Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Junior Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 24, 2018

In a world where science means more, biology means less, and traditional gender roles, and gender entirely for that matter, are being thrown out the window…why not have a man bear a child? Junior, which released a quarter of a century ago, was in some ways well ahead of its time, whether it meant to be or not. The film, from Director Ivan Reitman, is otherwise a stumbling block Comedy that cooks up a good idea but struggles to find a center. For a movie about the biologically impossible and all of the seemingly unique angles and opportunities afforded to its story, the film choses to simply recycle pregnancy gags and stereotypes with a man, rather than a woman, carrying the child. Make that man a musclebound Arnold Schwarzenegger and it’s really only by sheer force of exaggerated imagery that the film works on any level. But even a talented cast cannot save a movie that struggles with tone and pace even in deciphering its one-trick-pony plot.

Dr. Alex Hesse (Arnold Schwarzenegger), in collaboration with OB/GYN Larry Arbogast (Danny DeVito), is in the final stages of testing a radically advanced new drug they call "Expectane" that prevents the pregnant female body from miscarrying a child. When their pitch to the FDA goes bad, Hesse decides it's time for a fresh start and buys a plane ticket back to Europe. Arbogast feverishly convinces Hesse to deplane and test the drug on himself. The plan is simple: artificially impregnate Hesse and document the results. As the two attempt to dodge the head of the review board, Noah Banes (Frank Langella), who would certainly disapprove of the pair's scientific methods and assuredly end their careers, Hesse finds himself drawn to a fellow scientist, Dr. Diana Reddin (Emma Thompson), whose ovum Arbogast randomly chose to use in the experiment.

Junior reunites Schwarzenegger with his Twins co-star Danny DeVito (hey, Universal...a Blu-ray of Twins, please?). It also reunites the Austrian muscleman with his Kindergarten Cop partner Pamela Reed, and the film pairs the former Mr. Olympia with Director Ivan Reitman, who helmed both Twins and Kindergarten Cop. So there's a whole lot of familiarity amongst the cast and crew and more than a little talent involved in the movie...which just goes to show the importance of a quality script. Both Twins and Kindergarten Cop are much more balanced movies, both much funnier on the whole with Twins accomplishing what Junior strives to achieve, and that's find familial heart in the midst of both an oddball pairing and an unusual situation.

It's interesting that both Twins and Junior deal in the artificial, science-backed complexities of pregnancy and the unique external manipulation necessary to achieve an unusual and unnatural conception. In Twins, the story deals with a woman who is impregnated with a mixture of DNA from several individuals, which of course leads to the strong and stunning Schwarzenegger, who received the best of all of his fathers, and the small and weaselly DeVito, who is said to be comprised of excess "genetic garbage." Junior is a little more straightforward, perhaps not scientifically but certainly in that the film is less interested in the emotional centers of its characters and more in the simpleminded comedy of watching a muscled man deal with all of the classic pregnancy symptoms: increased hunger, wild emotional swings, various aches and pains. That's in contrast to taking the time to really explore the deeper, innermost complexities of the nine-month process from an interesting (unheard of) perspective. Where Twins hits home with its message on family, Junior struggles to find a purpose beyond swapping genders for the sake of earning a few predictable laughs.

The performances are at least spirited. DeVito's role is more limited in this film than it was in Twins, the actor here portraying more of a support character and less of an essential partner to his towering co-star. Arnold is engaged in the part, but a generic script that's content to hit pregnancy cliché rather than explore more in-depth character qualities leaves him with little opportunity for range or expressiveness in matters beyond the tired and trite. He's the proverbial trooper, if nothing else, donning a dress and a wig at one point and selling himself as an over-steroided former East German olympian whose physical appearance is the result of years of government-sanctioned doping. He sells the limited bill of goods well enough, capably moaning and groaning and chowing down with fellow mother-to-be Pamela Reed, whose character in Kindergarten Cop also loved to eat.

Junior Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Junior's Blu-ray is a surprisingly decent release coming from the Universal catalogue department. The image is generally fair and basically filmic. Grain can be a little clumpy at times, but it's also fairly even through much of the presentation. Textures enjoy good stability, image clarity and definition are fair with a few pushes to robust and there's not much evidence of significant noise reduction in most scenes. clothing and skin textures aren't insanely complex but there's certainly enough general clarity and raw definition to please. Various environments -- the cluttered lab, doctors offices, homes, an idyllic rural home for expectant women introduced later in the movie -- are likewise well defined with good clarity and sharpness on display. Colors are where the image lacks. The palette is a little pale, lacking firmer contrast and saturation but still yielding relatively healthy tones, particularly skin. Pale, almost ghastly skin tones are most noticeable in various shots and scenes at the aforementioned home for pregnant women seen later in the film. A few other problems pop in from time to time. Title wobble, print wear, and the occasional shot that exhibits the telltale signs of edge enhancement appear, but are rare. Junior hardly approaches the catalogue release zenith, but it's a perfectly serviceable image at worst and borderline good at its best.

Junior Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Junior's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, much like the video presentation, exceeds expectations. Music is joyfully wide, playing with solid enough clarity and positive and wide stage presence. A crying baby sound emanates from the side in the film's opening moments, and a larger symphony thereof fills the stage with a surprising vigor moments later. Gentle applause during a gathering at the 40 minute mark offers a decently immersive spread. Lingering background thunder in chapter five and very light environmental ambience in a few spots help define various outdoor scenes throughout. Music is the big winner, though, with that good fidelity and wide stage engagement. Dialogue is clear with nicely refined verbal structure and natural front-center placement.

Junior Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Junior's Blu-ray contains a single featurette titled, yup, Featurette (1080p upscaled, 6:11). The piece briefly recaps the plot and quickly explores story, themes, characters, and more, constructed of interviews and clips from the film. The feature must be accessed in-film via the pop-up menu. No "top menu" is included. Needless to say, no DVD or digital copies are included, either.

Junior Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Junior certainly has its moments. The cast is likable and the jokes are fine, but the film never stretches, never tries to find anything more than the baseline humor of a man experiencing all of the usual pregnancy symptoms, the hormonal swings, the aches and pains, and the like. There's some character drama tossed in but there's little heart on display. Universal's Blu-ray is rather generic, presenting with an older, but very serviceable, 1080p transfer. The same can be said of the 5.1-channel lossless soundtrack. One short extra is included. Fans probably won't see a better release anytime soon (would it surprise anyone if this is Junior's swan song on physical format media?) but would be smart to wait for a sale price that's more in-line with the quality of the disc.