7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Vince Lombardi High School has quite a reputation: it's the wildest, most rockin' high school around! That is, until a thug of a principal, Miss Togar, comes along and tries to make the school a totalitarian state. With the help of the Ramones, the students of Vince Lombardi battle Miss Togar's iron-fisted rule and take their battle to a truly rockin' conclusion!
Starring: P.J. Soles, Vincent Van Patten, Clint Howard, Dey Young, Mary WoronovTeen | 100% |
Musical | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A shameless display of adolescent abandon.
Rock 'N' Roll High School, huh? It's not Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but it's a
decent if not mostly disposable little high school Comedy that tackles the tough issues of...nothing
really. A story of teenage rebellion and a big long promotion for The Ramones ("They're forming in
a
straight line! They're going through a tight wind! The kids are losing their minds! The Blitzkrieg
Bop!"), Rock 'N' Roll High School is an incredibly irrelevant film, but who ever said
relevancy
is the key to cinematic success? Animal House and Porky's aren't thematically,
emotionally, or artistically relevant, but they're classics of humor and "classy" raunchiness run
amok.
Rock 'N' Roll High School, well, it tries, give it that much. The film's funny at times, but
never uproariously so; it's characters are good, but there's no Bluto or Spicoli among them; a few
scenes are memorable, but none of them are all-time classics. That's the film in a nutshell, good
but
not great, a serviceable Comedy that does nothing and goes nowhere, but it's a mostly fun ride
even
through the painfully flat characters, transparent plot lines, and sluggish acting from a music
quartet that's
better off when they're making music and not delivering dialogue.
That's my name...don't wear it out.
Rock 'N' Roll High School enrolls on Blu-ray with a wishy-washy 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The image is most notably covered in a moderately thick layer of grain, but it's also home to an incredible array of hiccups in the form of spots and scratches, some big, some small, but in whatever size, shape, or form, they're almost ever-present companions through the movie. A few shots also go soft, but there are plenty of scenes that appear nice and sharp with good detailing and solid coloring. Mostly, however, details are flat, even some more roughly-textured objects like a thick gym class rope, while clothes, hardwood floors, a folding chair, and plenty of other random objects offer what amounts to only a slight upgrade in clarity over upconverted standard definition material. Flesh tones and blacks are never excessively problematic, but they're not immaculate, either, the former sometimes wavering towards a slightly pinkish-red shade and the latter occasionally obscuring a few details on the screen. All things considered, though, Rock 'N' Roll High School doesn't look too bad for what it is, a cheap genre movie from a bygone era. It could be better, yes, but the damaged elements, soft shots, and lack of pinpoint detailing all recall the texture of a well-worn drive-in print which, in all honesty, sort of adds some charm to the movie that might not be there if it looked like it was shot five months ago. Overall, a good job by Shout Factory.
Rock 'N' Roll High School jams on Blu-ray with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack; fans need realize that the Dolby TrueHD soundtrack advertised on the back of the Blu-ray box is nowhere to be found on the disc. This one's pretty ordinary at best and sloppy at worst; for a movie that's all about music, there's a noticeable lack of clarity about the track, whether the unbalanced dialogue that's sometimes hard to hear even at reference volume or the many Rock tunes that simply lack precision, clarity, or any kind of oomph that would have certainly benefited not only the track but made the movie all the more enjoyable. The absence of clarity and punch carries over to more ordinary effects, too; the school's bell sounds puny and indistinct, and while the sound is clear enough to identify it as "a school bell," it certainly never makes the listener want to slam the locker shut and scramble to the next class. There are a few distinct pops in the track, a bit of background hissing, and a couple of split-second dropouts throughout the film. Though this is definitely not Blu-ray's best soundtrack, it's hard to be too critical of it considering the film's age and low budget.
