Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

School Daze 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

A moderate but welcome 4K video upgrade...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 17, 2023

I'm either slipping in my middle age, my ignorance is showing or I've been living under a proverbial rock for the last thirty-five years because my first thought after watching School Daze for my first time ever (yeah, yeah... some things just fall through the cracks) was simply: Spike Lee directed a musical? Oh yes, those of you who will proudly raise a fist and join me as we crawl from beneath the stones that have sat atop our backs for so long, and not only a musical, but a wild musical; full of dance numbers, yes, but more importantly full of heart, thought-provoking themes, deep explorations of race that remain relevant today, and big questions with difficult answers. By the time Lawrence Fishburne's Dap and Giancarlo Esposito's Big Brother Almighty break the fourth wall at film's end and stare at us, leaving those questions in our hands, School Daze has left its profound mark. Easily one of Spike Lee's best -- and that's coming from someone who came to the film with zero nostalgia and a fresh 2023 viewing experience -- School Daze is a must-see '80s classic and a true highlight in Lee's impressive, always challenging, never flinching filmography.

Innovative filmmaker, Spike Lee (She's Gotta Have It), brings to the screen a music-filled, offbeat contemporary comedy that takes an unforgettable look at Black college life. Amidst gala coronations, football, fraternities, parades and parties, the stars of the film-Laurence Fishburne ("Dap" Dunlap), an intense student who encourages his buddies, "DaFellas", to fight for his beliefs; Giancarlo Esposito (Julian "Big Brother Almighty" Eaves), out to strengthen the Greek system with his Gamma PhiGamma fraternity brothers; Spike Lee ("Half-Pint"), driven to become a "Gamma man"; and Tisha Campbell (Jane Toussaint), leader of the sorority, "Gamma Rays," find themselves caught up in romance and relationships/rituals and rivalries during one outrageous homecoming weekend. With dynamic music, including EU's hit "Da Butt", and dance numbers choreographed by Otis Sallid (Fame), Lee successfully challenges viewpoints about self-identity and self-esteem in this original, contemporary musical comedy.

From Martin Liebman's 2018 review of the film: Lee crafts the film with an authentic feeling and populates it with deeply layered characters. Despite many superficial frivolities, including several song-and-dance numbers, the film finds purposeful structure and storytelling but does not always flow well. Structurally, it’s more of an acquired taste. Narratively, it’s a powerhouse. School Daze is not a traditional college-based entertainment vessel, the typical boneheaded comedy about pledges and life on campus. It’s instead a very layered and purposeful film that demands its audience explore around the periphery to understand what it’s doing and saying about race from the inside, as its hears from the clashing voices from within the African-American community depicted in the film. Lee works hard -- on both sides of the camera -- to say something important in the film while crafting an engagingly unique story. It doesn’t always work, but the narrative depth, character details, and the draw of the passion that flows from every scene is enough to overcome a few stumbling blocks along the way.

For School Daze, Lee and Casting Director Robi Reed assembled an incredible amount of talent, not the least of which includes Lee himself. In addition to writing and directing, he portrays a key character in the film, a fresh-faced and diminutively sized Gamma pledge who is also Dab’s cousin. Dab is portrayed by the now-legendary Laurence Fishburne, then a relatively fresh yet obviously very talented face coming off the shoot of Apocalypse Now (which he filmed while only 14 years of age). Fishburne dominates the film, as he tends to in all of his roles, with a command of character and screen. He is more than a presence. He is also a believable individual with real flesh-and-blood depth wrapped around the inner complexities that drive him and his character. The film boasts several other great performances, dramatic and choreographed alike, shaping a fresh, thought-provoking picture that has withstood the test of time and remains a seminal piece of filmmaking decades removed from its original release.

School Daze 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 4K UltraHD 35th anniversary edition 2160p natively sourced video tranfer of School Daze (presented at 1.85:1), offers a small but welcome upgrade from its standard edition 30th anniversary counterpart, released in 2018. Those praying for a massive, eye-popping boost in clarity will be a bit disappointed but, considering the original photography and man-on-the-campus nature of the roving camera shots and vividly contrast scenes that make up the film, this is conceivably as good as School Daze could and will ever look. Grain is fierce, yes, but filmic; even consistent, barring a handful of low lit scenes where it grows a bit aggressive. Likewise, detail is terrific, with largely clean edge definition (a few halos are still visible in wide shots), refined textures (just look at those closeups and all the facial pocks and pores they bring with them), and solid delineation, even when black levels are at their darkest and deepest. Colors really pop too, bolstered by HDR10 support. Some of the red crush you could spot in the costumes of an early dance sequence and, towards the end of the film, in a bright red leather coat, seems to have been reigned in, though it does survive. Still, swaths of color in badges, flags, varsity letters and in the school colors flashing in football stands and at school rallies are vibrant and attractive. Skintones are lifelike, despite some variances in palette tone here and there, and the only dips in color, clarity and contrast trace back to the original photography, not an issue with the transfer. Moreover, I didn't spot any instances of banding, compression issues or other unsightly nuisances, which of course should be a base expectation with a roomy 4K disc and tip top presentation.

