Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Hype! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 16, 2017

1996’s “Hype” is a documentary that explores a musical movement while also participating in it. The subject is grunge, the groaning subgenre that rose from the depths of Seattle to take over a nation, giving birth to several artists that conquered the charts, while two, Nirvana and Pearl Jam, managed to dominate musical tastes for a few years. Director Doug Pray embeds with the artists, critics, and personalities of the northwest to achieve a greater understanding of the new dawn, giving “Hype” plenty to work with when shaping a study of sudden cultural domination threatening to suffocate a once vital and fiercely private music scene.

“Hype” doesn’t play like an overview of grunge, it’s more of a document of a time and place, focusing in the gloomy atmosphere of Washington, with one interviewee describing the area as the “serial killer capital of the world.” Seattle in particular is singled out for study, with Pray supplying a history of the musical interests that led to the creation of grunge, reaching back into the 1970s and ‘80s to dissect the steadily growing punk movement. It was a musical mission that encouraged a homegrown aesthetic and financial indifference, with the thrill of playing the ultimate payment, creating a wave of bands who dragged from club to club, enjoying local fame but never fortune. To some, Seattle was isolated, and they wouldn’t have it any other way, generating its own steam heat with creative expression and friendships, and Pray meets a few of the groups still playing for the love of the game, keeping up with record releases and live shows. The bands were playing for themselves, making the pop culture light of the grunge explosion all the more blinding.

Pray doesn’t have much access to the titans of the scene (a wily Eddie Vedder being his biggest get), but he secures a rich understanding of the timeline, tracking a mutating sound developing in recording studios, with Nirvana the first to strike goal with 1991’s “Nevermind,” which brought the power of the scene (polished but still urgent) to MTV and teenagers around the globe. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” dominated the airwaves, effectively painting a target on Seattle as corporations began to descend on the city, looking for anything that could dressed up in flannel and sold to adolescents everywhere. “Hype” constructs a vivid look at this financial battle ground, with the grunge aesthetic turned into marketing ammunition, upsetting some of the local bands unaccustomed to such attention, while a feeding frenzy for spots in clubs commenced, creating an oversaturated market as record labels freely passed around contracts. What was once DIY was now COD, transforming the “Seattle Sound” into a juggernaut, eased along by the influential Sub Pop music label, with owners Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman encouraging the financial windfall.

The magic of “Hype” is its timing, with Pray filming throughout 1994, capturing the scene when there was still some bathwater in the tub. Glimpses of important events are presented (including the first performance of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”), but the bulk of “Hype” highlights the bands that didn’t make it. Time with Mono Men, Gas Huffer, 7 Year Bitch, The Gits, and Tad are presented, while more famous acts such as The Melvins, Screaming Trees, and Mudhoney are included, highlighting the fevered movement of money men on the prowl for anything to sell. Performances are lively, and they reinforce the raw nature of the scene before salesmanship took over. Helping with commentary are notable minds from Seattle, including Jack Endio, a record producer who articulates the change that swept across the land, brought on by corporate influence, but also identifying the soul of the music, which remained throughout the gold rush.

Hype! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

In keeping with the scruffy subject matter, "Hype" was shot in 16mm, with such a potently filmic presence protected on the Blu-ray. The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers a grainy but appealing viewing experience, preserving Pray's low-wattage production achievements and concert footage. Clarity reaches as far as it can, delivering a welcome level of detail during interview segments, which pick out unshowered particulars and textured fashion choices. Colors are agreeable, handling pronounced club lighting and the natural greenery of the area, which contrasts sharply with bright primaries from signage and cluttered offices. Skintones are accurate. Delineation is strong, making sense of concert footage, often captured in dark clubs. Source is in terrific shape.

Hype! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is the big draw, dealing with a host of artists producing a wide range of sounds. The raw intensity of the track is maintained, finding concert sequences commanding and deep, with crisp instrumentation and defined vocals. Percussive thump is common, add pounding low-end. Interview segments are obviously quieter, but they retain precision, picking up on personal attitudes and vocal strength. Surrounds fill out the listening event with soundtrack selections, but atmospherics are maintained, delivering a sense of outdoor position.

Hype! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features director Doug Pray and producer Steve Helvey (from 2004).

• Commentary #2 features Pray (from 2017).

• "20 Years After" (16:10, HD) is a reunion featurette for "Hype," catching up with Jack Endio, members of Fastbacks and Mudhoney, Kim Thayil, manager Susan Silver, photographer Charles Peterson, and producer Steve Fisk. The overall message of the piece is the failure of most Seattle bands to give up, enjoying the ride of fame and touring during the heyday of grunge, but refusing to let go of record-making dreams once global attention went elsewhere. Ideas presented here are potent, including the current state of the music industry, where widespread visibility is nearly impossible to achieve, with some mourning the loss of the machine that helped small bands. There's also a discussion of the documentary's tonality, with a few of the interviewees highlighting the abrupt ending featuring Kurt Cobain's death. Also of interest are a few shots of a Sub Pop store inside the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and talk of Chris Cornell's 2017 passing.

• "Hate" (4:07, SD) is an animated short from Peter Bagge.

• Additional Performances include Mudhoney (2:37, SD), Supersuckers (3:16, SD), Pond (3:34, SD), and The Gits (2:14, SD), presented with commentary from Pray.

• Additional Interviews include Megan Jasper (4:34, SD), Art Chantry (3:20), Tad (3:31, SD), Leighton Beezer (2:37), Peter Bagge (3:31, SD), and Random Quotes (5:04, SD).

• And a Trailer (2:12, HD) is included.

Hype! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Hype" is enlightening and immediate, and it's a minor miracle for music fans, offering a treasure trove of performances, including Soundgarden, who slay concertgoers with a ripping take on "Searching with My Good Eye Closed." There's a sense of nostalgia while watching the documentary in 2017, understanding the Pray has captured the last pre-internet musical movement, also the last city-specific scene. It's a bittersweet watch in that regard, and there's sadness with the resolution of grunge, which basically ended with Kurt Cobain's 1994 suicide, which is abruptly added to the movie to provide a sense of closure. "Hype" details quite a ride of music and personalities, and it's vivid work. Pray doesn't supply a full meal of information when it comes to the depth of corporate salesmanship and neighborhood angst, but he seizes the lingering attitude and defiance, making an outstanding picture that's perhaps the only true document of the grunge years.