Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Coneheads Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 24, 2022

Paramount has released the 1993 Sci-Fi Comedy film 'Coneheads' to Blu-ray. The disc includes 1080p picture resolution, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, and a theatrical trailer. The film was previously released to Blu-ray in Australia under the Umbrella Entertainment banner in late 2019; Brian Orndorf reviewed that release. Brian reports that it was featureless, so the included trailer here is at least new to Blu-ray. However, I do not have access to that disc and cannot make any comparisons to state how similar or dissimilar audio and video may be, or if they are identical. As such, this review simply treats the A/V presentations independently for this North American release.

Beldar (Dan Aykroyd) and Prymaat (Jane Curtin) Conehead, aliens from the planet Remulak, have crash-landed on Earth. Rescue is far, far away, and with Prymaat pregnant, the family has no choice but to settle onto Earth and make the most of a new life. They try their best to fit in, but their peculiar means of eating and communicating and exaggerated physical features -- extra rows of teeth and a cone-shaped head -- make it difficult. However, after time, they become cherished members of their local community. Soon, they're living the American dream, and with their now teenage daughter Connie (Michelle Burke) by their side, everything seems to be looking up. However, they're dogged by INS Deputy Commissioner Gorman Sneedling (Michael McKean) who hopes to reign them in and advance his career.

It’s always interesting to see how aliens are depicted in various entertainment forms. Star Trek was famous for throwing someone in a rubber suit (this film begins with someone watching the TOS episode “Arena”) or slapping a few ridges here or there and calling someone an alien, so enlarging the length of the head into the shape of a cone isn’t really at all far-fetched, and in fact it’s more complex than some other famous stabs at alien building. The effect looks fine (the poor picture quality on this Blu-ray not withstanding) but sadly it’s not enough to carry the film. The quirky attitudes and exaggerated views of life are the primary humor drivers in the film rather than the cones (save for some scenes where Beldar has to stick the cone out of his car’s sunroof, for example) but such quickly grow tiresome after a quasi-engaging opening act. The material works better in short spurts, as it did in the original Saturday Night Live skits; here it’s just too much repetition in too big a package.

The movie is silly, completely irreverent, and almost fully irrelevant for that matter. There's not much here for the more discerning cinephile, but those looking for a mind-off sort of experience might be mildly amused at what the film has to offer. Aykroyd certainly gives it all it's worth, inhabiting the character with a committed silliness that stresses the language gaps and cultural idiosyncrasies while gradually morphing into a more recognizable member of the human race, even if he maintains his distinct alien look. Support cast is fine, particularly the late, great Chris Farley as Connie's boyfriend who has a lot of fun in the part. For Brian's take on the film, please click here.

Coneheads Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount brings Coneheads to Blu-ray and the result are not good. The opening titles certainly do not inspire any confidence for the image. The white text is flat, pale, and drab and the picture elements are fuzzy and not at all flattering. Indeed, the image proper to follow struggles to find any areas that impresses. Filtering is obvious. Grain is rendered as meshy pinholes rather than organically flowing. Aliasing is evident in spots (look at Beldar's shirt at the 7:10 mark) as are some jagged edges (look at the straight line edges of the house at the 29:20 mark). Definition remains poor throughout. While the image still finds added sharpness compared to previous standard definition releases and some of the gains from the upped resolution are obvious, there is still a distinct struggle to bring out even marginally impressive yield. Surfaces are flat, skin lacks clarity, and clothing never shows any significant depth or density. The picture is a far cry from where it could have been were an old master not used, were some level of care been given to the content. One can imagine the superior picture that could have been, but this is clearly not it. Likewise, colors are depressed: flat, dull, lacking depth and punch. Black crush is evident and skin tones are pasty. A few examples of source splotches and speckles are in evidence, but never in distracting density. This is watchable at best but hardly even a fair example of what Blu-ray should be, even for a lower tier catalogue release such as Coneheads.

Coneheads Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Coneheads crash lands onto Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, which is the real lone quasi-bright spot on this disc. The track is acceptable for clarity and spacing, though surround use is kept to a minimum. Score and more intensive "action" elements struggle to find much presence beyond the front three channels. Also, subwoofer usage is tame to nonexistent when the situation would seem to demand more power and punch, more vigor and vitality. At least overall clarity is fine enough. Light ambience creeps into some quieter scenes—shopping carts maneuvering about and background music fluttering through the air at a grocery store at the 38-miute mark are amongst the ambient highlights. Dialogue drives most of the film, and its presentation is suitably clear and center focused for the duration.

Coneheads Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only supplement included on this disc is the film's Theatrical Trailer (480i, 1.78:1, 2:10). No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Coneheads Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Coneheads doesn't really hold up as a very watchable movie several decades after the fact. It's got a few things going for it, notably the lead performances and a few decent fish-out-of-water gags and scenarios, but the film largely falls flat and can't withstand the pressure of playing at feature length. Paramount's Blu-ray is not great, either. Visually, it's only marginally better than an upscaled DVD. The soundtrack is decent at best, and the supplements are nonexistent beyond a trailer. Skip it.