5.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
A reinvention of the original 1980 hit film, 'Fame' follows a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, a diverse, creative powerhouse where students from all walks of life are given a chance to live out their dreams and achieve real and lasting fame...the kind that comes only from talent, dedication, and hard work. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, plagued by self-doubt, each student's passion will be put to the test. In addition to their artistic goals, they have to deal with everything else that goes along with high school, a tumultuous time full of schoolwork, deep friendships, budding romance, and self-discovery. As each student strives for his or her moment in the spotlight, they'll discover who among them has the innate talent and necessary discipline to succeed. With the love and support of their friends and fellow artists, they'll find out who amongst them will achieve fame..
Starring: Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Charles S. DuttonComedy | 100% |
Family | 81% |
Romance | 80% |
Musical | 46% |
Drama | Insignificant |
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 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
I’m generally opposed to remakes, not just on the grounds that they’re usually redundant, take- the-money-and-run cash-grabs, but also because there are countless new stories waiting to be told, and new filmmakers with an itch to tell them. There are very few instances where I’ll nod my head and admit that, yeah, a remake totally makes sense. This 2009 reboot of 1980’s Fame is one of them. Let’s face it, the original—which spawned the popular 1982-1987 TV series—isn’t exactly a cinematic masterpiece. It’s not like we’re talking about remaking Lawrence of Arabia. It’s a teen-centric affair geared toward drama geeks—I can say it, I was one of them—jazz-handed chorus club kids, and all the bright young stars burning with a desire to perform. It’s also extremely dated now, wearing its early 1980s kitschyness like a pink spandex unitard. So, yes, Fame could do with an update, especially considering how today’s teens have grown up in a cult of instant celebrity, where fame and/or notoriety is seemingly only one YouTube clip, one successful turn on American Idol, or one panty-less paparazzi shot away. In some ways, though, Fame is the antithesis to this insta-pop- sensation attitude; it revels in that old adage about how to get to Carnegie Hall—practice, practice, practice. And it acknowledges that to succeed you have to have it, that almost indefinable combination of innate talent, hard work, ambition, and luck. Unfortunately, this Fame remake doesn’t have it. Pack up your bags kid; it looks like you’re going back to Iowa.
Audition anxiety...
Fame may not have what it takes as a film, but this Blu-ray release's technical presentation brings its A-game. First up is a strong but not quite perfect 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. Really, my sole complaint about the look of the film is that the handheld camerawork frequently results in a soft image, as the focus isn't always exact. For example, there's a scene where we see Kelsey Grammer sitting at his desk; the mug full of pencils in front of him is in crisp focus, but his face is ever so slightly blurred. This happens quite often, but when the image is in focus, there's lots of sharpness and clarity to be had, particularly in facial and clothing textures, where fine detail is easily apparent. Background detail isn't really a concern, as the film often only keeps the foreground in focus, throwing the rest of the image into silky shallow depth of field. Colors are consistently strong and weighty, and a faint yellowish cast adds some warmth to the image's highlights. Blacks levels are similarly deep, and though detail is sometimes crushed in inky chiaroscuro shadows, this is wholly intentional and part of the film's hyper-vivid appearance. Finally, the print is clean, the film's grain structure rarely gets too heavy, and there are no overt compression or transfer-related issues.
Even better is the film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which supplies a level of immersion and a dynamic breadth that's usually reserved for sound effect-heavy action films. You'll notice from the very first song that the music sounds excellent. Bass is extremely potent, with the LFE channel pumping out thick, room-filling tones. This is never to the detriment of high and mid- range fidelity, though, as each dulcet piano note, dishy hi-hat strike, and quivering cello string is reproduced with crystalline clarity. More so, the music makes use of every channel, giving each instrument a distinct place in the mix. And even when no music is playing, the track puts you right in the middle of the film with almost non-stop, highly-detailed ambience, from the putter and roar of New York City traffic to the tennis shoe squeaks, rustling clothing, and enveloping chatter of a busy school hallway. There are a few brief moments when vocals seem a bit low in the mix, but dialogue is always easily understood and subject to appropriate acoustics, like the slight reverb on the principal's voice when she speaks to the students in the auditorium. It's hard to wrangle up any complaints for this brilliant mix, but you will notice that lip-syncing seems obvious at times, as if the singing that's coming out of the actors' mouths sounds a little too clean and processed. Otherwise, the small overlap between Fame fans and hardcore audiophiles should be duly impressed.
Theatrical Cut and Extended Edition
In the "Extended Dance Edition," expect just that, 15 minutes of additional dance footage
inserted into the film.
Deleted Scenes (1080p, 18:11)
Fifteen scenes are included here, most of which contain sad interactions with parents or the
aftermath of dejection. Don't expect any big dance numbers or anything.
Fame Music Video (1080p, 3:29)
A typical tie-in music video, featuring lots of clips from the film.
Remember My Name - Character Profiles (1080i, 17:14 total)
These are short video bios of each of the featured actors, some of which have had lives strikingly
similar to the characters that they play in the film. Includes profiles for
Anna Marie Perez De Tagle, Asher Book, Collins Pennie, Kay Panabaker,
Kherington Payne, Kristy Flores, Naturi Naughton, Paul Iacono, Paul McGill,
Walter Perez, as well as one for director Kevin Tancharoen.
Fame National Talent Search Finalists (1080p, 6:49)
I'm not sure what the details on the talent search were, but the winners got a spread in OK
magazine, a trip to Hollywood to meet with an MGM executive, and $5000. Judging by the less-
than-impressive finalists we see here, I wouldn't want to see the people who didn't make the
final culling.
The Dances of Fame (SD, 6:52)
Kerrington Payne, who plays Alice, shares a behind-the-scenes look at the casting call, the dancer
boot camp, and some of the dances featured in the film.
Fame is certainly an appropriate film to remake—the original would probably seem pretty goofy to today's tweens—but the result here is an overly-polished, soulless product that seems like a 107 minute commercial for itself. I'm sure the film will find fans among the huddled masses of junior high band nerds, dramaturges, and thespians-to-be, but even high school-aged kids will likely scoff at how hard the film tries and how little it actually accomplishes. Despite a fantastic audio/video package, there's really no reason to give Fame any more than a rental unless you've got a junior pop-star who's nagging you to buy it.
2012-2013
2006
2004
Extended Edition
2007
2008
2004
Extended Rock Star Edition
2008
2011
2010
Rockin' Rydell Edition
1978
2011
2003
Two-Disc Special Edition
1954
1962
Sing-Along Edition
2018
2005
2010
2005
2008
2007