Truth be told, I'm not sure the moderate bump in quality is so perceptible as to demand a purchase if you already own the previously released Blu- ray. But it does offer just enough of a boost to justify the price of admission, especially if you don't own School Daze. Fans will find this to be a tempting upgrade. Buy with confidence.

School Daze 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 35th Anniversary Edition 4K Blu-ray release of School Daze features (presumably and to my ear) the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that accompanied its 2018 Blu-ray counterpart. From Liebman's 30th anniversary review: The track yields some very nice depth, detail, and spacing to the opening title music, followed by a healthy width and reverb when Dab speaks through a megaphone to rally the school. The track grows very lively in some of its musical numbers, notably a hair salon number in chapter four. It's energetic, widely spaced, gently immersive, and a lot of fun. Music is often accompanied by good supportive percussion depth, large-space width, and mild but critical surround engagement. There is some nice depth and echoing to be heard in a basement-like area in chapter five, when the Gamma recruits are "on trial." Atmospherics are modest but audible and well positioned to better draw the listener into the film's locations. Dialogue is clear and center-focused with only a few occurrences of spotty prioritization through the most aggressive music and support details.

School Daze 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 35th Anniversary Edition release of School Daze unfortunately doesn't offer any new supplemental content; a shame, considering the additional five extra years of love supposedly being shown the film. Still, it was a solid supplemental package in 2018 and remains one now.

• Audio Commentary - Goodness, Marty wasn't kidding when he called this one dull. Director Spike Lee mumbles his way through a spotty, soft-spoken track with too many pauses in his commentary to hold my attention very long. Lee is an incredible filmmaker, and has been a part of some truly riveting interviews, but here he sounds uncomfortable or, worse, like he'd rather be anywhere else. It still offers some nice little anecdotes and production details, but otherwise you're more likely to drop out of this one midway through than finishing.
• Audio Commentary - Tisha Campbell, Rusty Cundieff, Bill Nunn, Darryl M. Bell and Kadeem Hardison are much more engaging on their cast commentary. Yeah, they wander off on tangents and have too much of a good time to always stay laser focused but they have a lot to share, particularly when it comes to the film's messaging and meaning, their personal experiences and their chemistry as an ensemble.
• Anniversary of School Daze Q&A with Cast & Crew (HD, 33 minutes) - Lee, Campbell and Hardison are joined by casting director Robi Reed for an interesting Q&A on the tails of a screening of the film.
• Birth of a Nation (HD, 24 minutes) - Steal that title, Spike. Hell yeah. Better in your hands. Key members of the cast and crew discuss everything from filming to the deeper messages and themes of the film.
• College Daze (HD, 19 minutes) - Lee recalls his HBCU experiences at Morehouse. Other members of the cast and crew pop up to reminisce about theirs as well. This one, more than anything, made me want to watch an old episode of A Different World. It's not The Cosby Show, so it's... okay? Beats me.
• Making a Mark (HD, 20 minutes) - Another solid behind-the-scenes featurette.
• Music Videos (HD 14 minutes) - Three music videos round things out: "Be One" by Phyllis Hyman, "Da Butt" by EU and "Be Alone Tonight." with The Rays, Tisha Campbell, Jasmine Guy, Paula Brown and Angela Ali.

School Daze 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Please wake up. Please wake up. That keeps going round and round my mind even now, looking at the screenshot above. What a powerful message to end Spike Lee's 1988 musical comedy, which in most other hands wouldn't have taken such time and care to explore so many troubling, difficult and still timely themes and questions. Have we woken up? I don't think so. There are times it feels as if we as a culture have fallen into an even deeper coma. But there is hope, and Lee's request to please wake up remains as poignant and important today as ever. Sony's 4K Blu-ray release is an excellent one, thanks to a strong video presentation (that represents a small but welcome upgrade), a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and the same bountiful extras that were included on the 2018 Blu-ray. A new retrospective or two would have been nice but I'm not going to get worked up about it. Whether you're a fan happy for any upgrade you can get or a newcomer who, like me, somehow missed the fact that Spike Lee directed a musical thirty-five years ago (and a terrific one at that), this one comes highly recommended.