Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

The Love Bug Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 24, 2017

Of all the cars that have been super-popular over the decades, the VW Beetle (or Bug) seems like the oddball out. Agreeably compact and perhaps cute in some eyes, the car seemed to otherwise lack everything beyond distinctive features and an easily identifiable profile. Nevertheless, the car gained popularity in its heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s (and returned to much fanfare in the late 1990s with a sleeker look but still essentially the same shape). There's certainly much more history to the car than is necessary to recreate here, but one of the driving factors behind its popularity is undoubtedly its starring role in The Love Bug, the lovable little 1968 film that was the third-highest grossing picture of its year. It was one of the first "self aware" cars in entertainment, beating out KITT by a couple of decades but what it lacked in polish and technology it more than made up for in silent personality and heart. A joyful little movie in which the car is less a machine and more a companion on the journey through life (and trips around the race track), The Love Bug is another indelible Disney live-action treasure that's as entertaining today as it was nearly five decades ago, and thanks to Blu-ray, it practically looks brand new to boot.

Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) is a down-on-his-luck race car driver who is being pushed out of the sport; it's for younger people, he's told. But he's not ready to quit, even though he doesn't have a car to his name. One day, walking past an import dealership, he finds himself drawn to a beautiful yellow sports car that is astronomically expensive. He's dismissed by the dealership's snotty owner, Peter Thorndyke (David Tomlinson), but catches the eye of the lovely young lady working the showroom floor, Carole Bennett (Michele Lee). He also captures the attention of a little VW Beetle, a car that mysteioursly meanders into the showroom and nudges Jim on the leg. The haughty Thorndyke is disgusted that the car is even in his sight and orders it removed. But it escapes and follows Jim around town, landing him in vehicular misadventure and even comes home with him. That lands him in even more trouble, but he's able to skirt around it, trying to ditch the car back on Thorndyke, but to no avail. He and his friend, the affable Tennessee (Buddy Hackett), begin to realize that the car isn't just malfunctioning: it's somehow alive and nudging Jim in different directions, like into a relationship with Carole and wins on the racetrack with its unbelievable agility and speed. They name the car "Herbie," and as they begin to win races against Thorndyke himself, the car becomes subject of much interest and much desire from those who would otherwise dismiss it for its apparent lack of any usefulness or value beyond the daily commute.

The Love Bug in many ways epitomizes light cinematic flair. It's breezy, simple, charming. The laughs aren't overdone, but the movie's tone never shifts into too terribly serious territory, either, not when it concerns romance and not when it concerns competition and confrontation on and off the track. For a film built around a (then) implausible narrative, it plays fairly straight without digging too deeply into the technical morass and the how's and the why's. It's happy and comfortable simply going with the flow, a quality the audience picks up on almost immediately. The result is an endearing little escapist movie about a car with a mind of its own and a sense of humor, too. The film certainly plays around the periphery of some more serious, even dark, issues, but Herbie and his passengers engage in more zany mayhem and exciting racing scenes than they do deeply challenging material, and it's held up all these decades later and remains a staple of easygoing moviemaking done right.

The Love Bug Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Love Bug's 1080p Blu-ary presentation is another fine one from the Disney Movie Club. It's a beautiful viewing experience. Grain is a regular companion, light and accentuating the movie's filmic appearance. Textures are sharp and pleasing. Faces and clothes of all varieties -- suede, denim, cotton -- reveal effortless natural complexity. Old woods, car bodies (including mud and stickers), and various other interior and exterior elements present with satisfying sharpness that holds consistent throughout the movie. Color are bold and pleasing, particularly on brightly colored attire, but well-lit exterior shots show bountiful green foliage and even earthy support colors inside and out are wonderfully presented. Back levels are deep. Skin tones appear more or less fine, perhaps pushing a little warm. Print wear is essentially nonexistent, and even would-be tough elements like foggy San Francisco nights are no problem. This is the how classic film on Blu-ray should be.

The Love Bug Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Love Bug putters onto Blu-ray with an adequate, but by no means dynamic, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Despite the channels available, the track rarely drifts beyond a front-center location. Whether music or sound effects, notably cars racing about various tracks and engines revving, there's little-to-no stretch, dynamic activity, low end support, or even more than baseline clarity. It's very cramped and while not muddled, not exactly offering lifelike clarity, either, Ambient elements are small and absent much detail. Dialogue is suitably clear and detailed, hanging around the front-center with good prioritization.

The Love Bug Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Disney Movie Club exclusive Blu-ray release of The Love Bug contains no supplemental content.

The Love Bug Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Love Bug is a breezy and fun little film that might even be considered a minor classic. Its simple charms and effective humor carry the show, never allowing a few deeper and darker moments to overwhelm it. Disney's Blu-ray, currently exclusive to its online movie club, offers no supplemental content, but audio is passable and video is superb. Highly recommended.