Howard The Duck – Special Edition (1986/Universal DVD-Video/U.S. NTSC)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Film: C-

 

 

After reviewing an import DVD version of the film, Universal has finally issued the infamous 1986 bomb Howard The Duck on DVD in the U.S. and in that review, I got to say everything I wanted to say about the film itself.  You can read about it and that disc at this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6827/Howard+The+Duck+(1986/DVD-Video

 

 

That leaves the performance and extras.  The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is a bit weaker than I expected, not having the color, depth or definition the PAL format DVD version did.  Though the print is not bad, it is just weak and even dated looking.  This disc offers both Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 mixes, but the 5.1 waters the sound down a good bit and the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is weaker still.  An even odder thing is that the PAL DVD’s Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo had surprisingly good regular Pro Logic surrounds, giving us a very good idea of the kind of soundfield the 4.1 Dolby magnetic stereo tracks would have had in the 70mm blow-ups of this film and more so than either offering here.  Guess it will take a Blu-ray to beat the PAL DVD.

 

The only extra on the PAL DVD was the hilarious theatrical trailer, but this adds more teaser trailers and a bunch of featurettes.  A Look Back At Howard The Duck &

 

Releasing The Duck are new featurettes, while you also get four vintage featurettes including a news piece and three on stunts, music and visual effects respectively.  Altogether, they are more interesting than the film.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo