7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
At a big campus, a group of bullied outcasts and misfits resolve to fight back for their peace and self respect.
Starring: Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Ted McGinley, Bernie Casey, Julia MontgomeryComedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
French/Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono @192 kbps
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Though we are in no way part of the show’s preferred demographic (which I sense is young males in that vaunted 18- 24 age range), my wife and I have become hooked on Comedy Central’s new faux “game show”, @ Midnight, reveling in the often insouciant humor of three comedians ripping into that day’s internet insanity. Host Chris Hardwick is an affable sort who clearly delights in his own self admitted geekiness, to the point that Hardwick launched the wonderfully titled Nerdist network and in fact goes by the Twitter handle @nerdist. On another part of the television spectrum, The Big Bang Theory’s celebration of nerdism has been a Top 10 staple for years. These are only two of probably many examples of how much the cultural zeitgeist has changed since Revenge of the Nerds premiered in 1984. Nerds may have been lovable back in the Reagan era, but they were the apotheosis of cool. Whether they’d admit it or not, guys wanted to be the football playing jocks and girls pined to be cheerleaders, even if their native genetics and/or talents didn’t point in that general direction. Now—well, people like Hardwick are cool, in their own geeky, nerdy way. Revenge of the Nerds follows in the semi-proud footsteps of other raucous college based comedies like National Lampoon's Animal House, detailing the adventures of best buddies (and inveterate nerds) Gilbert Lowe (Anthony Edwards) and Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine), two guys who socially might not rise to the level of Dumb and Dumber, but who are nonetheless possessed of native smarts, something that plays into the film’s thesis that the meek (and brainy) may indeed inherit the Earth, for whatever that’s worth, considering the boorish louts the nerds have to deal with.
Revenge of the Nerds is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. With an understanding that Revenge of the Nerds was never a crystal clear viewing experience, this high definition is commendable on several levels. Colors are very nicely saturated and accurate looking, with reds being especially notable in their pop and vividness. Contrast is also solid and consistent throughout the presentation. Sharpness is certainly not at contemporary levels, understandably so, so expectations must be somewhat moderated, for even some midrange shots are pretty hazy looking. Some others, though, as well as some close-ups, provide excellent levels of fine detail in things like the fibers in the bright red sweater that Stan Gable (Ted McGinley) keeps wrapped around his neck. Grain can be quite heavy at times in this presentation, indicating that no over aggressive denoising has been done to this release. A healthy bitrate helps to ensure that no compression artifacts crop up during the presentation.
Revenge of the Nerds' lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix is just a bit brittle and shrill sounding at times, more so in the opening moments, especially with regard to the first few notes of Alfred Newman's famous Fox fanfare, which sounds here like it's being played by another Fox entity: namely, the student band in The Simpsons. Things improve after that, but this is a fairly narrow and shallow sounding track which nonetheless offers a clean account of dialogue and source cues.
Revenge of the Nerds is unabashedly juvenile at times, but it has a built in audience due to the fact that, to paraphrase one of the nerds in the film, "there are more of us than there are of you" (meaning the beautiful people like jocks and cheerleaders). That sweet undercurrent of underdogs coming out on top informs this film and provides the emotional component that helps to offset some iffy comedy. Carradine and Edwards are a lot of fun as the titular nerds, and the supporting cast is colorful and hyperbolic. This Blu-ray release sports generally very good to excellent technical specs, and comes Recommended.
Deadpool Photobomb Series / Deadpool 2 Movie Cash
1984
Deadpool Slipcover
1984
1981
2008
2017-2024
Choice Collection
2001
1978
2017
1998
2002
1987
2013
2012
Warner Archive Collection
1986
1984
2006
2004
2009
2015
Porky's 3: Revenge
1985
1998
1999