5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
In the suburb of Black Falls, all the houses look the same and everyone works for BLACK BOX Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated, whose Mr. Black's BLACK BOX is the ultimate communication and do-it-all gadget that's sweeping the nation. Other than keeping his parents employed, however, Mr. Black's BLACK BOX has done nothing for 11-year-old Toe Thompson, who just wants to make a few friends... until a mysterious rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky, hits him in the head and changes everything. The Rainbow Rock does Mr. Black's BLACK BOX one better: it grants wishes to anyone who holds it. Before long, wishes-gone-wrong have left the neighborhood swarming with tiny spaceships, crocodile armies, giant boogers... and outrageous magical mayhem around every corner. But it's not until the grown-ups get their hands on the Rock that the trouble really starts. Now Toe and his newfound friends must join forces to save their town from itself, discovering along the way that what you wish for is not always what you want.
Starring: Kat Dennings, Leslie Mann, Rebel Rodriguez, Jimmy Bennett, Jon CryerFamily | 100% |
Comedy | 61% |
Fantasy | 35% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy (on disc)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Imagine if you will an alternate universe in which an ever-chipper Quentin Tarantino abandoned his rental digs to assault moviegoers, not with a gut-punch tour de force called Reservoir Dogs, but with a hyperactive kids' flick brimming with tiny UFOs, towering robots, and a rock capable of making wishes come true. Imagine that and you'll have a fairly good idea of what to expect from Shorts, a scattershot joyride from writer/director/producer/cinematographer/editor/composer Robert Rodriguez designed to give eight-year-old boys the grade school equivalent of Pulp Fiction. Flashy, obvious, exaggerated, transparent, over stylized, and decidedly juvenile, it's a rainbow-ripened production without much subtlety or soul. But, as most any parent will agree, any film that leaves their five-year-old screaming "this... is... AWESOME!" deserves some extra leeway.
Don't ask...
Shorts features an at-times problematic 1080p/VC-1 transfer that will leave viewers wondering whether the film was released theatrically or tossed onto home video straight away. Primaries are sometimes lacking (particularly for a colorful kids' flick), blacks aren't always properly resolved, contrast often overheats or flatlines, and skintones vary from scene to scene. In fact, Rodriguez's young actors occasionally look as if they've been modeled from plastic. Whether it traces back to rosy-cheeked vibrance or the director's persistent post-production tinkering, the results are the same. It doesn't help that several computer-generated creatures suffer from dated animation and cartoonish, low budget CG. That being said, any production related shortcomings should be attributed to the source itself rather than Warner's technical transfer. Thankfully, overall clarity is impressive, edge definition is sharp, textures are fairly refined (albeit a tad inconsistent), and several key shots are positively striking. Yes, artifacting occasionally peppers the bright skies and noticeable banding pops up in each segment's title card, but the image is, by and large, quite clean. Aliasing, noise, crush, and significant macroblocking are nowhere to be found, and ringing, while present throughout, rarely interferes with the integrity of the presentation. Regardless, I was a bit underwhelmed. Warner's presentation is decent, above average even, but won't wow discerning videophiles of any age.
Shorts' sound design is as full of Saturday morning listlessness as its visuals, but Warner's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track seems more capable than its video transfer. Dialogue is clear, intelligible at all times, and nicely prioritized amongst the lumbering robots, giant wasps, legions of UFOs, and waddling crocodiles that frequent the film. Likewise, LFE output is robust and rear speaker activity is engaging. I wouldn't go so far as to call either one remarkable, but considering the Cocoa Puff charm of Toe and Loogie's misadventures, both are more than adequate. The track really comes to life after the first two vignettes -- with the sudden arrival of an insta-castle, a botched business soiree, a ravenous snot monster, and an boys-choir "Helvetica" chant that invades every channel -- and seems to take pleasure in drawing its young listeners deep within the chaotic confines of its soundfield. Directionality is sometimes as two-dimensional as the film's character development, but remains well within the bounds of a live-action cartoon. Pans are buttery, dynamics are effective, and high-pitched wheens and sheengs are perfectly stable. All things considered, I doubt Shorts could sound any better than it does here.
Shorts skirts by with a slim supplemental package aimed squarely at the kiddies. "The Magic of Shorts" (HD, 9 minutes) is a standard, clip-heavy special effects featurette hosted by an overly reserved, soft-spoken Rodriguez; "Show and Tell" (HD, 5 minutes) introduces the film's young cast, follows the overactive troublemakers around the set, and reveals what they would wish for if given the opportunity; "Cooking School" (HD, 10 minutes) finds the director and his daughter making Chocolate Chip Volcano Cookies (treats that admittedly look super tasty); and "Film School" (HD, 10 minutes) gives Rodriguez the chance to show kids how to make the most of their homemade movies. From beginning to end, my son adored every feature. I was less than enthused. Ah well, at least all of the disc's video content is presented in high definition.
Shorts is big, dumb, whizzbang fun primarily aimed at five to nine-year-old boys. It succeeds in almost everything it sets out to do, but falls far too short on far too many occasions to stand alongside cinema's true family classics. Alas, the Blu-ray edition is a mixed bag as well. While it includes a strong TrueHD audio track, its video transfer is weak in the knees and its supplemental package consists of a whopping thirty-four minutes of kid-friendly features. Ultimately, children will cheer, but adults will be less than enthused.
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