5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Four delinquents from the worst university in the area have one chance to bring honor to their institution, in an intercollegiate whitewater raft race.
Starring: Tim Matheson, Dan Monahan, Sandy Helberg, Stephen Furst, Jeff EastTeen | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The producers of “Up the Creek” were smart. Instead of trying to mimic “Animal House” and “Porky’s” with a group of nobodies, they went out and hired the actors partially responsible for the success of those films. Playing into trends of the era, 1984’s “Up the Creek” is quite open about its creative pilfering, arranging a playful rafting chase that barely pays attention to the water, more consumed with pranks, bare breasts, and frat-house shenanigans, looking to become the next big thing in beer-stained, sophomoric entertainment. It’s refreshing to find a picture that’s honest about its intentions, but clarity of direction doesn’t make the feature any funnier. Strangely designed to avoid the one element of the plot that gives the effort a distinct personality, “Up the Creek” is a winded affair that’s always one step behind punchlines and sight gags, far too obsessed with other movies in the marketplace to land an inspired moment.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a recent scan of the film, delivering a fresher look at low-budget antics, which provides a decent amount of detail. Facial particulars, group encounters, and outdoor adventures retain reasonable textures, not overwhelmed with softness. Colors are secure, providing healthy primaries and encouraging greenery, while more artificial hues from bar lighting are defined to satisfaction. Delineation is crisp, preserving evening encounters. Grain is fine and filmic. Source is stable, with only mild speckling detected. Some light judder is found during the main titles.
Sharpness is a concern with the 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix, with dialogue exchanges on the crispy side, missing fullness. Intelligibility is never threatened, but dramatic power is missing, and the track hits a few patches of muddiness as well. Soundtrack selections also suffer from thinness, but rock and pop details are open for study. Atmospherics are acceptable, surveying bar crowds and water chases.
"Up the Creek has the right idea. It returns Matheson to a position of broheim power, with Bob messing with the establishment and privileged rivals, romancing a willing woman in his own special way. There's some slapstick, and Furst is practically rabid in the fat-guy-is-fat role, stuffing himself with food while clad in ill-fitting t-shirts. And Butler is interested in satisfying genre demands, offering nudity and bad behavior along the way, trying to raise some hell to simulate a raucous atmosphere. And yet, "Up the Creek" doesn't develop into a runaway train of misbehavior. It's unusually cautious and mishandled in the directorial department, finding Butler focusing on inconsequential details instead of building a compelling movie about a rowdy river race. "Up the Creek" almost feels like a bait-and-switch, with marketing and the plot promising high jinks on the water, while the producers actually deliver a dreary college war film that mostly takes place on land.
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