Senseless Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Senseless Blu-ray Movie Review

Trying to make sense of a midlevel Comedy.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 25, 2013

It would be easy to poke fun at Senseless simply by referring to it by its namesake, deriding it for offering "senseless" entertainment, to call it an assault on the senses, to inform viewers that their sixth sense is indeed correct that Senseless is a largely nonsensical cinema venture. Common sense would say that's all true, but judging a movie by its poster and cast and premise doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Senseless is not a grand achievement in the cinema medium, but it is a decent little time killer that offers a balanced story, fairly defined and developed characters, and a few good laughs. Comedy gold it is not, but viewers looking for a casual, no-thought sort of movie should find that Senseless at least fits the bill and delivers enough to leave a smile on the face at the end. Does all of that make sense?

A bad time to go blind.

Darryl Witherspoon (Marlon Wayans) is a super-busy student at Stratford University. He's on the clean-up crew and spends more time trotting prospective students around campus than he spends in class. He donates massive amounts of sperm and blood to scrape on by and help out his family, but it's looking more and more like it won't be enough. He is a bright and gifted individual with a mind for economics, but his background and the presence of fellow brown-noser rich-kid Scott Thorpe (David Space) all but guarantees he won't land a coveted position opening up at a prestigious Wall Street firm, Smythe-Bates, headed by Stratford graduate Randall Tyson (Rip Torn). One day, Darryl agrees to become a test subject for a new and dangerous supplement that promises to enhance his senses. It works. His senses of hearing, smell, and sight are exaggerated to the point that he cannot function; Darryl breaks down during an exam when every little, inconsequential noise, sight, and smell in the room -- a bright necklace, chewing gum, tapping feet, cracking bones, a ticking watch, bad breath, and an eraser scraping across paper -- distract him from the exam. But when he finds a command of his new, potent senses, he becomes a different man and a frontrunner for the highly competitive Wall Street job.

Comedies really don't get much more straightforward than this. It's a classic formula of a nobody becoming a somebody, both through external help and, as his story progresses, by learning more about himself and how to succeed on his own terms, not simply those of his miracle aid. As such, the formula is adhered to perfectly and the film never deviates from a predicable course that sees the character struggling to make it, learn to harness his abilities for success rather than struggle to cope with his new realities, suddenly enjoy the riches of his new powers, crash and burn, and finally pull himself back up, largely on his own merits rather than the power of his secret weapon. It's structurally unoriginal, but it is fun to see a rather unique "superpower" movie at work, one in which a new power isn't added but existing traits are merely multiplied for both comedic and dramatic effect. The end result is a predictable but nevertheless entertaining movie, one with a steady rhythm, not much of a heart or soul, but ultimately a capable entertainer from start to finish.

Technically, Senseless succeeds as a midlevel Comedy production. It's all very much straightforward with nothing special to report from Director Penelope Spheeris' (Black Sheep) handiwork. She shoots only to make sure she gets full coverage of Marlon Wayans' strong comedic performance that often sees him contorting his body, sticking out his tongue, squinting his eyes, or otherwise trying to physically exaggerate heightened and deteriorated senses. Wayans handles the part well enough, earning some laughs through his performance but limited mostly to those physical gags; the script simply doesn't give him enough verbal humor to further balance the picture. David Spade is quite good -- and seems at home -- playing the stuck-up rich kid who expects to win the day while treating his peers rather poorly. Matthew Lillard is funny as the "stylish" roommate/hockey player, while Rip Torn brings a positive, big presence to the central adult figure in the film.

Senseless Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Senseless arrives on Blu-ray with a fairly solid high definition transfer. This one is bright and quite lively. Whether vivd apparel or basic shades around the school, the transfer handles its palette nicely. Even the neon green "sense enhancing" liquid pops off the screen, whether in a vile or as a puddle on the floor. Details are quite good, generally, usually appearing sharp and crisp though not quite as perfectly film-like as they might be. The image takes on a slightly smoothed appearance, at times, but it never look excessively waxy or wholly unnatural. In fact, light grain remains over much of the film. There are a few random black pops, but otherwise the print is clean and free of most major defects. Black levels and skin textures both are fine. Very little in the way of other problems -- banding, blocking, edge halos -- are visible. All in all, this is a very nice transfer from Echo Bridge.

Senseless Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Senseless won't test the ears. This DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack is a basic, no-frills sort that supports the movie's basic needs but does little to challenge sound systems or please the audience's sense of hearing. Dialogue is the primary focus here, and it plays evenly and with a middle stage balance. Clarity is fine, and the spoken word is never garbled or lost underneath supportive elements. There's not much energy or range to music. The opening title notes don't dance as they should, and no subsequent notes find much in the way of pure energy and natural clarity. Some of the hockey scenes deliver a few nice ambient on-ice effects, and the sound of shooting pucks and clanks off the posts and crossbar come across naturally enough. That's about it for this one. Expect a very basic presentation and enjoy an adequately reproduced Comedy soundtrack.

Senseless Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Senseless contains only one supplement. Play N Hockey (SD, 5:05) offers a raw on-ice glimpse into the process of shooting the film's hockey segments and brief actor interview snippets.

Senseless Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

They don't come much more straightforward than Senseless, a fun but ultimately generic little Comedy that relies more on star Marlon Wayans' gifts for physical comedy and less on a script that gives him little verbal antics with which to work. The story is partially clever and is good enough to form a base of entertainment, but fans hoping for the next great Comedy will walk away disappointed. Go into Senseless expecting a passable time killer and enjoy the ride. Echo Bridge's Blu-ray release of Senseless is pretty standard for the studio. Good video, decent enough audio, and one supplement are included. It's hard not to recommend at this price point.