Your Highness Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Your Highness Blu-ray Movie Review

"I shouldn't even be here! I will probably die on this quest. Courtney definitely will!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 29, 2011

On the never-ending quest to find the perfect comedy, some cinephiles are willing to watch anything and everything. Most moviegoers don't have that kind of time or money, though, and resort to pouring over reviews, interviews and articles to narrow the field and guide them to comedies more suited to their tastes. Fortunately, determining if Your Highness will crack you up or beat you down is as easy as answering two questions. First, how well do you remember the best (and worst) fantasy films of the '80s? (Films like Clash of the Titans, Dragonslayer, Excalibur, The Beastmaster, The Sword and the Sorcerer, Conan the Barbarian, The Dark Crystal, Krull, Deathstalker, Conan the Destroyer, Legend, Red Sonja, Ladyhawke, Labyrinth, Gor and Willow, just to name a few.) And, second, do you love them as much today as you did more than twenty years ago? If those two questions sent a warm surge of nostalgia coursing through your heart, add Your Highness to your rental queue. Director David Gordon Green and cohort/executive producer/co-writer/leading man Danny McBride made it for filmfans just like you; for filmfans like me, as it so happens. That doesn't mean you're guaranteed to love Your Highness -- you're more apt to lament its many, many missed opportunities -- but you'll certainly find it funnier than those unfamiliar with the campy siren song of '80s fantasy or those expecting a stoner comedy in the vein of Green's hilarious Pineapple Express.

Thadeus and Fabious consult the "Great Wize Wizard" about the road ahead...

In a faraway land in a long forgotten kingdom in a world with two moons, there lives two brothers: Fabious (James Franco), a brave and noble swordsman who spends his days seeking out his next great quest, and Thadeous (Danny McBride), a careless and cowardly buffoon who spends his days seeking out his next great meal. The brothers, sons of the just and wise King Tallious (Charles Dance), share little in common, other than great affection for one another. Alas, Thadeous' love has become clouded by jealousy over the years; so clouded that, in a fit of selfish impulse, he refuses to attend his brother's wedding to the beautiful Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel). But when an evil sorcerer named Leezar (Justin Theroux) kidnaps Fabious' fiancé in the hopes of fulfilling an ancient prophecy, the brothers set out -- one valiantly, one reluctantly -- to rescue Belladonna and kill the power-hungry warlock. With the help of Fabious' best friend Boremont (Damian Lewis), Thadeous' servant Courtney (Rasmus Hardiker), their confidant Julie (Toby Jones) and, eventually, a cunning warrior named Isabel (Natalie Portman), the princes face deadly foes, battle otherworldly creatures, and race to find the legendary Sword of Unicorn, the only weapon capable of putting an end to Leezar's dreams of world domination.

Storybook synopsis aside, Your Highness struggles early on. It's slow, unsure of itself and a bit too self-aware and self-indulgent. (Much like Thadeous, come to think of it.) But as soon as Fabious and Thadeous escape the blade of a not-so-surprising traitor, Green and McBride begin hitting their stride. A carriage chase, a companion lizard dubbed Steven and Ms. Portman herself follow, and the movie is all the better for it. The action is a blast, as it turns out, and the able-bodied swordplay and ingeniously cheesy sorcery that ensue give the film some much-needed flavor; the '80s fantasy references trickle in at first, but soon come in a deluge, hacking and slashing their way through too many cult fantasy classics to track in one viewing; and Portman swoops in and saves the at-times unwieldy genre parody from itself, bringing with her a sense of freshness and spontaneity that's sorely lacking when she isn't around. The same could be said of Theroux, Lewis, Hardiker... the supporting cast frankly steals the show. Franco is funny, but crammed into the role of a (relative) straight arrow, he's uncharacteristically one-note; McBride's jokes and one-liners hit their intended targets, but revolve around the same, increasingly tiresome medieval-pomp-meets-modern-raunch wordplay. I laughed quite a bit at his curse-laced high-speech, I'll admit. But there's only so many ways to drop the F-bomb where it doesn't belong before the gag wears thin and, more importantly, before it starts to become all too clear that Highness' comic sensibilities aren't very clever at all; just crude and crass, relying on the freedom of its R-rating rather than the wit of a smarter script. Even then, the endless array of rape and molestation jokes that seep in gunk up the gears quickly (and rather awkwardly).

Even the sweet aroma of '80s fantasy can't overpower the stench of some of Green, McBride and co-writer Ben Best's boggier scenes: Thadeous and Fabious' visit with the Great Wize Wizard (Mario Torres Jr), their clash with the vile Marteetee (John Fricker) and his venomous fist, Leezar's attempts to woo Belladonna, and the "trophy" Thadeous takes from the Unicorn's labyrinth (which is, perhaps, one of the most unamusing, tedious and drawn-out visual gags to creep into an R-rated comedy in recent memory). In Pineapple Express, Green was able to focus the madcap hilarity into a single, searing, stoner-stoked beam. In Your Highness, though, the comedy is so broad, so all over the place, that the already hit-or-miss antics and wisecracks become even more hit-or-miss. And it doesn't matter how big the hits are if the misses are as wide and clumsy as they sometimes are. Worse, Green and his cohorts often stumble across something genuinely funny... and then beat it mercilessly into the ground, meaning second and third viewings are haunted by the Law of Diminishing Cinematic Returns. There are moments when it all feels so repetitive, which is the real disappointment. With so many '80s fantasy films to draw from, Your Highness seems to miss a lot of potentially gut-busting opportunities. As I alluded to earlier, the thrust of Green, McBride and Best's farce is pairing high-fantasy jargon with 21st century irreverence, which is all well and good. Unfortunately, they spend so much time setting up each scene -- with little more to push the plot along than exposition, random set pieces and choice four-letter words -- that they spin their wheels and waste valuable time walking, chatting and meandering from bar to labyrinth to castle. Your Highness is a mixed bag, pure and simple. Some will grin the whole way through and some will scowl and grow impatient. But most will alternate between laughs and yawns, embracing what works while wondering what could have been.

