Disaster Movie Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		0.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		1.5

Disaster Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Lionsgate's Blu-ray release of 'Disaster Movie' is quality -- if anyone cares.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 26, 2008

Wake up and smell the Prius! I know it's an inconvenient truth but it's called 'global warming.'

Disaster Movie redefines cinematic absurdity. The film's one saving accomplishment lies in its adding to the lexicon of cinema adjectives, the film so bad that its very name may now be used to describe the worst of cinematic blunders (The Hills Have Eyes 2 is a 'Disaster Movie'!). One must wonder if the title was chosen as a play on words, because the film so aptly suits the title and the title the film; there is nothing subtle in calling a disaster a disaster. As anyone even remotely familiar with the film's co-writers and co-directors, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (Meet the Spartans, Epic Movie), may know, their movies incorporate both cinematic and popular culture references into a barely coherent plot that play to the lowest common denominator. Their movies might be rubbish (Disaster Movie currently holds down the number two spot on Internet Movie Database's bottom 100 movies, while Epic Movie ranks at number 67), but audiences continue to spend their moviegoing dollars on such rubbish, though with decreasing regularity. Disaster Movie grossed only $14.1 million, while its predecessor, Spartans (pound-for-pound a worse movie), grossed $38.2 million. Only time will tell if the low returns will spell the end of these cataclysmic films once and for all.

'Disaster Movie' on Blu-ray makes Martin a dull boy.

The rough structure of the film revolves around a group of teenagers making their way to a museum to save a friend in what is loosely structured as a play on Cloverfield. Rather than bore with the particulars (actually, there are no particulars), simply reproducing a list of movies, celebrities, and television shows the film invokes seems the best option to take, so here it goes: 10,000 B.C., "American Gladiators," Amy Winehouse, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Jessica Simpson and the Dallas Cowboys, Dr. Phil, No Country For Old Men, Superbad, Wanted, High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Hancock, The Day After Tomorrow, Sex and the City, Juno, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, Jumper, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Enchanted, Twister, Iron Man, Hellboy II, The Incredible Hulk, Get Smart, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Dark Knight, Speed Racer, Beowulf, Kung Fu Panda, and adding insult to injury, the film closes on a parody of The Love Guru.

It's no surprise the movie is terrible; if one had to wager on what would be better, the next Friedberg/Seltzer or Uwe Boll film, the smart money would be on Uwe. Disaster Movie fails to even offer a coherent script; "lazy" doesn't even begin to define it. Every line of dialogue and every plot development are obviously and painfully forced. It's as if the writers randomly pulled the name of a movie or celebrity out of a hat and built a segment around them. "Scene 34 calls for a movie. [Shuffle]. Superbad it is! Oh, scene 11 needs a celebrity. [Shuffle]. Hannah Montana! Hilarious!" A randomly generated computer script couldn't have come up with anything as disjointed as this.

Believe it or not, there are one or two measly positives to come out of the Disaster Movie experience. For example, the film actually features a couple of "decent" ideas, like Alvin and the Chipmunks transforming into some sort of satanic metal band, but such moments are rarer than the Pittsburgh Pirates achieving a winning season. The film also so poorly parodies other movies, that even lesser films, like 10,000 B.C., suddenly seem Oscar-worthy in comparison. Last but not least, as alluded to above, Disaster Movie is slightly more watchable than Meet the Spartans, but saying one is better than the other is like saying it's better to be strafed by an A-10 Warthog than it is to be shot in the face with a .50 caliber rifle. Neither is a pleasing prospect.

Disaster Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lionsgate's Blu-ray release of Disaster Movie features an above average video transfer, presented in 1080p and inside a 1.78:1 frame. The film begins somewhat questionably, with dull blacks and little fine detail. The early scenes tackling 10,000 B.C. are bright but slightly washed out and devoid of fine detail, though foreground detail, notably of actors, is acceptable. The transfer picks up considerably once it gets past this opening sequence. The level of fine detail increases noticeably; clothing, backgrounds, and various odds and ends scattered throughout the frame take on a strong, quality appearance. The image is generally sharp and clear, with little softness, minimal grain, and no print anomalies. Colors appear bold and lively, but never overblown. The transfer features an appreciable level of depth. Flesh tones hold steady and accurate throughout. Lionsgate has done well by this film, and they continue to release quality Blu-rays, even on lesser titles such as this one.

Disaster Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disaster Movie explodes onto Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack. It's a shame that a perfectly good 7.1 channel soundtrack is wasted on this "disaster movie," because it's actually an above-average track. It feature thunderous bass and plenty of surround use. The Gladiator sequence packs a decent thud, as do various impacts throughout the film. Popular music thumps nicely in several scenes later on. A marching band performance (the High School Musical sequence) in chapter four is tough to watch but far from an objectionable listen, the pop track positively filling the soundstage with the song's beats. When the actual disaster gets underway, a meteor strike as heard in chapter five features a nice spread of sound through the speakers, flowing naturally around the room. Dialogue reproduction is also solid from start to finish. The track is never an embarrassment. Too bad the same cannot be said for the film it accompanies.

Disaster Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disaster Movie features a decent spread of supplemental materials. First up is Bonusview Picture-in-Picture With Cast and Crew. This Blu-ray profile 1.1 features video commentary with Aaron Seltzer, Jason Friedberg, producer Kenny Yates, and actors Vanessa Minnillo, Gary 'G Thang' Johnson, and Matt Lanter. For the sake of your display, please hold the rotten fruit. Eight featurettes, presented in 1080i high definition, are included: Straight From the Ladies (3:59), G-Thang's Tour (10:18), This is How We Do It (9:05), Girl Fight (1:41), Sitting Down With a Stand-Up (7:48), Who's Spoofing Who? (4:21), I'm !@#$%^& Matt Damon Sing Along (3:59), and High School Musical Sing Along (4:09). This disc is also "Molog" enabled, allowing users with a BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0)-enabled player to discuss the film with other users as it plays. The package concludes with 1080p trailers for My Bloody Valentine 3-D, The Spirit, War, Crank, Lord of War, and The Punisher.

Disaster Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Films like Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans give a bad name to the once-proud parody genre. Long gone, it seems, are the days of Spaceballs, Hot Shots!, and UHF, such classics now replaced with dreck like this. Hopefully, this classic genre will make a comeback, and here's hoping that the aforementioned titles see Blu-ray releases sooner rather than later to hold down the fort until reinforcements arrive. For the morbidly curious, Disaster Movie arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate with a strong video transfer, a great lossless audio track, and a few bonus materials. The question, however, is: will anyone buy or rent the disc to actually notice these positives?