Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Big Man on Campus Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 10, 2024

Jeremy Kagan's "Big Man on Campus" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new program with actor and screenwriter Allan Katz; new audio commentary director Jeremy Kagan and critic Andrew Bentler; gallery of stills; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Peeping Hunchback

I must mention something that I have not been able to brush aside for several days after viewing Jeremy Kagan’s film Big Man on Campus. Before Bob gets a hair trim, he looks a lot like Layne Staley, the late frontman of Alice in Chains. Obviously, Bob’s body structure is very, very different. But if you dim the lights and pull back the camera a bit so that it captures Bob’s face from the right angle, you will see Layne in his prime, before he cut his hair. It would have been amazing if Allan Katz or Jeremy Kagan had recognized the similarity and included one of the big songs Layne and his bandmates left us, like “Man in the Box”, “Sea of Sorrow”, or even “Bleed the Freak”. There are a few sequences where these songs would have been perfect to use, too, like the one where Bob is locked in the safe room by the psychiatrists, and the one where he becomes a target and is hunted down across Los Angeles.

But, of course, when Katz scripted Big Man on Campus the main idea was to have the viewer connect Bob to that iconic cinematic character with the big hump on his back. Well, sort of. Even though Bob is modeled after the Hunchback of Notre Dame, he is a unique character with a special personality whose antics are drastically different, too. In fact, after Bob is cleaned up and taught to use proper words, the connection to the Hunchback of Notre Dame actually becomes irrelevant.

The tall tower Bob calls home is on the UCLA campus, sometime in the 1990s. He emerges to protect a beautiful blonde named Kathy (Melora Hardin) who has stolen his heart but is already in a relationship with Alex (Corey Parker). Shortly after, having spooked everyone, including Kathy and her boyfriend, Bob is arrested by the campus authorities and then transferred to a local court, where an unusually flexible judge allows Dr. Webster (Tom Skerritt) to try to transform him into a normal human being. While visiting Bob’s lair, Dr. Webster asks Alex to initiate the transformation, and after the latter reluctantly becomes his roommate “the creature from the tower” slowly begins to learn what it means to be a normal human being. However, several weeks later, after learning how to speak properly and process a lot of the information that is offered to him, Bob reveals his intent to win Kathy and start the next chapter of his life. But to get the girl of his dreams, Bob must win a tricky bet with Alex.

It is difficult to describe Big Man on Campus as anything else but a very silly film. However, once its silliness is recognized, it becomes even more difficult not to praise its big heart, which makes all of its flaws irrelevant.

Katz is the heart and soul of the film. He plays a very odd character who is not easy to transform into a charmer because a lot of the material where he is taught how to reintegrate himself into society is utterly transparent. However, the facial expressions and body movements, together with the seemingly random remarks that garnish his transformation and reintegration, are wonderful and very effectively alter this material. As a result, even though it is easy to predict the progression of his improvement, his behavior produces many surprising delights. Also, it charges the film with warmth and wonderful positive energy.

Unfortunately, the rest of the actors are quite underwhelming. They are simply moving through different situations with cliched performances, creating plenty of damage to the meaningful contrasts that could have made the film special. Cindy Williams’s performance is particularly problematic because it adds an almost unbearable artificiality to the developments her character is involved with.

Kagan’s director of photography was Bojan Bazelli, whose credits include several big cult films, like Abel Ferrara’s China Girl and King of New York, Michael Tolkin’s The Rapture, and Bill Duke’s Deep Cover.

Big Man on Campus Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Big Man on Campus arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 2K master struck from an interpositive. On my system, the entire film looked outstanding. To be honest, I believe that there is only one area where some minor improvements could be made. In a few areas, the fluidity of the visuals is not as even as it can be in 4K, though if the 1080p presentation is upscaled to 4K, this weakness is practically eliminated. Delineation, clarity, and depth are wonderful. Color balance is pitch-perfect, too. All primaries are very healthy, lush, and very nicely balanced. The same can be said about the supporting nuances as well. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks spotless, too. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Big Man on Campus Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The 2.0 track is one of the best I have encountered on a Kino Lorber release. It is very active and produces outstanding dynamic contrasts. Some of the action footage with Bob's antics is quite easy to describe as 'reference material'. I was quite surprised by the quality of the 2.0 track because even some big action films do not have one like it.

Big Man on Campus Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• What About Bob? - in this exclusive new program, actor and screenwriter Allan Katz discusses the genesis of Big Man on Campus and explains how he was convinced to play its protagonist. Mr. Katz also discusses some of the key themes that give the film its identity. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by director Jeremy Kagan and critic Andrew Bentler. The commentary is one big trip down memory lane with plenty of detailed information about various stages of the production of Big Man on Campus, some changes that were made in the final version of the film, the casting choices, thematic influences, etc. It is a good commentary, so if you enjoy the film, be sure to spend some time with it.

• Alternated Ending - in English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Alternated Ending/Commentary - presented with optional commentary by director Jeremy Kagan. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Stills Gallery - presented with music. (4 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a restored original trailer for Big Man on Campus. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Big Man on Campus Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Big Man on Campus is the newest very fine nostalgia fix for folks who miss dearly the silly but wonderful little genre films that made visiting the local theater with a group of friends during the 1980s a special experience. I think that Big Man on Campus has such a big heart that its numerous flaws become irrelevant. Kino Lorber's release presents an outstanding new 2K restoration of the film with a good selection of bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.