While the picture is great, I must also call out the costume design in this period piece. It feels so bland and tired. There is no magic or reason to find beauty in its images.

The disc contains one making-of featurette, some deleted scenes and a mind-numbing commentary with the director, writers and producer. There is also a pop-up track that you would hope add some interest to the picture, but when it resorts to telling me that Maggie Smith stars in the Harry Potter movies as Minerva McGonagall I gave up on that one.

Becoming Jane earned its 58% rating at Rotten Tomatoes and deserved nothing more. If you have an interest in Jane Austen or a passing interest in this film give it a rent, otherwise stay clear.