6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
John Cleese stars as an eccentric casino owner who devises a contest pitting six teams against each other in a race to claim two million dollars from a locker in New Mexico.
Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Lanei Chapman, John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr.Comedy | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
If money makes the world go 'round then a couple of million bucks are certainly incentive enough for a gaggle of greedy folks to participate in a mad dash race from Las Vegas to New Mexico for a shot at pocketing all of that cash. That's basically the story of Rat Race, Director Jerry Zucker's (Airplane!, Ghost) ensemble Comedy that begs the questions: what is money really worth, and to what lengths will people go to get a hold of it? The movie works not for the story, though, but for the personalities that seek the money. Their greed often gets in the way of good sense, resulting in a comedy of errors that see them all bogged down and nearly burned out on the adrenaline that fuels their movement but stymies their critical thinking and clear headedness. It's a fun little romp.
This is certainly not a pristine presentation of Rat Race. It looks good, generally, retaining a light grain structure and enjoying good, firm details, but the work here is a far cry from some of the finest catalogue releases Paramount has released of late. If nothing else it's balanced and capable, not at all home to severe processing. Fine details are left intact, and the filmic veneer has not been removed, either. Essential textures are very well defined, including basics like faces and clothes and extend to various locations, from dense casino floors to wide open natural terrain in the arid landscapes between Vegas and Silver City. Colors are fine, offering enough depth and vitality to satisfy. Contrast holds in a neutral position, allowing brighter primaries to pop and earthy backgrounds to hold steady. Skin tones and black levels are fine. The print is home to some mild splotches and speckling but on the flip side there are no encode issues to report. This is imperfect and the movie would benefit from a thorough remaster, but what's here is not at all poor. Most fans will be satisfied with the results.
Rat Race rolls onto Blu-ray with a decent, if only capable, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is rather straightforward. It's well amplified and aggressive at times, reminiscent, to be sure, of its era of big audio versus subtle output. Music can be powerfully aggressive and aggressively spaced, particularly for surround integration but also width as well. Clarity is not at the peak of perfection but high enough to appreciate nuance even in dense saturation. A few heavy action scenes play similarly, notably when Nick and Tracy attack Tracy's boyfriend with a helicopter. Environmental din disappoints, particularly on casino floors where there's little truly immersive ambience to be found. Dialogue is clear enough and center focused for the duration.
This Blu-ray release of Rat Race contains several extras. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with
a
slipcover.
Rat Race is a comfortable Comedy that's well paced and fun. Cast enthusiasm is in evidence throughout and the movie's frenzied forward motion keeps things lively, though some middle stretch scenes do get bogged down in repetition. Paramount's Blu-ray looks and sounds good and the disc includes several supplements. Recommended.
1987
1980
25th Anniversary Edition
1986
2013
2013
2017
2014
Limited Edition to 3000
1997
2009
The Grand 3D
2007
Remastered
1980
Unrated
1994
35th Anniversary
1988
1991
1984
Unrated Special Edition
2009
2015
Jane Austen's Mafia!
1998
1970
2018