Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Dazed and Confused 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 23, 2023

Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused" (1993) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; character interviews filmed during the first week of rehearsals; cast and director interviews; behind-the-scenes footage; a gallery of audition clips; documentary film by Kahane Corn; large gallery of deleted scenes; and audio commentary by director Richard Linklater. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring essays by Kent Jones, Jim DeRogatis, and Chuck Klosterman; memories of the film from the cast and crew; character profiles; and the original film poster by Frank Kozik. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main features. Region-Free.

Troublemakers

Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused is about a lot of things that were fashionable during the '70s -- weed, tight pants and leather belts, facial hair, and big American muscle cars. Most of the film is quite funny but at the same time terribly dated. One can watch it dazed and still get absolutely everything there is to get from it.

The entire film takes place on the last day of school and the night after it. In less than twenty-four hours, different characters, all of them teenagers, do all sorts of crazy things. The cool ones (the seniors) begin chasing the uncool ones (the freshmen) to humiliate them in a variety of different ways. The older guys handle the younger guys and the older girls handle the younger girls. This is the rule and even the teachers know it.

The chase and the humiliations are quite boring. Only when a few poor freshmen confront the almighty seniors do things perk up a bit. Eventually, however, they all gather for a massive party not too far away from the local stadium. Beer kegs miraculously appear, bags of weed are passed around, and little green men quietly abduct every single cop in the area.

By the morning hours just about all of the main characters in the film make some important discoveries. Then Linklater carefully points out the ones that will remain dazed and confused for the rest of their lives and those that will manage to grow up.

Dazed and Confused has a lot in common with American Graffiti, but its characters are far less interesting. In fact, there are so many that are scattered all over the film that it is next to impossible for one to genuinely care about them -- excluding, of course, the obnoxious ones (such as Ben Affleck’s Fred O'Bannion), which one remembers and hopes somehow get a dose of their own medicine.

There are quite a few funny scenes with some great lines, but the script is weak. The unique reality that all of the colorful characters belong to never feels real, or surreal enough to have one mesmerized. (See Gregg Araki’s Nowhere if you want to end up somewhere you have not been before). Unsurprisingly, the film looks and feels like a very long episode from a retro reality show which has its moments but lacks substance. Not bad, but not good, and definitely not great.

Despite the weak script, the cast is uniformly good. There is a sea of future stars here -- Matthew McConaughey, Adam Goldberg, Milla Jovovich, Joey Lauren Adams, Parker Posey, (even Renée Zellweger has a tiny role) -- who look incredibly relaxed in front of the camera. Unfortunately, many of them are underused or simply neglected.

Lee Daniel’s lensing is simple and effective, but like the cast, he isn’t given any serious opportunities to impress. (If you have not already done so, see Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, both films directed by Linklater, to get an idea of how good Daniel is).

Dazed and Confused is complimented by an outstanding soundtrack featuring tracks by such rock legends as Nazareth (Love Hurts), Alice Cooper (School’s Out), Lynyrd Skynyrd (Tuesday's Gone), Deep Purple (Highway Star), Black Sabbath (Paranoid), and Sweet (Fox on the Run), amongst others.

*In 1993, Dazed and Confused was nominated for Golden Leopard Award (Richard Linklater) at the Locarno International Film Festival.

Dazed and Confused 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Dazed and Confused is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray release is Region-Free. The Blu-ray release is Region-A "locked".

UPDATE: I have received a market copy of the 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray release. The new 4K makeover of Dazed and Confused is only made available on 4K Blu-ray. The Blu-ray disc has the old 1080p presentation of the film.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this release:

"The 2022 restoration on the 4K Blu-ray disc was undertaken by the Criterion Collection from the 35mm original camera negative, scanned on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner. Based on the 2011 color transfer, this restoration was newly remastered in Dolby Vision HDR and approved by director Richard Linklater. The 2011 SDR restoration on the Blu-ray -- supervised by Linklater and director of photography Lee Daniel -- was undertaken by the Criterion Collection -- from a 35mm interpositive, scanned on a Spirit 4K DataCine. The original 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic audio tracks.

Transfer supervisors: Lee Kline, Richard Linklater.
Colorist: Lee Kline; Joe Gawler/Technicolor, New York.
4K scanning: Roundabout Entertainment."

Please note that all of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including its actual color values.

The film has been fully remastered in 4K under the supervision of Richard Linklater and cinematographer Lee Daniel. The 4K makeover can be seen with HDR or Dolby Vision. I viewed the entire film with Dolby Vision.

Criterion release Dazed and Confused on Blu-ray in 2011. You can see our listing and review of this release here. Earlier today, I spent a lot of time comparing the Blu-ray release to the new 4K Blu-ray release. (I do not currently have a copy of the new Blu-ray release. I only have a 4K Blu-ray disc). Here are my impressions:

First, the entire film looks notably healthier -- the daylight footage, the indoor footage, and the nighttime footage. The difference is very obvious and very easy to appreciate. Detail is outstanding, with close-ups, in particular, looking flat-out gorgeous, though there are plenty of wider panoramic/group shots that look great as well. Once again, even on a smaller screen the difference is very obvious. Clarity is substantially improved as well, though I think that most viewers will be immediately impressed with the superior depth of the visuals because the jump in quality there is most substantial. Highlights are better managed now, so in backgrounds, a lot of nuances look great. I wonder how they look in 1080p, not in native 4K, and without the Dolby Vision grade, but my guess is that the improvements will still be very easy to recognize and appreciate. Why? Because the overall quality of the 4K makeover is excellent and the Dolby Vision grade is not aggressive. There are no traces of problematic digital tinkering. Image stability is outstanding.

