Wayne's World on Blu-ray Disc Review
By Rachel Cericola
The Film
There used to be a time when turning
Saturday Night Live shorts into feature-length films was actually a
good idea.
Wayne's World was really the one that opened the floodgates. Blame
The Blues Brothers if you must, but there was a nice cushion in between those two releases. Shortly after Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) turned cable access into big bucks, however, a slew of movies started spewing out of the late-night laugh-factory.
It's Pat? Who thought that was a good idea? It's hard to say. After all, the story of two slackers that broadcast a crappy cable show from their basement doesn't sound like a winner either.
However, it did hit -- in a huge way. Maybe it's because Mike Myers was so young and fresh. Maybe it was Rob Lowe.
Either way, for every
Wayne's World, there has been
A Night at the Roxbury and
The Coneheads. And while
Wayne's World made a splash back in 1992, somehow the material just doesn't hold up all that well today.
Sure, you can expect a few chuckles. We're not made of stone. We also aren't saying that
Wayne's World didn't break a little ground. It introduced a lot of slacker vernacular (schwing!) into daily conversation and also unleashed Myers on the movie world. Whether or not that is a good thing is between you and your comedic god of choice.
The Picture
Wayne's World is another random catalog title that Paramount has decided to put out on Blu-ray. However, this 1.78:1 transfer comes off a little dated. With the exception of Wayne and Garth's awesomely bad hair, nothing really stands out. The colors are a little drab and details just aren't popping. Still, this is the best that Lara Flynn Boyle has looked in years (we barely recognized her), and it's the best you'll get out of this classic comedy.
The Sound
If you can still stomach a round of "Bohemian Rhapsody," your surrounds will get a nice little workout. Aside from that infamous scene, there are a few other head-banging moments provided by this Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. Overall though, the dialogue and other action sticks close to the front speakers, with plenty of clarity, but little to show off to friends and family.
The Extras
Asphinctersayswhat? If you want to know the answer to that, tune into this release's lone featurette, "Extreme Close-Up." It's basically 23 minutes of people patting themselves on the back because they didn't churn out
Stuart Saves His Family. Director Penelope Spheeris also provides commentary, but that's all, folks. Overall, it's kind of a disappointment for fans.
Final Thoughts
There's no denying that
Wayne's World opened a lot of doors -- for bad movies, copycat cable shows, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" on an endlessly annoying loop. However, we just aren't laughing as hard after this umpteenth viewing.
Ex-squeeze me? Yeah, a lot of the jokes don't hold up as well as you would hope, but it's not going to make you hurl or anything. Enjoy your nostalgia.
Where to Buy:
Product Details
- Actors: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere
- Director: Penelope Spheeris
- Audio/Languages: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English), Dolby Surround 2.0 (French), Mono (Spanish)
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: PG-13
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: May 12, 2009
- Run Time: 94 minutes
- List Price: $29.99
- Extras:
- Commentary by Director Penelope Spheeris
- Wayne's World Extreme Close-Up
- Theatrical Trailer
