4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A wheelchair-bound boy helps to reunite an earthbound alien with its extraterrestrial family. Separated from his parents shortly after arriving on planet Earth, a Mysterious Alien Creature (MAC) quickly strikes up a friendship with lonely Eric Cruise. New to town and in need of a pal after losing his father, Eric discovers just how amazing the universe can be when mischievous MAC takes him on the adventure of a lifetime.
Starring: Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward, Tina Caspary, Lauren Stanley, Jade CalegoryFamily | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.84:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
There have been many movies trying to cash-in on the success of 1982’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” but few have been quite as obvious as 1988’s “Mac and Me.” The producers are determined to replicate Steven Spielberg’s box-office-busting success, coming up with a slight variation on the formula of the lonely boy and his lost alien pal. However, instead of using creativity, money, and magic to shape the feature, co-writer/director Stewart Raffill marches forward with a highly bizarre rip-off that’s hanging on for dear life, throwing anything at the screen to see what might appeal to the target demographic of young kids. “Mac and Me” is awful and infamously so, with longstanding cult appeal helping to cushion the crushingly bad ideas found in the endeavor.
The AVC encoded image (1.84:1 aspect ratio) presentation is a fine attempt from Shout Factory to give "Mac and Me" renewed life on Blu-ray. The company is working with an older scan of the movie, but detail isn't bad, and while slight softness is present, textures remain on alien skin and features, delivering a strange vision of iffy production achievements. Costuming is passably fibrous and locations retain depth. Interior decoration is open for study, permitting McDonald's fans a chance to study the big dance scene in full (and find Jennifer Aniston in the crowd with newfound ease). Colors are agreeable, with defined primaries handed a boost on clothing and signage, and suburban California greenery comes across pleasingly. Skintones, alien and otherwise, register as intended. Delineation is acceptable. Source is in fine shape. Some weirdness is detected in the opening alien world sequence, with solarization seeping into the image, but this may be an inherent issue.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix delivers a surprisingly steady listening event for "Mac and Me," with soundtrack selection retaining their poppy beats and sharp instrumentation, and scoring selections are clear and true. Dialogue exchanges are appropriately defined, capturing the range of child and adult performances, while alien whistling and assorted chirps emerge without distortion. Sound effects are basic but communicative, and atmospherics handle group activities well.
After bombing during its initial theatrical release, "Mac and Me" has remained in cult appreciation circles thanks to Paul Rudd (who always showed a harrowing clip of a runaway wheelchair during promotional duties on various Conan O'Brien talk shows) and fans of McDonald's dance parties. The picture really is weird and shameless, with many "label to camera" product placements (Coca-Cola being the Reese's Pieces of the film) and a climax that's highly inappropriate for a kids movie, while the very end of the effort promises a sequel that was never made. I'll try to be positive and praise the casting of a real physically disabled boy in the lead role, which is not a common occurrence in Hollywood, and there's something oddly comforting about an immigration theme slapped on the end of the feature, with Raffill making a bootleg turn into American Dream aspirations after 90 minutes of fear-based plotting. But these are morsels of goodness in a seriously mismanaged production.
2014
2016
40th Anniversary Edition
1982
Ultimate Edition
1985
Collector's Edition
1978
1982
2016
2018
Ray Harryhausen Signature Collection
1963
Limited Edition to 3000 | SOLD OUT
1973
1958
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1961
3-Disc Edition
2010
2016
1962
1956
2018
Collector's Edition
1985
40th Anniversary Special Edition
1979
Limited Edition Collector's Set
1986