Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		1.5

The Mod Squad Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 6, 2015

Variety recently did a story on Claire Danes, as Homeland: The Complete Fourth Season hit the Blu-ray marketplace and the series’ fifth season gets underway on Showtime. The article’s thesis was that Danes should count her lucky stars that the television entry that first brought her quite a bit of notice, the late, lamented (and short lived) series My So Called Life, fell victim to low ratings, unable to withstand NBC’s “must see TV” sitcom juggernaut, ultimately being canceled after only 19 episodes. Variety made the case that had My So Called Life premiered in today’s fractured broadcast and cable landscape, its ratings probably would have been more than strong enough to have guaranteed its continued survival, something that would have locked Danes into a long term commitment that could have prevented her from stretching her thespian muscles in other entries, including of course Homeland itself. Of course some cynical naysayers could take the opposite tack and argue that had My So Called Life lived long and prospered, it might have prevented Danes from making The Mod Squad, one of the more bone headed reboots culled from a long ago television series of its era. Its era—circa 1999—is one of its chief drawbacks, for (as Baby Boomers will know), the original series aired at the tail end of the wake left by the Summer of Love, premiering in fall 1968 and running for five seasons well into the seventies and the dawn of the Watergate age. That disconnect proves to be a fatal flaw for this misbegotten film, for the late nineties would most likely hardly qualify in anyone’s mind as a “mod” time.

The original Mod Squad utilized a perhaps politically incorrect (or at least slightly questionable) tag line, “one black, one white, one blonde”, and at least this reboot doesn’t try to outdo that particular calling card. The original series was an interesting effort in perhaps calming the fears of “elders”, showing them that these seemingly out of control young whippersnappers might have a redeeming grace or two lurking beneath their shaggy hair and hippified clothing. The film traffics in a completely different ambience, making the “white” kid, Pete Cochran (Giovanni Ribisi), a kind of goof who provides comedy relief that is, unfortunately, rarely very funny. At least the formulation of Cochran in the screenplay by Stephen Kay, Scott Silver (who also directed) and Kate Lanier provides a bit of color, something that’s sorely lacking in the oddly generic takes on Julie Barnes (Claire Danes) and Linc Hayes (Omar Epps).

The Mod Squad kind of wants to have it cake, left out in the rain or otherwise, and eat it, too, for it utilizes not only the three main police youths from the television version, but also Captain Adam Greer (Dennis Farina), while at the same time reimagining a different fate for Greer which may irk some fans the same way the Mission: Impossible franchise did with Jim Phelps. Even this putative attempt at an “update”, one which admittedly drives the main thrust of the plot forward, simply comes off as ridiculous and contrived.

Even more predictable is the ultimate plot arc concerning bad cops and illicit gains, all made while the Mod Squad is under duress from both external forces and internal dysfunction. The screenplay regularly returns to supposed “comedy” relief in the form of stupid tricks like Linc’s car getting put through a carwash unprotected and having its interior scrubbed courtesy of a flood. Ribisi’s kind of twitchy take on Cochran doesn’t help matters.

There’s a drinking game to be had for observant viewers. Over and over again various members of the Mod Squad display their disaffection for whatever is going on by lowering their head in an angst filled moment of intense introspection. This at least serves as emotional shorthand after a while, since it becomes more and more clear that the screenplay is not going to provide the requisite content. Taking a sip of your favorite libation every time this gambit is presented will at least probably help to make the second half of the film glide by a bit more quickly.

While neither the “mystery” nor the eventual “bad guys” is ever much (or indeed any kind) of mystery, what’s perhaps actually perplexing about this Mod Squad is how dark it is. The three young cops seems to exist only at night, living in clubs or in other dimly lit environments. One of the kind of interesting things about the old television show is how California sunny it often was, almost like Linc, Julie and Pete were three surfers who just happened to have badges. In this iteration, California dreamin’ is something closer to a nightmare.

The Mod Squad Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Mod Squad is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Culled from the Metro Goldwyn Mayer catalog, The Mod Squad looks acceptable but fairly rough quite a bit of the time. Contrast is variable and at least at times anemic, casting a haze over already dark, ill defined sequences that offer very little in the way of general detail, let alone fine detail. Director Scott Silver's penchant to shoot in odd lighting schemes (especially artificial washes of blue) further depletes fine detail, even in extreme close- ups. While outdoor scenes fare a bit better in terms of real "pop" in the visuals, elements appear to have faded, though blues still look relatively vivid. Grain is quite gritty and heavy throughout the presentation, though resolves generally organically.

The Mod Squad Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Mod Squad's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track offers some good surround activity in a couple of larger set pieces, as well as the film's ubiquitous use of source cues that play out in scenes like a couple of club sequences. LFE gets a burst or two of energy courtesy of moments like explosions. Dialogue is generally easy to hear, but there occasional slight prioritization issues in some of the noisier moments, like some of those selfsame club sequences.

The Mod Squad Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 2:01)

The Mod Squad Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Mod Squad probably could have worked, but from my perspective, it needed to be done as a period piece, placed firmly in that late sixties' milieu that made the original version's first couple of seasons so redolent. That could have allowed the filmmakers to have either played it straight, offering a cogent critique of so-called "youth culture", or, had they wanted to further the whole supposedly wacky comedy angle as evidenced by this version's Pete Cochran, they could have gone gonzo, offering satires of late sixties entries like Psych-Out. One way or the other, the nineties and The Mod Squad are uncomfortable bedfellows at best, an aspect only further exacerbated by Method-y performances by the star trio and some really hamfisted screenplay structuring. Technical merits are acceptable (video) to excellent (audio) for those considering a purchase.