I spent a lot of time comparing the color grade on the new 4K makeover with the one from the previous Blu-ray release. I went back and forth between multiple sections of the film. The color grade on the new 4K makeover is slightly warmer. What does slightly mean exactly? On my system, with Dolby Vision enabled, some reds and blues look a tad warmer, plus the prominent yellow and browns are even more prominent now. My impression is that this slight shift does not alter the color temperature of the film, or at least not in a way that produces odd new visual contrasts. I think that some reds should be redder, but elsewhere I like the lush yellows and browns a lot. In a few areas, I felt that the blues could have been better saturated, but they are not missing. They are still there and making their presence felt. Also, I do not believe that the previous Blu-ray release captures the native temperature of all nuances as well as it should. So, the new 4K makeover has some minor inconsistencies but offers the most convincing presentation of the film to date. However, as always, you will have to form your own opinion once you pick up this release.

Dazed and Confused 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS--HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review. While viewing the film, I thought that clarity, sharpness, depth, and balance were excellent. However, I wonder whether this film would have benefited from one of these new Dolby Atmos tracks that are being prepared for various 4K Blu-ray releases.

Dazed and Confused 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this is the same audio commentary with director Richard Linklater which first appeared on Criterion's 2006 DVD release of Dazed and Confused. It was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2006, in New York City.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this is the same audio commentary with director Richard Linklater which first appeared on Criterion's 2006 DVD release of Dazed and Confused. It was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2006, in New York City.

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Dazed and Confused. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080i).

• Beer Bust at the Moon Tower - a massive gallery with various director, cast and crew interviews, as well as behind-the-scenes footage from the shooting of Dazed and Confused. A few very short reunion clips are included as well. In English, not subtitled.
  
  -- Character Interviews (First Week of Rehearsals, 1992) (41 min, 1080i).
  
  Sabrina Davis
  Don Dawson
  Cynthia Dunn
  Randal "Pink" Floyd
  Jodi Kramer
  Mitch Kramer
  Darla Marks
  Mike Newhouse
  Fred O'Bannion
  Benny O'Donnell
  Tony Olson
  Ron Slater
  Shavonne Wright
  
  -- Cast and Director Interviews (48 min, 1080i).
  
  Linklater Before Shooting
  Parker Posey
  Ben Affleck (1992)
  Affleck and Cole Hauser
  Nicky Katt and Adam Goldberg
  Rory Cochrane
  Wiley Wiggins and Catherine Morris
  Wiggins
  Michelle Burke and Christine Harnos
  Christin Hinojosa
  Linklater at End of Shoot
  Linklater, Matthew McConaughey, and Don Phillips
  
  -- Behind-the-scenes Footage (31 min, 1080i).
  
  Every Other Decade
  Muscle-car Driving Lessons
  The Costumes
  The Boys
  The Girls
  "Love Those Redheads"
  Retaliation on O'Bannion
  Buying Beer
  Crest Hotel
  Picture Day
  "Start Acting"
  The Props
  Wiley's First Day Back at School
  Reunion Clips

• Auditions - a large gallery of audition clips. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080i).
  
  Michelle Burke
  Rory Cochrane
  Adam Goldberg
  Cole Hauser
  Christin Hinojosa
  Nicky Katt
  Jason London
  Deena Martin
  Matthew McConaughey
  Anthony Rapp
  Marissa Ribisi
  Wiley Wiggins

• Making "Dazed" - a decade in the making, director Kahane Corn's documentary about Dazed and Confused features behind-the-scenes footage from the 1992 shoot and the 2003 ten-year cast and crew reunion in Austin, Texas. Originally aired on American Movie Classics on September 18, 2005, "Dazed" illuminates on the creative process behind the film and reflects on the decade that had passed since its release. In English, not subtitled. (46 min, 1080i).

• Deleted Scenes - in English, not subtitled. (26 min, 1080i).
  
  "First National Bank"
  "Banned From the School"
  "Smoking in the Girl's Room"
  "When They Lost, We Lost"
  "Narcing on a Friend"
  "Family Plot"
  "Are the Good Times Worth It?"
  "Where's My Drugs, Man?"
  "Eight Graders Going Into Ninth"
  "You Little Slut!"
  "Parents Without Plans"
  "Global Thermonuclear War"
  "Cutting in the Keg Line"
  "Bumfuckville"
  "Tailgate"
  "Knew Then What I Know Now"
  "Way Me the Show to go Home"

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring essays by Kent Jones, Jim DeRogatis, and Chuck Klosterman; memories of the film from the cast and crew; character profiles; and the original film poster by Frank Kozik.

• Poster - see the screencaptures/packaging photos that are included with our review.

Dazed and Confused 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused is a charming and occasionally hilarious little film that deserves to be liked. I don't believe it has the substance many of its fans claim it does, but it has a terrific period atmosphere that makes a lot of people feel nostalgic. In other words, I understand why it is loved. This upcoming 4K Blu-ray release introduces a brand new 4K makeover of Dazed and Confused. I think that it is very good, but I expect some fans of the film to disagree with my take on it. The new 4K makeover was supervised and approved by Linklater and cinematographer Lee Daniel. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.