Urban Legend Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Urban Legend Blu-ray Movie Review

Is 'Urban Legend' a legendary Blu-ray?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 2, 2008

It's like someone is taking all these stories and making them reality.

Scream ushered in a new generation of horror franchises. Prior to Scream, brutal and unforgiving films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Hellraiser were the films we thought of when we wanted to watch mindless, gory slasher stories. Following Scream movies like Urban Legend, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Disturbing Behavior displayed what I think of as the "dumbed down" version of horror, films that are far less gory, intense, and frightening. Of all the hip, teen-centric slasher movies of the decade, Urban Legend may be one of the better ones. Excluding Scream, which parodied and poked fun at its own genre and also managed to, for a time, redefine its own genre, most of these movies feature an interchangeable cast, uninteresting characters, clichéd direction, very little blood, virtually no gore, and somewhat entertaining but ultimately forgettable story lines and death scenes. 1998's Urban Legend is no different, but a few things set it apart from the crowd to make it a bit more watchable than most.

To see a picture of the killer, our heroes will scroll down to the final words section of this review.

Pendleton College is a bastion of higher learning with a dark secret. Although the school was recently ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the safest in the country, the student body annually celebrates a mass murder spree that supposedly occurred inside one of the residence halls in the 1970s. Covered up, expunged from the records, and discussed out of earshot of the student body in hushed whispers and in closed-door sessions only, the story has taken on the earmarks of an urban legend, a story everyone believes to be true through hearsay but with no hard evidence to support its foundation. For student Natalie Simon (Alicia Witt, 88 Minutes), the tales of urban legends and school murders she learns about in Professor William Wexler's (Robert Englund, Masters of Horror: Season One, Volume III) class become disturbingly real. As her friends are picked off one by one by a hooded, shadowy, ax-wielding maniac, Natalie must come come to terms with her past and, with the help of student newspaper reporter Paul Gardener (Jared Leto, American Psycho) and friend Brenda Bates (Rebecca Gayheart, Scream 2), confront her future.

"Oh my God." Perhaps no other phrase in the history of motion pictures can be identified with a genre more so than this one. You hear it in practically every horror movie trailer, usually over a nearly black screen and whispered in a hush by a female character. In Urban Legend, this trademark line is the first line of dialogue uttered by an on-screen character, and from that moment on, the audience can reasonably expect a goofy, clichéd, 90s-style slasher flick. Indeed, the film doesn't disappoint, reveling in all that makes such a film so generic, but the difference here is that the production team and the actors never pretend to be making something we're meant to take seriously. The one-dimensional characters scattered throughout the movie manage to be a step above their peers, maybe because they don't play their parts completely straight. They don't play this as parody, either, but they leave just a bit of room open for us to crack a smile at the absurdity of the movie. The movie takes on a serious tone, but the astute audience realizes that tongue is planted in cheek, perhaps not firmly, but enough to tell us that the movie is meant to be a hip, fun, and a none-to-serious time waster.

Urban Legend gains instant credibility and appeal thanks to the presence of horror icon Robert Englund and the veteran character actor John Neville, star of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. As expected, they carry the picture in their all-too-brief yet important appearances, Englund portraying a rather fascinating character who teaches the very subject of urban legends and Neville co-starring as the school's dean. Minor yet important characters, we can guess their fates before the movie begins, but it's always a treat to see two veterans amidst a cast of wet-behind-the-ears teen actors, especially in a throwaway movie such as this one. Urban Legend follows every rule in the book, and follows them well. The movie contains all the necessary formula characters and even provides the creepy, "could he be the killer?" decoy, and surprises audiences with the revelation of who the killer is, and provides the character with a decent enough motivation that ties the entire movie together in a neat, tidy, 99 minute package.

Urban Legend Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Urban Legend hacks onto Blu-ray with a 1080p, 2.40:1 high definition transfer. Solid yet unremarkable best describes this one. This is a fairly average high definition presentation, which means it blows away standard definition DVDs and holds its own against the majority of Blu-ray discs on the market today. Flesh tones are generally accurate with a hint of red every now and again, and detail is above average but not exceptional. I noted a few spots on the print, but it is in generally excellent shape. Definition is not exceptional, but the image is mostly sharp with only minor background details appearing soft. Characters, foreground objects, and other pertinent information are generally well-defined. The college campus looks great. Greens in the common areas are lush, brick-laden walking paths look marvelous, the ornate furniture in the sitting rooms and offices are exquisite, and even the more mundane, boring objects, like a white concrete wall and the small, off-white tiles that surround an indoor swimming pool look generally realistic. Black levels are excellent. Many scenes in the film feature a nearly pitch-black background, and there is not even a hint of artificial brightness to be found. Yet again, Sony offers a disc of better-than-average quality that should not overly disappoint even the harshest of picture quality connoisseurs.

Urban Legend Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Urban Legend tells its tale on Blu-ray through a typical Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. You won't fall out of your seat from the rumblings of the subwoofer or look over your shoulder after a barrage of sound comes from the rear speakers, but the track creates a nice atmosphere that suits the picture just fine. Like the video, audio is solid but never stands out. Minor ambience plays nicely through the sound system. Birds chirping throughout the campus create a very pleasing, realistic atmosphere in daytime outdoor scenes, and in various lecture halls and student center shots, very minor background details are heard throughout the soundstage. The non-violent sections of the movie, which make up most of the Urban Legend experience, come with subdued music and perfectly clear and audible dialogue. Sound effects, such as the squealing of tires, the breaking of glass, or a body falling onto the hood of a car, are not overly dynamic but sound clear and exciting enough. No teen horror movie would be complete without a good thunderstorm, and this one sounds very good. Thunder is not booming and chest-rattling, but it packs a good enough punch, and it fills the room with an entertaining vigor and vitality. The film's score picks up nicely during the more action-oriented sequences, and while it doesn't offer that high fidelity, top-flight movie theater experience, it holds its own and offers a surprisingly enjoyable listen for this run-of-the-mill teen horror movie.

Urban Legend Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Urban Legend makes its high definition debut with only two movie-centric features. First up is a commentary track with director Jamie Blanks, actor Michael Rosenbaum, and writer Silvio Horta. The track begins by addressing the youth not only in front of the camera, but behind it. For such an inexperienced bunch, I must admit that the movie turned out a bit better than it probably should have, and blows away some of the films I've reviewed recently. This jovial, laid-back track offers a mixture of behind-the-scenes information that points out a few effects shots, and a discussion of some of the challenges that arose during the filmmaking process, including the need to add lines here and there to better explain what's happening on-screen. Fans of the film will greatly enjoy listening to this track. Making Of Featurette (480p, 10:09) is actually a fairly interesting supplement that quickly examines the production of the film, focusing on some of the death scenes, and moving along to post-production. Here, we take a look at the scoring of the film, an ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) session with Joshua Jackson, and a look at a deleted scene. Finally, 1080p trailers for 21, Starship Troopers 3: Marauder and a Sony Blu-ray promotional montage conclude this short but interesting supplemental package.

Urban Legend Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You've seen better, you've seen worse, and with Urban Legend you've seen one of the better examples of dumbed down horror to come along in many years. Films like this were the standard-bearer of the genre until movies like Saw, Hostel, and the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre hit audiences hard and returned the genre to the graphic, unforgiving, exploitative feel of the blood-soaked horror films of yore. Sony brings Urban Legend to Blu-ray in a neat and tidy package. Featuring a fairly standard high definition picture and soundtrack, but providing precious few extras, only the most fervent fans of Urban Legend will want to add this disc to their collections, at least until the price comes down.