Your Highness Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

No missed opportunities here. Universal's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer looks every bit as striking and spectacular as a recent theatrical release should. Colors are bold and beautiful, skintones are lovely and lifelike, blacks are rich and inky, and contrast never falters. Even when Fabious, Thadeous and Isabel talk over a campfire in the dead of night, the darkness and flickering, orange fire dance in perfect harmony. Delineation is revealing as well, and shadows are draped naturally over the castles, hollows, forests and labyrinths of the kingdom. Detail never buckles either. Fine textures are exceedingly well-resolved, edge definition is sharp, clean and stable, and overall clarity is exceptional. A touch of softness rears its head, but only insomuch as Tim Orr's photography permits. It only helps that artifacting, smearing, aliasing, ringing and the like don't make any appearances -- at least none of any significance (I did notice some minor, almost negligible banding) -- and brief bursts of noise and small bouts of crush, infrequent as both may be, are the only things that hinder the presentation in the slightest. Your Highness might not be everything it could be, but I seriously doubt Universal's transfer could be much better.

Your Highness Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Your Highness is a loud and unruly swords-n-sorcery adventure, and Universal's sky-cracking, fire-blasting DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track takes advantage of every burst of magic, clash of swords and ravenous beast that dares disrupt the peace. The LFE channel is valiant and strong, offering its assistance to anything that might require aid, be it a thundering carriage chase, a table-smashing bar brawl or a dastardly ambush. Low-end elements boast notable weight and presence throughout, as do the bolts of electricity, hurtling debris and wind-whipped trees that whoosh past and swarm the rear speakers. Ambience is sometimes restrained, sometimes involving, but always present; directional effects are assertive, even if they aren't always entirely convincing; and pans are supernaturally smooth, despite only flaunting their prowess when chaos erupts on screen. And while a few scenes are a tad front-heavy, it isn't long before a flurry of activity storms the soundfield. Thankfully, dialogue is dead on -- bright, intelligible and precisely prioritized -- regardless of how bloody and bombastic the action and comedy grows.

Your Highness Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray edition of Your Highness offers up two versions of the film -- a 103-minute R-rated theatrical cut and a 106-minute unrated cut -- and a number of special features, among them an excellent audio commentary, a terrific little behind-the-scenes documentary, and a dusty storehouse of deleted scenes and outtakes.

• Audio Commentary: Director David Gordon Green, executive producer/co-writer/star Danny McBride and actors James Franco and Justin Theroux never take a breath, barreling through their commentary with the same enthusiasm they brought to the film. Much to my surprise, though, their discussion is teeming with production details and quite a bit of insight. Green and McBride are especially forthcoming, dissecting their long-coming labor of love with frank sincerity and a healthy dose of honesty. The group even delves into the art of comedy, the underlying challenges of making any fantasy film (funny or no), constructing layered visual gags, striking a balance between the serious and the ludicrous, and more. The commentary isn't stuffy or dry by any means -- the four men crack jokes a plenty and have undeniable chemistry -- but I didn't expect to listen so intently to every minute.
• Damn You Gods: The Making of Your Highness (HD, 30 minutes): Comedies rarely feature any behind-the-scenes material of real merit, but the half-hour doc that accompanies Your Highness is genuinely good. Candid, extensive and refreshingly low-key, it forgoes tongue-in-cheek humor and aimless tangents in favor of a legitimate overview of the shoot. Don't get me wrong, there are still laughs to be had -- McBride and his cohorts are clearly having so much fun on set that it's hard to resist -- but the cast and crew are more interested in giving viewers a glimpse into the production than in trying to be funny. Easily the best extra on the disc, I enjoyed this one even more than the film itself.
• Deleted, Alternate and Extended Scenes (HD, 26 minutes): Deleted scenes include "The Quest Begins," "Heroes Escape Marteetee," "Shitty Moans," "Muldiss Darton," "Labyrinth Hallway" and "Birth of a Dragon," alternate scenes include "Fab & Court Talk at Camp" and "Fab & Bella Married," and extended scenes include "Leezar Chamber," "Campfire," "Minotaur Love" and "Fairies." It's all hit-or-miss, though, but fans of the film will gobble up every minute like famished peasants.
• Gag Reel (HD, 5 minutes): I'm not usually one for outtake reels, but this one kept me laughing, thanks in large part to Portman and Franco.
• Line-O-Rama (HD, 4 minutes): A rapidfire string of improvised lines left on the cutting room floor.
• Perverted Visions (HD, 3 minutes): A second set of outtakes, all involving the Great Wise Wizard.
• A Vision of Leezar (HD, 3 minutes): Spend some quality time with Leezar, up close and personal.
• BD-Live Functionality & News Ticker
• My Scenes Bookmarking

Your Highness Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Your Highness isn't Pineapple Express 2. For some, that will come as good news; for others, it will be a disappointment. It's a genre parody through and through -- in this case '80s swords-n-sorcery fantasy flicks -- but, sadly, it sparks as often as it fizzles. Universal's Blu-ray release is far more impressive. Its video transfer stands strong, its DTS-HD Master Audio surround track storms the castle walls, and its supplemental package has enough gold to go around. Your Highness is worth renting and, depending on your love of '80s fantasy, it might be worth more.