My Science Project Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

My Science Project Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 13, 2021

Jonathan Betuel's "My Science Project" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer; new video interview with actor Fisher Stevens; and new audio commentary by critics Mike McPadden and Kat Ellinger. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

We test the thing and find out what it can do.

When you watch hundreds of different films each year eventually you begin to see connections between some of them that may not be intentional or real. The main reason for this is that there are very few original stories left to tell, which means that similarities are basically unavoidable. Another good reason is that the market no longer encourages originality as it used to because the general public is quite happy to be fed the same cinematic material over and over again, so the overlapping of content that looks very similar is indeed happening all the time. You think that this is an outlandish exaggeration? Okay. Let’s have a small experiment. When was the last time you saw another groundbreaking genre film like The Matrix that spun your head and made you ponder seriously all sorts of weird possibilities about your existence? Let me answer this question for you. There isn’t a ‘last time’ you can recall because there hasn’t been another original mind-bender like it. (I am sorry, but those Christopher Nolan films you are about to offer as evidence that I am wrong do not count. All of them are variations on the same theme The Matrix introduced). Let’s go a little further back in time now. If you love films then there is zero chance that you are unfamiliar with Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. So, while Jaws effectively ended the era of the American auteurs, it is an indisputable fact that it is exactly the same type of groundbreaking genre film The Matrix was. How do we know that this statement is true? Every other action film with a deadly sea creature that emerged after Jaws has copied some aspects of its blueprint. Naturally, there is no need for me to ask if you can recall another such trend-setter featuring a sea creature because there hasn’t been one. Folks, the point I am trying to make here isn’t that all new films are bad copycats. In fact, I don’t see a problem if new films retell good old stories as long as they do it with an effective interpretation; a unique atmosphere can easily substitute an original story and produce a very special film. My point is that virtually all new films are conceived with the wrong understanding of what constitutes originality, which is precisely why they concentrate heavily on special effects. It is a losing formula, because special effects are good only for decorative purposes.

You are wondering now how does all of the above relate to Jonathan Betuel’s My Science Project, aren’t you? First, it definitely wasn’t prep work for a bold revelation that My Science Project is an overlooked groundbreaking genre film. Second, it was meant to introduce the possibility that, for some reason, which has nothing to do with the production year, My Science Project has plenty in common with Richard Donner’s The Goonies, which is not a groundbreaking genre film either, but is certainly very influential and enjoying tremendous reputation. I don’t know if it is right to link these films, but if you have seen hundreds of thousands of different films like I have you will recognize that they are in fact quite similar. So, I would like to highlight a few of their similarities, rather than offer a plain deconstruction of My Science Project and speculate why you may or may not enjoy it thirty-five years after it was released.

In My Science Project, a teenager (John Stockwell) and his girlfriend (Danielle von Zerneck) enter an abandoned military junkyard and steal a strange object which later on they use to impress a middle-aged science teacher (Dennis Hopper) who secretly but regularly hits the bong. When the object comes alive and opens up a portal that merges the past, the present, and the future, all hell breaks loose. As you can tell, this magical object functions in the exact same way the old map from The Goonies does -- it merges the real and the unreal and then unleashes all kinds of wild fun. What else? Well, Betuel’s imagination powers up the mayhem that ensues with such enthusiasm that the fun becomes impossible not to admire, which is exactly what Donner's imagination does with the adventures of the young friends in The Goonies. The special effects in My Science Project are pretty decent too, especially in its final third where the magical object begins transporting to the present some pretty exotic characters. In other words, My Science Project is a colorful mish-mash of action, humor, and glossy visuals, which is exactly what The Goonies is as well.

But is this enough to conclude that there is a legit connection between these films? Well, it would depend on your definition of legit, but I can assure you that if you start digging deep you will discover plenty more that brings them even closer. (Ironically, both might have been inspired by a completely different film, and if you listen to the new audio commentary that is included on this release, you will hear critics Mike McPadden and Kat Ellinger speculating that at least as far as My Science Project is concerned that film might be E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial). So, I am only pointing out what is there and in my opinion undeniable. One other thing that is undeniable is that Betuel is not as good of a director as Donner is. His enthusiasm infuses My Science Project with plenty of good energy but it is often mismanaged, creating odd pockets of action and random events that over time damage the film's atmosphere.

My Science Project Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, My Science Project arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

This film was first released on Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment in 2016. (You can see our listing and review of the release here). I have the first release in my library and can offer some very specific comments on how it compares to this newer release.

First, the master that was used to produce the newer release is old. However, it has very solid organic characteristics and as a result the entire film looks lovely. Delineation and depth, for instance, range from very good to excellent, though some minor density fluctuations remain. (For what it's worth, had Kino Lorber placed this film on a dual-layer disc and optimized the encoding even more, it would have looked even better). On the previous release density is quite underwhelming, which is one of the main reasons why delineation and depth suffer as well. (Another reason is the poor encoding job). Grain is nicely exposed, though ideally it should appear tighter and more evenly distributed. Both close-ups and wider panoramic shots look stronger as well, plus darker areas reveal superior shadow definition. The color scheme is very convincing. All color values, including the supporting nuances, appear better balanced and healthier. Darker nuances, however, could be better, and if they are, shadow definition will be more convincing as well. Image stability is excellent, but this was also true on the previous release. Some minor blemishes and a few dark spots remain, but they will not affect negatively your viewing experience. So, this release offers an all-around better technical presentation of the film, and especially on a larger screen the improvements are frequently quite dramatic. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

My Science Project Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless audio track is very solid. I actually feel extremely confident stating that when the current master was prepared the audio was transferred under the supervision of someone that made sure that it is as good as possible. Can it sound better? I am unsure. Someone can most certainly produce a 5.1 mix that will open up many of the action sequences throughout the film, but this is something else entirely. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.

My Science Project Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for My Science Project. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 480/60i).

• Interview with Co-Star Fisher Stevens - in this new video interview, actor Fisher Stevens recalls how he was cast to play the character of Vince Latello, what it was like to work with Dennis Hopper (who was apparently one of his idols and had just gotten out of rehab), and his relationship with John Stockwell and Raphael Sbarge. Also, there are some very interesting comments about the film's poor reception and its status as a cult classic. The interview was conducted exclusively for Kino Lorber in 2020. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, critics Mike McPadden and Kat Ellinger recall how they discovered My Science Project and discuss its sense of humor, appearance, and reputation.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Spaced Invaders
  2. My Boyfriend's Back
  3. Date with an Angel
  4. The Manhattan Project
  5. Losin' It

My Science Project Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My Science Project came out at approximately the same time The Goonies did and I think that they do a lot of very similar things to impress. With a more skilled and confident director behind the camera, I believe that My Science Project could have been a dramatically better film because its story has tremendous potential. (Consider for a moment how much Jumanji and Night at the Museum borrow from its final third, where all of the exotic characters are transferred in the present). But it is still a decent film to see late at night when you feel nostalgic about the '80s. This recent release from Kino Lorber offers a very solid technical presentation of My Science Project, so if you are wondering whether it is worth picking up if you already have the previous release from Mill Creek Entertainment, the answer is a resounding yes. It also features a short but very nice exclusive new video interview with actor Fisher Stevens. RECOMMENDED.