The Movie
Movies like Stand By Me--and there aren't a lot of them--manage to show so much honesty in their exploration of youth and innocence, they almost play like one long sigh. Its truth is universal, as four friends (Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O'Connell) gather on the last weekend of summer vacation, 1959, for a final adventure. This was a very different era, when twelve-year-old kids could do pretty much whatever they wanted with no adult supervision, despite an abundance of genuine rottenness in the world, as portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland and others.
But it's not all fun and games. The boys are walking the railroad tracks to find a dead body that one of them heard about, hoping to become heroes for their discovery. Older brothers and their vicious gang want the credit for themselves however, and a confrontation is imminent. They, like the rest of harsh reality, are bearing down on the boys, whose lives will never be the same come Monday morning.
Adapted from Stephen King's novella "The Body," from his collection Different Seasons, Stand By Me presents childhood with an irresistible nostalgia that is never sappy nor raunchy in the typical Hollywood way. And so it has endured these 25 years with a fondness reserved for a precious few films.
The Picture
Remastered for HD, the Stand By Me Blu-ray is still generally soft. I noted some fine detail in cloth and what-not, but not a whole lot of it, although it is most definitely a step up from any DVD presentation I've ever seen, particularly in the now-punchier colors. There is a lot of outdoor location photography, subject to both video noise and film grain, while the shadows are moderately murky and blacks tend to be vague.
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is thankfully restrained in its rechanneling of the original mono mix. The high-resolution clarity is fine, although some dialogue is tricky to discern, owing to the performances of the youthful thespians. There's a nice phased gunshot with a discrete rear payoff early on. Birds chirp and wind blows and coyotes howl in the rears to lend atmosphere. The surrounds are also interestingly exploited for an approaching train, or a bit of resonance added to a voice, as well as the P.A. system and the crowd at The Great Tri-County Pie Eat. And the cinematically reworked strains of the song "Stand By Me" wafting through never fail to tug at the heartstrings.
The Extras
Sony has given us a fine complement of new and old bonus materials for this anniversary release. In addition to BD-Live connectivity, the disc supports movieIQ, the Gracenote-powered online database, for relevant scene information right onscreen. Director Rob Reiner is joined by stars Wheaton and Feldman for a picture-in-picture video commentary. There's about a four-minute on-camera reunion before they begin, during which no one can get over the absent Jerry O'Connell's marriage actress/super-model Rebecca Romijn, and then the trio is positioned inside a little window over the movie.
Corey Feldman is much more pleasant here than in his video commentary for The Goonies.
Preserved from the 2000 DVD are Reiner's original audio commentary, a 37-minute retrospective documentary with Rob, Stephen, Wil, Jerry, Corey, Richard and Kiefer interviews, plus a movie-themed Ben E. King music video for the title song. I'll be hanging onto my DVD however, since its isolated Jack Nitzsche musical score has not been ported over here.
Final Thoughts
Stand By Me is a treasure for anyone who was ever young, and the rejuvenated picture and sound plus engaging extras make this disc a keeper. Just don't bury it under the porch.
Product Details
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