5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 2.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.8 |
When Straight-A college student Jeff Chang's two best friends take him out for his 21st birthday on the night before an important medical school interview, what was supposed to be a quick beer becomes a night of humiliation, over indulgence and utter debauchery.
Starring: Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Justin Chon, Sarah Wright (VII), Jonathan KeltzComedy | 100% |
Coming of age | 17% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the screenwriting team behind The Hangover, have apparently made a niche for themselves: the "one night amok" genre. Their latest project—which they wrote and directed—is 21 & Over, a frantic bacchanal that takes the blackout drunk premise of The Hangover and applies it to characters who are 10-15 years younger, a trio of newly legal-aged pals out for their first big night of university town bar-hopping. Now, there have been numerous movies about college dudes getting wasted and losing control, and the most we can say about 21 & Over is that it is definitely one of them. There's nothing exceptional or even particularly noteworthy about this thoroughly mediocre buddy comedy, which mistakenly seems to think that it's pushing the envelope of crass humor. But tired racial stereotypes, vomit gags, and partial male nudity do not an edgy movie make. This is a film that leaves you feeling completely indifferent; it's not bad enough to dismiss out of hand —see Fox's other comedy release this week, the dreadful Movie 43—but not good enough to enjoy with any real enthusiasm.
21 & Over comes of age on Blu-ray with a 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation that looks great for a fairly low-budget comedy. Shot digitally, the movie actually has a very filmic look courtesy of the Arri Alexa cameras used in production, which have a noise pattern that's similar in structure to analog film grain. Since nearly all of the film takes place at night, in extremely low-light situations, you will notice a lot of this source noise, but it's never distracting in the least, and its presence is greatly preferable to an image that's been artificially smoothed out with digital noise reduction. There are no real picture quality slip-ups here—no excessive edge enhancement or other types of filtering, no blatant compression problems—and, for the most part, the image is sharp and lifelike, with visible fine detail in the areas where you normally notice it. (Though there are some soft-ish-looking shots that are probably attributable to imprecise focus.) Black levels can get a bit too dense in certain outdoor scenes, but otherwise, the contrast balance is right where it needs to be. Color is graded carefully too, with a realistic but slightly warmed up appearance. All around solid, this one.
The film's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track also meets expectations for this kind of comedy. Meaning, you won't get the room-quaking aural output of a blockbuster action movie, but the film's sound design more than exceeds what's required from it's dialogue-driven content. The rear speakers are quietly but effectively engaged for ambience—the crowds at packed bars, the crowds at packed parties, the crowds at a packed bonfire pep rally—along with occasional cross-channel effects. The various hip-hop/party songs featured in the film also fill out the mix nicely, usually anchored by loud low-end. Everything has good presence and clarity, including—most importantly—the actors' voices, which are never muddled in the balance. The disc includes optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles, which appear in easy-to-read white lettering.
21 & Over is The Hangover for a younger crowd, but it just doesn't pack in as many laughs. Drunk dude-bro humor can only take the movie so far; what it lacks is the element of surprise that made The Hangover such an unexpected hit. You know exactly where 21 & Over is going at all times. It's not a bad movie—there are a few laughs to be had, and it's not as vociferously stupid as it could've been in lesser hands—but it pales next to some of the better recent collegiate bacchanals, like Old School. Oh well. If you're still curious, 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray release is decent—strong picture and sound, a few worthwhile extras—but a rental is your best option. This just isn't a comedy that rewards repeat viewings.
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