Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The 'Burbs Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 17, 2014

Joe Dante's "The 'Burbs" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new audio commentary with writer Dana Olsen; newly produced documentary feature; the American director's rough cut of the film; isolated music and effects track; and more. The release also arrives with a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kenneth J. Souza, and an article looking at the collaborations of Joe Dante and composer Jerry Goldsmith, illustrated with original archive stills and posters. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Strange neighborhood

The Klopeks have recently moved to Mayfield Place, but the residents of this quiet and very beautiful suburb are not convinced that they belong there. They can’t tell exactly why, but they can feel it -- there is something about the Klopeks that just isn’t right.

Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump) is officially on vacation, but he isn’t leaving the neighborhood. He has told his wife Carol (Carrie Fisher, Star Wars: The Complete Saga) that he wants to stay home and relax, but he is planning to spy on the Klopeks and at the right time maybe even check out their basement – the place where odd people like them would hide things. Ray has also convinced the other two normal guys on the block to help him out, Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun, Groundhog Day), who loves eating, and Lt. Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern, The Driver), a retired military man who loves playing with gadgets.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to find out more about the Klopeks and their activities inside the house, the paranoid friends switch to plan B. Escorted by Carol and Mark’s wife, Bonnie (Wendy Schaal, Innerspace), they visit the Klopeks with a plate of cookies. The friendly meeting only further solidifies their opinion that the Klopeks are not to be trusted.

Eventually, the suspicious neighbors leave their house and Ray, Art, and Mark switch to plan C. After Art disables their alarm system, they break into their house and begin looking for the evidence which will prove that they were right to be paranoid.

The ‘Burbs was scripted as a comedy during the Reagan era, but sums up perfectly a wide range of unhealthy suspicions that still exist in American Suburbia. Some of the arguments that supposedly justify the suspicions are delivered as jokes, but they are very much a fact of everyday life.

The film’s main ambition, however, is to entertain its audience, and this it certainly does very well. Excluding a few sequences where Ducommun tries too hard to be funny, the actors look genuinely relaxed and consistently in sync with each other. There are no true stars either. Hanks is very entertaining and provides the film with a lot of its exotic flavor, but Dern is equally likable as the nutty military man. Even Corey Feldman looks really comfortable playing a character that is only occasionally asked to step in front of the camera.

The film stumbles a bit at the end where everything comes together very quickly and then collapses with a bang. It just feels like Joe Dante and his team chose to play it safe instead of pulling up a twisted finale that could have made the aliens and the chaos look far more outrageous. Dante shot the film with cinematographer Robert M. Stevens during a big writers’ strike which had virtually paralyzed the industry. Large portions of the film are incredibly colorful and vibrant, at times reminding of Frank Tashlin’s work.

The film’s energetic orchestral score was created by Oscar winning composer Jerry Goldsmith (Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct, Franklin J. Schaffner’s Papillon).

The 'Burbs Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Joe Dante's The 'Burbs arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

The new high-definition transfer looks very, very good. Image depth and clarity are consistently pleasing, even in areas of the film where light is obviously restricted (such as the footage from inside the Klopek house). Close-ups and larger panoramic shots with plenty of natural light look wonderful. Colors are stable, vibrant, and very healthy. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Sharpening adjustments have not been performed either. Density could be better -- and this is the only area that could have been improved after a higher quality scanning of the original negative -- but from start to finish the film has a wonderful and more importantly very solid organic appearance. Lastly, there are no stability or transition issues to report in this review. All in all, this is a very convincing technical presentation of Joe Dante's film which is guaranteed to make its fans happy. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The 'Burbs Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Depth and clarity are excellent. Dynamic intensity does not disappoint either. In fact, there are portions of the film where dynamic movement and separation are surprisingly good. For example, listen to the orchestral score and the different sounds/noises around the 18-minute mark, where Ray and Art approach the Klopek house. The dialog is consistently crisp, clean, stable and very easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, background hiss, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

The 'Burbs Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Writer Dana Olsen - in this audio commentary, writer Dana Olsen talks about growing up in a small town near Chicago and being exposed to all sorts of different films, and recalls what it was like working with Tom Hanks, Corey Feldman (with excellent comments about his California hipster image), Carrie Fihser and Wendy Schaal. Dana Olsen also discusses Joe Dante's directing methods explains why his films appeal to film buffs, his script, the building of the Klopek house, the socio-political climate in America at the time when the film was shot, etc. The commentary is moderated by Calum Waddell. In English, not subtitled.

• There Goes the Neighborhood - this newly produced documentary focuses on the production history of The 'Burbs and its cult status. Included in it are new interviews with director Joe Dante, director of photography Robert M. Stevens, production designer James H. Spencer, and actors Corey Feldman, Wendy Schaal, and Courtney Gains. In English, not subtitled. (67 min).

• Feature Workprint - presented here is Joe Dante's "rough cut" of The 'Burbs which features different extended, alternate and deleted sequence. The transfer comes from the director's personal VHS tape, which the only available copy of the "rough cut". In English, not subtitled. (Dolby Digital 1.0/106 min).

• A Tale of Two 'Burbs - this video piece highlights the many differences between the "rough cut" and final version of The 'Burbs. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Alternate Ending - presented here is the alternate ending of The 'Burbs which was included on the original U.S. DVD release. The footage is presented in HD for the very first time. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Theatrical Trailer - original theatrical trailer for The 'Burbs. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Booklet - collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kenneth J. Souza, author of Scared Silly: The Films of Joe Dante, and an article looking at the collaborations of Joe Dante and composer Jerry Goldsmith, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

• Isolated Music and Effects Track - presented as LPCM 2.0.

The 'Burbs Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Joe Dante's The 'Burbs might have been scripted as a horror comedy, but it actually produces some remarkably accurate observations about American Suburbia. The film has been recently restored in 2K by Arrow Video and looks wonderful in high-definition. Currently, there are two Blu-ray versions on the market: Limited SteelBook Edition and standard Blu-ray release. RECOMMENDED.