Region 1 Genius Products (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
82 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English
Subtitles: Optional English SDH, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary; deleted/alternate scenes; Meet the Cast; The Art of Spoofing; theatrical trailer; previews for other movies
Released: 8 July 2008
keepcase
Miramax has always been presented as a “prestige” label, though the real reason why Harvey and Bob Weinstein had as much autonomy as they did while they were Disney employees was the fact that Dimension Films, Miramax’s “genre” division, minted substantial returns with teen slasher flicks like the Scream series and over-the-top spoofs like the Scary Movie series. When the Weinsteins left the Disney fold, they took the Dimension name and several projects with them. Without the safety net of corporate financing and accounting, the Weinsteins have been beating dead horses in order to stay afloat. Thus, garbage like Scary Movie 4 and Superhero Movie get theatrical releases while Jia Zhangke’s movies are lucky to get home-video distribution here in the U.S.
Superhero Movie’s $25 million take in North America may seem insignificant, but comedies tend to have extended shelf lives on DVD. At the end of long weeks, most people are desperate for a few laughs to lift their spirits, so spoofs tend to rent and sell well during the long run. Undoubtedly, Superhero Movie will pique interest as long as the current stream of comic-book superhero projects continues to flow. However, there is very little to recommend about it. Fans of comic books will want the real thing, and non-fans will be bored by all the references to Spider-man, X-Men, Batman, etc.
The movie is basically a premise-for-premise re-make of the first Spider-man, and there are some random sight gags thrown into the mix. I like watching action and attractive blondes as much as the next heterosexual male, but I was bored by this dull, lifeless flop. I did like the obviously fake sets (studio backlots rather than location shooting) and Stephen Hawking jokes, but I get more jollies from watching Yi Yi than from most comedies.
Video:
The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image is clean and smooth, though you get the over-lit feel that seems to accompany every comedy made during the past ten years. Colors are bright but generic and unmemorable. Some shots are rather soft, though the softness can probably be attributed to the production’s minimal resources that could be devoted to computer-generated effects.
Audio:
The DD 5.1 English track is surprisingly active. The music score during the opening credits is possibly the wittiest thing about this movie. It nimbly and ably mimics the percussive rhythms of Danny Elfman’s “heroic” themes, and you get beats that bounce back and forth between the front mains. Surround activity is fairly heavy, though bass presence is at expected levels for a comedy (loud at times but neither full nor powerful).
Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles support the audio.
Extras:
Upon loading, the disc plays previews for several other movies.
You get an audio commentary by Craig Mazin and some of the producers that is unexceptional. The participants have a grand time reminiscing about their continued collaborations, though the viewer is stuck with a painfully dull amateur skit.
There are more than twenty deleted/alternate scenes, though with the exception of the “Tom Cruise” footage, none of these are particularly funny or memorable.
“Meet the Cast” introduces you to the actors, and “The Art of Spoofing” tries to place recent mis-fires such as Superhero Movie and Scary Movie 4 on par with other, better spoofs.
Finally, you get the theatrical trailer.
--Miscellaneous--
You also get a cardboard slipcover, though this is by no means a “premium” title.
