The Dukes Of Hazzard – The Beginning (DVD-Video)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C+ Feature: C+
The Dukes Of Hazzard was inspired mostly by a film
called Moonrunners, but was in the
spirit of the whole bandit/chase cycle of the 1970s. The lack of that spirit killed the recent
Jessica Simpson remake (see the HD-DVD review elsewhere on this site), but The Dukes Of Hazzard – The Beginning (2007)
is the very first release from Warner Bros. new DVD-Only Warner Premiere
label. Bringing back the voice-over
narration (Gary Cole this time) can’t hurt and but the duo of Johnathan Bennett
and Randy Wayne are no better than Seann Williams Scott or Johnny Knoxville and
too plain.
The
predictable story is how the two cousins meet and are forced to go work for
their Uncle Jesse when a guardian of theirs convinces the judge to keep them
out of jail. Big mistake, which extends
to cousin Daisy going from pre-school marm to sexual bomb shell. This role is taken up by April Scott, who is
prettier and more appealing than Simpson and even (dare I say) Catherine
Bach. She steals every scene she is in
and could turn out to be the find of the whole thing.
The
talented Harland Williams is Roscoe to Christopher McDonald’s Boss Hogg. McDonald’s take is too close to Burt Reynolds
form the remake feature, but he is a savvy enough actor that a little more
Sorrell Booke would have made a big difference and made this work better. Finally, Willie Nelson is the only one
returning from the film, playing a younger Uncle Jesse and getting the kind of
screen time she should have received in the first place.
This
could have worked better than this did, but this unrated cut has annoying
dialogue with language that purposely was not said not just because TV was TV,
but because everyone already knew the obvious gutter language. Too bad, because the situation was an
improvement and fans deserve a revival they can really enjoy. This ain’t it.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image looks like it was shot in HD and is
sufficient for a straight-for-DVD release.
It looks better than many HD productions big and small, but the color is
not as good as the original TV show’s best prints. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is just punchy
enough with subtle surrounds and car chases that dialogue and Dolby compression
limits are not as bad. Extras include a
trailer and two featurettes, one of which is broken down so you can see who is
now playing who.
- Nicholas Sheffo
