National Lampoon’s Van Wilder – The Unrated Version (Blu-ray)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B+ Extras: D Film: D
Among the
dozens of straight-to-video releases that have sold the National Lampoon name
down the river, National Lampoon’s Van
Wilder (2002) actually did some business and had a worthless sequel with a
few chuckles. Looking back at this first
film, which was just totally terrible and this new Blu-ray release reminded me
of why.
How much
has the film dated in five years? It was
bad to begin with and it is duller than ever.
The title character (Ryan Reynolds, still stuck in this pseudo-comic
ghetto when he should have gone on to better projects by now) never wants to
graduate and party forever. When a
campus reporter (Tara Reid, whose bad decisions after this film on and off
camera have ruined her career) wants to expose his craziness and stop it, what
will Van do?
I could
have cared less and have zero interest now.
This lasts 94 minutes, but seems so much longer, especially in its
datedness. It is a novelty at best.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image is one of the worst we have seen in
either format, recalling the horrors of Lethal
Weapon 1. Though no visual
masterwork of any kind, Director Of Photography James Bagdonas, A.S.C., did a
better job of shooting this thing than this would suggest. Could the DVD look the same and this
bad? Fortunately, if both are the same,
the performance is somewhat save by the PCM 16/48 7.1 mix that outdoes the lame
Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix here. Though
not an action film, it has better balance than previous Lionsgate 7.1 Blu-rays
like Dirty Dancing, Ultimate Avengers and Dr. Strange. Could the sound have compromised the picture?
Then
there are the tired extras, including a quiz, Music Video, outtakes, deleted
scenes, three Burly TV spots, Comedy Central promo special, interactive game,
quotes section, party guide, three featurettes and no trailer? One extra was one too many, unless you are a
diehard fan, the only person who will want his disc.
- Nicholas Sheffo
