In the past, we've discussed the dangers a filmmaker faces when combining genres. Too much of one or not enough of another, and you could wind up with an unbalanced mess. The same goes when one explores the different or competing sides of a genre. Again, everything hangs in the balance -- go too far in one direction and the entire thing could be tipped over. Writer/Director Jeff Nichols tries to play both sides of the coin in his psychodrama Take Shelter. Will the movie be too chilling or too sad for its own good?

Curtis (Michael Shannon) is just an average guy. He lives in a small town in Ohio and works construction alongside his buddy, Dewart (Shea Whigham). Curtis is married to Samantha (Jessica Chastain), and they are very close. Their young daughter, Hannah (Tova Stewart), is deaf, but Curtis and Samantha are working to get her both treatment and into a program that would suit her needs. Samantha sells crafts on the weekend to raise money for the family's annual beach trip. One day, Curtis hears thunder and sees dark clouds in the distance. He doesn't think much of this until it happens again, and he then sees a flock of black birds in the sky. He then begins to have very vivid dreams in which bad things happen. Curtis is concerned about this, but doesn't tell anyone. Instead, he does some research on his own and consults his physician. As the dreams and visions become more vivid, Curtis becomes convinced that something very bad is going to happen to his family. This conviction leads Curtis to make some decisions which could be very detrimental to his family's financial and emotional stability.

At the outset, it appears that Take Shelter is going to be a psychological thriller. We are presented with Curtis, an everyman if there ever was one, who suddenly starts to question his reality. Nichols wisely makes Curtis the film's focus and we often only see things through his eyes. So, when Curtis sees birds or funnel clouds, we see them as well, and, like Curtis, we aren't sure if they are real either. The combination of the visions and the dreams gives the movie a quasi-Jacob's Ladder feel, as we aren't exactly sure what is happening to Curtis. However, we do see how it is effecting his behavior and those around him. The movie never overtly grotesque or creepy, but some of Curtis' dreams have a disturbing quality, especially those which lean more towards paranoia than disaster.

The movie also explores the toll which Curtis' behavior has on his family. The vision takes Curtis away from his job and he does some things which jeopardize the family's savings. While the movie rarely strays away from Curtis, we plainly see how all of this puts a tremendous amount of pressure on Samantha. Curtis' behavior begins to alienate all of those around him and we wonder how long Samantha will tolerate his behavior. This part of the movie leans more towards A Beautiful Mind.

Nichols comes very close to having a very good movie with Take Shelter, but in the second half of the film, he struggles to find the right tone. The movie can't decide if it wants to be suspenseful or depressing, and this inability to gel really hurts the movie. The psychological thriller tone, with its sense of impending doom, soon gives way to a family drama which plays like a movie about addiction, as we watch Curtis continue with his behavior, despite the obvious consequences. As the movie progresses, the two parts of the movie continue to diverge and the rift becomes more obvious. I really liked the mindf&%k part of the movie, but I felt that the domestic unrest scenes were a bit cliched. The ending attempts to wrap things up in a way in which the movie can have its cake and eat it too. The final twist is undeniably interesting, but it also feels like a cheat in a way. The movie's two-hour running time doesn't do it any favors either, as the second half begins to feel redundant.

Flaws aside, Take Shelter is a well-made movie and I always like to see genre elements creep into a "respectable" movie. Perhaps Nichols didn't feel comfortable going full-on dark-thriller with the film, as he appears to prefer the dramatic overtones. Still, the visions are handled well and I can't help but wonder what a completely Twilight Zone-like version of the movie would have been like.

Take Shelter is dead on with its views of where people from Ohio go on vacation on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 27 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing only trace amounts of grain and no defects from the source material. The colors look natural and the image is never overly dark or bright. The picture has a nice amount of depth, as the actors are clearly separated from the backgrounds, most notably in the landscape shots. The picture also shows good detail. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.0 Mbps. The vision scenes, with the thunder-claps and the birds flying by, show very nice surround sound and subwoofer effects. The movie does a great job with the thunder effects, as it alternates coming from the various surround sound speakers. The boom also offers strong bass which is never overwhelming. The stereo effects also do a fine job of illustrating actions happening off-screen.

The Take Shelter Blu-ray Disc contains a handful of extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Writer/Director Jeff Nichols and Michael Shannon. "Behind the Scenes of Take Shelter" (11 minutes) contains interviews with the cast and Nichols who talk about the story and the characters. Nichols comments on the cast and the actors share their involvement, their reaction to the script, and what it was like to work with one another. Nichols also discusses what the shoot was like. "Q&A with Michael Shannon & Shea Whigham" (20 minutes) comes from the SAG Foundation and features a lengthy interview session with the two actors who talk about many facets of the film. The Disc contains two DELETED SCENES which run about 6 minutes. They really should have left the lengthier scene in, as it has someone questioning Curtis' beliefs and asking the questions which we, the audience, were asking the whole time. The final extra is the THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film.