6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
Rod Kimble, a stuntman with a fake mustache and a dream, has never landed a jump without wiping out. His family and friends think he's a joke. And, to top it off, his stepfather Frank uses him as his own personal punching bag. But he's not going to let a few minor problems keep him from the biggest stunt of his life!
Starring: Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Isla FisherComedy | 100% |
Sport | 22% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
I gave up on “Saturday Night Live” a long time ago, so I haven’t seen much from Andy Samberg’s initial four seasons on the show. When I saw the initial trailer for Hot Rod, I found myself busting up at his failed stunt attempts and the film quickly moved up my list of comedies to see (it also helped that Ian McShane and Danny McBride were co-stars in the film). For some reason, I never made it out to see Hot Rod in the theaters, and it even slipped off my rental radar up until now.
Released in 2007, Hot Rod was written by Pam Brady with the intention that Will Ferrell would play the leading role. Presumably busy with other projects, Ferrell decided to take on the lesser role of executive producer, and the project was turned over to The Lonely Island comedy group, which consists of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. Samberg and Taccone filled acting roles in the film, while Schaffer made his directing debut (of note, Schaffer and Taccone are also writers for “Saturday Night Live”). The film only made 14 million in it’s theatrical run, which was likely related to negative reviews from the majority critics.
OUCH!
Presented in 1080p utilizing the VC-1 codec (at an average bitrate of 22Mbps), Hot Rod is a mixed bag on Blu-ray. Detail is marginal at best, with many scenes appearing indistinct and hazy. It's still clear this is a high-definition picture, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about the level of detail. Skin tones and color saturation are also somewhat offputting, with a strong push to golden during many daytime and indoor shots. The coloring likely represents the filmmaker's intentions, by giving the film an 80's feel, but it still mutes other colors and gives the production a flat look. If you were hoping matters would improve with black level and contrast, I have more bad news for you. Some scenes exhibit a black level that never surpasses dark grey (look for the beginning of the road luge scene), and that doesn't help matters where shadow detail is concerned. Contrast during daytime shots is mostly good, but sequences inside Rod's house can sometimes look a little muddy compared with the rest of the film due to shoddy differentiation between lighter and darker portions of the screen. The picture is still serviceable considering this is a comedy, but I'd be pretty disappointed if a special effects extravaganza was released looking like this.
Similar to the video quality, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track is passable for a comedy, but not something you'll put on to demonstrate your home theater. There are a couple of explosions that present a rare opportunity for your subwoofer to flex some muscle, and the retro soundtrack is sufficiently expansive throughout the soundfield; but those brief flashes of excellence don't do enough to save the track. Dialogue remains grounded in the front soundfield, which is appropriate in most circumstances, but I felt there were opportunities for the dialogue to spread out more than it did. Scenes with the gang talking in a group setting stayed firmly planted on my center channel speaker, instead of coming from the side speakers when someone on the right or left was speaking. Missed opportunities for surround use in the dialogue and the lack of ambient surround use to create atmosphere may indicate some corners were cut in mixing the original track, but I still have to get back to the main point that this is a comedy and most viewers won't be concerned with nitpicks about the lack of surround use.
Ancestors Protect Me-Behind the Scenes of Hod Rod (480p, Dolby 2.0, 7:58 min): This tongue-in-cheek feature includes footage from the set of the film, as well as interviews with Akiva Shaffer (director) and several main actors. A good portion of the feature includes Samberg and Shaffer candidly telling the camera how much they hate each other. It's worth watching if you liked the film, but don't expect anything in-depth.
Home Video Footage of Orchestra Recording Session (480p, Dolby 2.0, 1:28 min): Hardly a worthy addition, this piece includes footage from the recording of the score used in the film. Don't bother.
Punch-Dance (480p, Dolby 2.0, 1:58 min): This hilarious supplement shows Samberg's dance scene in the forest next to Kevin Bacon's dance sequence in Footloose (the best supplement on the disc).
Kevin's Videos (480p, Dolby 2.0, 4:23 min): You can watch a series of shots Kevin recorded for his Rod Kimble movie that is partially shown in the film. Most of these sequences aren't in the film, and there are a couple of worthwhile entries.
Deleted and Extended Scenes (480p, Dolby 2.0, 14:40 min): I don't understand why some of these were omitted from the final product, but I'm glad they decided to release them here. Perhaps someday we'll see an extended version that includes several of these clips.
Outtakes Reel (480p, Dolby 2.0, 3:32 min): Most of these are deleted scenes or extensions to scenes in the film. I'm not sure why they were labeled as outtakes, and they probably could have been included in the prior supplement.
Lastly, we have a trailer for the film, presented in 1080p with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.
When it comes to comedy, everyone has different taste. Scenes in Hot Rod that I found funny, may not be funny to other viewers, and the film's cheesiness may appeal to others more than it did to me. I wouldn't be surprised if Hot Rod develops a cult following in the years to come, but I doubt it will ever be viewed as a comedic masterpiece (even by the most rabid fans). From a technical standpoint, the Blu-ray is somewhat disappointing next to the standards set by other films on the high-definition format, so it's difficult to recommend the film to anyone that hasn't seen it before (and knows whether or not they're going to like it). I will say there are enough hilarious moments in the film to warrant repeat viewings, so at least you'll have residual value in that regard.
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