Up! Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Up! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 24, 2025

Note: Severin is continuing its curation of films owned by The Russ Meyer Trust, with another round of both 1080 and 4K UHD releases of a couple of films, resulting in four total releases (with the 4K packages including 1080 discs): Up! 4K, Up!, Motorpsycho! 4K, and Motorpsycho!. Severin continues its somewhat hilarious branding of these titles under a Bosomania "imprint" of sorts, which I continue to only maybe slightly jokingly wish came replete with a ™ symbol.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall the day an ultra conservative parent who, potentially distracted, purchases this disc and thrusts it (sorry) into the Blu-ray player, expecting to treat their children to a certain family approved Pixar production, only to be confronted with, well, a Russ Meyer film. I can almost hear the conversation now, with the parent's little Jimmy and Joanie (or whatever the kids' names might be) curiously asking Mom and/or Dad, "What is that ?" as one of the film's many shots of (how to put this delicately?) hirsute nether regions on various females fills the frame. As mentioned above, Severin Films has been curating new 4K and 1080 releases of a whole slew of Russ Meyer films, and the last bunch included Vixen, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens and Supervixens, with that last title being especially salient in terms of understanding where Russ Meyer was, career wise, when Up! was released.

Supervixens of course marked a rather successful "return to [X rated] form" for Meyer after he, well, flirted with mainstream releases courtesy of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and The Seven Minutes. Meyer seemed to actually be quite happy accepting his fate as a perceived schlockmeister, and he kind of goes for the gonzo gold with Up!, a film which has nonetheless not been that highly regarded by many diehard Meyer fans, and according to reportage online and repeated in the supplements in this package, even by Meyer himself.

Part of that disconnect may be due to the fact that Up! is so gonzo that it becomes hard to even digest it all after a while. What really may chafe against some modern day sensibilities in particular, though, is a rather liberal does of sexual aggression and even violence in this story that, while in its own way completely cartoonish and typically Meyer-esque, might still interact a bit uneasily with some of the goofier comedic elements. Meyer's insouciance is indicated right up front (no bosom pun intended) with the introduction of a naked Kitty Natividad as The Greek Chorus, a narrator type who only partially helps to clarify what's going on.

The main "plot", such as it is, begins with a completely over the top vignette involving an evidently aged Adolf Hitler (Edward Schaaf) hiding out incognito and under an assumed name in some Northern California version of Neuschwanstein Castle, where he engages in a variety of provocative sex acts, including with Paul (Robert McLane), until, that is, someone unleashes (unfishtanks?) a piranha into 'Dolf's bubble bath. The narrative then segues to busty Margo Winchester (Raven De La Croix) arriving in town and immediately getting hit on by a variety of men, including Sheriff Homer Johnson (Monty Bane). Suffice it to say all sorts of coupling ensues, both hetero and otherwise, with Paul's wife Alice (Janet Wood) also entering the fray. The apparent murder of Der Fuhrer rather remarkably does finally reenter the picture, though by that point few may have ceased to care or even remember it.

Up! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Up! is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. A prefatory text card provides the following information:

This 4K restoration was produced by Severin Films, on behalf of Severin Films and RM Films International.

The film was scanned from the 35mm original camera negative at Illuminate Studios Hollywood, with color and restoration work by Severin Films. The audio was sourced from 35mm release prints to make a complete composite track.

The back cover of this release also touts that this film, like the other Meyer offerings from Severin, is being offering in high definition and UHD for the first time courtesy of this release. Whatever passing qualms you may have about the quality of the actual film, this is another standout presentation of Meyer's canon from Severin and the Russ Meyer Trust, though I'll cut to the chase and recommend those with the appropriate setups who are interested in this release to opt for Severin's 4K UHD package, as it also includes a 1080 disc. There are a few minor variances in color temperature, clarity and grain structure which are frankly probably a bit more noticeable in the 4K version, but, wow, when this transfer pops, it really pops. A lot of the outdoor material is gorgeously saturated, and blues and reds in particular are just amazingly vibrant throughout. The opening moments in Hitler's domain are a bit on the dowdy brown side, and occasionally that same just slightly faded quality attends a few of the outdoor scenes as well. There is some very minor age related wear and tear, mostly in the form of virtually miniscule nicks and the like. Grain resolves naturally, though the film does have its fair share of opticals where grain can spike noticeably, including some brief split screen moments.

Up! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Up! features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that can show just the slightest hint of brashness in some of the scoring (like the somewhat hilarious opening fanfare which sounds like we're about to watch a Shaw Brothers movie). Otherwise, though, the film offers fine support for a variety of ambient environmental effects (including lots of heavy breathing). Dialogue (such as it is) is delivered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Up! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Elizabeth Purchell


• No Fairy Tale. . .This! (HD; 18:05) is a fun interview with Raven De La Croix. This was produced by Blue Underground and Arrow Video.


• Radio Spot (HD; 00:30) plays to key art.

Note: Severin sent its 4K UHD release for purposes of this 1080 review, but it looks like this standalone 1080 release does not feature a slipcover.

Up! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some "discerning cineastes" may quibble with a pull quote on the back cover of this release calling Up! "an artistic triumph", but it's still goofily enjoyable most of the time in a time honored Russ Meyer way. The uneven tone of the film along with some pretty graphic sexual violence may make this seem like less of a lark than other Meyer outings. Technical merits are first rate (video probably a bit more than audio), for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.