7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.6 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
Thanks to a run of bad luck and go-nowhere jobs, John convinces Russell to join the army so they can get in shape, likening it to a health spa. Once in boot camp, wiseguy John tangles with his by-the-book Sgt. and becomes the unofficial leader for his platoon, made up mostly of other misfits and assorted losers. After somehow making it through graduation, they are given a special assignment but, thanks to John's romantic interest in a pretty MPO, the other men wind up behind the Iron Curtain until John, Russell, their dates and Sgt. Hulka make a daring rescue attempt in explosive style.
Starring: Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, John Candy, Judge Reinhold, P.J. SolesComedy | 100% |
War | 43% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Turkish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
You look like a typical low life character to me.
There are just certain occupations, certain trades, certain ways of life that some people just aren't cut out for. Hefty guys probably won't make a living
as the traveling circus' trapeze artist, skinny guys wouldn't stack up in the sumo wrestling world, math-illiterate folks probably shouldn't go into
accounting, shy
people might not make it as TV personalities, and self-professed clowns probably shouldn't join the army. That is, of course, unless those clowns
happen to be Bill Murray and friends. Stripes is Murray at his best, the movie in which the comic legend takes his pitch-perfect style to the
barracks where he dons fatigues and makes a mockery of the strict structure, hard work, and dedication of military life. Of course, making a mockery
of the army is, in this case, a good thing! Stripes is classic Murray, a Comedy built around a good script that's made many times better thanks
to Murray's uncanny knack for perfect comedic timing and physical humor. Backed up by a pair of the genre's best in Murray contemporaries Harold
Ramis and John Candy, Stripes is a winning -- but not quite perfect -- foray into the world of the U.S. military run amok thanks to a few bozos
who don't want to work to be all they can be, but who end up showing that being the perfect soldier -- earning their stripes -- isn't always about doing
things by the book.
Not exactly regulation dress there, Winger.
Stripes isn't the best looking movie ever to grace the Blu-ray format, but Sony's 1080p transfer nevertheless appears faithful to the source, which is almost all anyone could ask. Though the image is a little soft and fuzzy in a few spots, the bulk is rather sharp, clear, nicely detailed, and accentuated by a fairly heavy layer of grain, intermixed with some sporadic and occasionally unsightly noise. Detail ranges from adequate to exemplary; the brick walls and scattered elements around Winger's apartment as seen early in the film aren't extraordinarily impressive, but fine detail on army uniforms later in the movie can be downright breathtaking. Clarity is strong enough in the film's third act to clearly see that the many Garand rifles used in drills and practice are replicas/fakes. Colors seems bit more alive once the action shifts away from the city and into the army camp; even the olive drab uniforms that are so prominent throughout the picture take on a wonderfully natural tone. Slight background blocking is evident in one or two scenes, but not to a terribly debilitating extent. This is a somewhat uneven transfer. It never looks bad, but it does look old in a few places, particularly early on before the action shifts to the army camp. There's a hint of dirt here and there, too, but for the most part this is a good looking catalogue transfer that just asks viewers to take a little bit of "meh" with a whole lot of good.
Stripes enlists on Blu-ray with a Sony standard-issue DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Much like the video, it has its high and low points, but the good easily outweighs the bland. There are times, usually early in the movie, where things seem to get a bit shallow, where dialogue plays with a hint of detachment about it. It picks up considerably as the action moves forward, however. Music delivery is good, and Bernstein's theme music sounds great: it's rich, big, energetic, spacious, and clear. Surround support is evident in many spots, both in music support and in the delivery of both action and ambience. Light atmospherics aid in setting various scenes, and good, solid bass supports the rumbling of thunder and various explosions that occur throughout the movie. Missiles zip and artillery rounds zoom, both tearing paths through the soundstage in several scenes. It's certainly not a war move extraordinaire type of soundtrack, but for an aging Comedy the material sounds quite good. Dialogue remains firm and center-focused through most of the picture, though as noted it does tend to struggle just a hair out of the gate. Overall, this is a pretty solid audio offering from Sony.
Stripes delivers two rank-and-file extras, an audio commentary and a documentary covering the making of the film.
Stripes isn't the perfect Comedy, but what it lacks in polish and superior editing it more than makes up for through the wizardry of its leads. Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and John Candy carry the movie even when the script isn't quite up to snuff, and combined with a wonderful score by Elmer Bernstein, Stripes remains one of the 1980's better screwball Comedies. Sony's Best Buy exclusive Blu-ray release yields solid video and audio to go along with a few extras. Recommended.
1981
35th Anniversary Edition
1981
Theatrical Cut | Choice Collection
1981
1981
1985
1980
2013
1995
R-Rated Movie-Only Edition
2011
1995
2016
2015
1965-1971
2011
2009
2015
2014
1994
1988
1964-1969
25th Anniversary Edition
1987
Collector's Edition
1983
1941
1994