Lucas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Lucas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 1, 2013

Friendship, love, bullying, breaking from the norm, and finding both oneself and greater acceptance within a tight group and throughout a larger body are all at the heart of Lucas, a charming story of a young boy's lessons in life when he meets a girl and learns a thing or two about the way things really work. Director David Seltzer's (Shining Through) film is a little bit Rushmore meets a little bit Rudy meets a little bit The Breakfast Club. It's a story about a young boy with a gifted mind in an undersized body who's out of his league in life and school and who turns to football to impress the girl he likes, much to the shock of a fairly eccentric group of friends. The picture works magic in much the same way those other films do, bringing to life a very human, individual story within a larger social context. It's an unsung hero of the Coming-of-Age drama, a breath of fresh air and an honest portrait of good people finding out what it really means to live, to find acceptance, to discover their place in the world.

This helmet is not too big! My head is just to small for it.

Lucas (Corey Haim) isn't small for his age, he's just so mentally advanced that he's been thrust forward into a life for which he's not socially prepared. He's a shrimpy high schooler, an "accelerated" student who might dazzle his teachers but who doesn't impress the older, bigger jocks in school. He spends his summers catching bugs and mowing lawns to earn a few extra dollars, not hanging out with the guys or dating the pretty girls. His life takes an unexpected turn for the better when he one day meets the beautiful and kindly new girl in town, Maggie (Kerri Green). Though she's a few years older, the two hit it off almost instantly. Lucas, however, shy and uncertain as he is prone to be, hides some of the truths of his life from her but does let her in on his life philosophy, which includes looking down on materialism and scoffing at football players and cheerleaders. When school starts back up, their friendship remains, but things become complicated when Lucas' protector, a kindly football player named Cappie (Charlie Sheen), catches Maggie's eye, and he hers. Now, Lucas is left with no choice but to break his own code and do what he must to impress the only girl who's ever shown him kindness and given him the respect he deserves.

There's a timelessness that permeates Lucas. It's not just that the film has, somehow, dated very well from a visual perspective -- very little of it absolutely screams "80s" as some other films do -- but it's more that the message is so wholesome and relatable that it'll probably never really go out of style. Lucas commands the screen with a charming, honest, and heartfelt story that never gives way to fluff, pointless side stories, or frivolous characterization. If anything, the film's purpose only grows more obvious with every passing scene, as each development reshapes the landscape and the characters in it, evolving not so much towards a different end but unexpectedly finding new ways of getting there that never betray the essence of the characters, the plot, or the very life realities the film reflects. It's inwardly complex but outwardly simple, building and sharing its story with a sincerity that's so often lacking in movies. One cannot say enough for its agreeable depth and delightful demeanor which remain in the film's breeziest scenes, its most reflective, its most heartbreaking, its most joyous. It's really the quintessential movie in many ways; few are as tender, as welcoming, as relatable, as genuine -- and unabashedly so -- as Lucas.

The real key to Lucas' success lies in the brilliance of its characters and the faultless performances of them. David Seltzer's screenplay creates robust, fully developed individuals who appreciate their gifts and just the chance to live life and do right. Through their evolution, they find themselves and discover how the world works, which isn't always how they envision or even as the path they've chosen normally leads. Sometimes, they learn, the cause-effect relationship can bring success from failure and glory from chaos as destiny works in mysterious ways on its way to shaping their lives for the better. What's more, the movie doesn't feel cliché, as cliché as those pieces may seem. Lucas manages to embrace those rather trite narrative notions and not make them unique, but make them real. It's a rich, honest experience, a true slice of life that feels transplanted to the screen, not rebuilt for the screen. The cast is fantastic, all of the actors fully understanding of their characters and the movie's motives and journey, playing them naturally and sincerely rather than forcing emotion or growth onto them.

Lucas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lucas never looks great on Blu-ray, but never does it look awful. Well, it never looks awful except for the opening title sequence, which is coveted in dirt and scratches and frozen grain and grimy details and flat colors and soft text. Fortunately, the image picks up considerably thereafter, not to any sort of rich, real, memorable appearance but ascending to one that's at least balanced and not too hard on the eyes. Generally, the image enjoys crisply defined details, not so exacting as the best transfers but capable of showing skin and clothing textures with some degree of complexity. Additionally, the image nicely reveals fine details on school auditorium hardwood floors and brick exteriors. Colors are a bit warm, at times, with reds pushing rather brightly and flesh tones occasionally embracing a rosy shade. At other times, the palette appears a little dull. A moderate bit of grain hovers about throughout, but so too does the occasional speckle and pop. Overall, this is a fair image, one that's a bit better than standard definition DVD but certainly a far cry from the best Blu-ray catalogue titles on the market.

Lucas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lucas features a rather disappointing Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Though it gets the basics across, there's little balance or authenticity to the track. There's decent surround support to open, though there are spots in the film -- the sequence in which Lucas finds himself on the auditorium stage in particular -- where the surround information feels too aggressive and out of balance. Ditto music; it sometimes sounds pushed to the side rather than balanced throughout the stage. Dialogue can be a little shallow, and there's no rhyme or reason to it; it falters in both chaotic scenes -- lost under heavy effects -- as well as in quieter, intimate moments. Little in the track feels authentically presented; whether out of balance, too aggressive, too shallow, or lacking a natural flavor, the track always seems to be struggling to present a quality listen.

Lucas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Lucas contains no extras, and no menu is included. The film begins playback immediately after disc insertion.

Lucas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lucas is a rather complex film about life that doesn't at all go where the audience might think it's headed. And that's from where much of the beauty flows. As life isn't an A-to-B journey, neither is the film. Instead, it's a zigzagging adventure through the process of maturity and discovering how life works, and why. It's seen through the eyes of good, honest characters, not perfect characters, but relatable people with the best of intentions who do their best to evolve with life but not at the expense of somebody else. It's a touching, warm, inviting, and sincere motion picture that's easily amongst the best of its kind to ever grace the screen. It's a shame Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release doesn't do the film justice. While the video quality is acceptable, the audio lags far behind and no supplements are included, not even a menu screen. The movie earns my highest recommendation, and the Blu-ray disc is worth a purchase just to own a copy of the movie. Here's hoping the studio one day gives this gem the treatment it deserves.