Shout Factory doesn't play hooky with Rock 'N' Roll High School; rather than take the easy
way out, the studio has included a wealth of extras headlined by not one, not two, not three, but
four,
yes, four (4), audio commentary tracks. The first track features Director Allan Arkush, Producer
Michael Finnell, and Screenwriter Richard Whitley. This is a nicely-balanced track, one that's
well-spoken, entertaining, and informative all rolled into one. Discussions include the origins of the
project, casting, the process of writing the script, real-life elements that influenced the film, the
picture's themes and homages, the soundtrack, and more. Producer Roger Corman and Actress Dey
Young man track two; this one's a bit slower and less interesting than the first, with heavy
emphasis on the actors and their careers, anecdotes from the set, the film's staying power and the
reasons behind the movie's success, the various process that went into the making of the film, and
the
coming remake. Topics for track three -- which features Director Allan Arkush and Actors P.J. Soles
and Clint Howard -- include the casting process, the performance of The Ramones, the actors'
memories from the set, and other parts they played throughout their careers, amongst others. The
final track contains Screenwriters Richard Whitley and Russ Dvonch
covering many
of the same basic topics as heard in tracks one through three, but there's obviously a greater
emphasis on some of the more nitty-gritty
details about the writing of the film. It's obvious that some of the comments are being read from
prewritten
material, but fans of the film will enjoy the many behind-the-scenes recollections and observations.
Next is a collection of four interviews. Back to School: A Retrospective (480p, 23:47)
features cast and crew speaking on a wide array of information, most of which is carried over from
the commentaries. Fans that don't have several hours to sit through four commentaries can learn
the basics by watching this more manageable piece. Staying After Class (1080p, 15:59) is
a newly-minted retrospective that contains Actors P.J. Soles, Dey Young, and Vincent Van Patten
reminiscing about their experiences in making the movie. An Interview With Allan Arkush
(1080p, 11:33) features the Rock 'N' Roll High School director speaking on his influences
that helped shape his career and his work on the film, The Ramones, the legacy of the film, and
more. An Interview With Roger Corman Conducted by Leonard Maltin (480p, 4:34)
features the famed critic speaking about the film with its legendary producer.
Following these four interviews is a "special introduction" which is the text of an Allan Arkush essay
that speaks on the
process of preparing a new home video release. He also thanks several individuals that helped
make the movie happen. Some of this text is also found in the included booklet (more on that
below). This disc also contains a TV advertisement for the film (480p, 0:40), Audio outtakes from a
Ramones performance at
the Roxy (1080p, 15:53), several radio ads (1080p, 1:05), six photo galleries (Photos From
Richard Whitley's Personal Collection; Pressbook; Script Pages From a Deleted Scene; Script Pages
From Deleted Shower Scene; The Ramones Gallery; and Photos, Posters and More),
and trailers for
Rock 'N' Roll High School (480p, 2:09), Subirbia (480p, 1:52), and Grand Theft
Auto (480p, 2:07). Also included in the Blu-ray case is a 20-page full color booklet that offers a
collection of photos; an
introduction by Director Allan Arkush; an essay by Screenwriters Richard Whitley & Russ Dvonch;
and
interviews with Alan Arkush, Johnny Ramone, Paul Bartel, and Mary Woronov.
Rock 'N' Roll High School isn't a great within its genre, but it's an entertaining enough romp through the world of teenage rebellion. The plot is loose and the structure is shaky, but the film finds more positives than negatives through spunky performances, good direction, and some funny gags. Ultimately, though, most of it is but a frame within which is placed a long commercial for The Ramones; whether that's a good or bad thing really depends on each audience member, and the film neither benefits from nor falters under the band's presence. In fact, it would have probably been pretty much the same movie had most any other, similar band been tossed into the movie in their stead. Regardless, the film's worth a watch, and Shout Factory's Blu-ray release is fairly impressive, all things considered. The soundtrack is dull, but the picture quality benefits from the 1080p resolution, even if it is littered with damaged elements. The supplements are the real highlight, though, and fans of the film will want to buy based on the extra content alone.
45th Anniversary Edition
1979
40th Anniversary Edition
1979
2011
2014
2015
1985
1981
Collector's Edition
1987
1990
Caught with their Pants Down
1976
30th Anniversary Edition
1985
1985
1989
2015
Limited Edition of 1500
1976
1983
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1984
1985
1979
2007
1984
1976