| "Flintstones, meet the
Flintstones, their the modern stone age family..." Okay, we all should know the Flinstones by now. I used to watch the
cartoon series all the time when I was a young whipper snapper but when the movie was
released in 1994, the idea of watching it into a converted movie did'nt really appeal to
me. Converting one of the most popular cartoons into a movie format is always going to be
difficult becauset everyone knows how Fred Flintstone talks, walks and bowls.Also to be
honest as well I'm not a real big fan of John Goodman (Roseanne) and whenever I see Rick
Moranis I just keep imagining him as that pathetic nerd in Ghostbusters !. So needles to
say I gave the theatrical release a wide berth. Interestingly enough the internet movie
database (http://www.imdb.com) gives the movie a user vote rating of only 4.4 out of
10 (from about 1649 votes). You could call that abit of a flop in terms of blockbuster
success.
Anyway the story is that Barney (Rick Moranis) and Betty
(Rosie O'Donnell) really want to adopt a child, and so Fred (John Goodman) lends them the
money to do it. Feeling indebted to Fred, Barney fixes an aptitude test at the quarry and
gets Fred a promotion. Unfortunately, power goes to Fred's head and Barney gets fired,
while automation brings further redundancies and Fred's popularity plummets.
He has been unwittingly manoeuvered by the vice president
(Kyle MacLachlan) and his secretary (Halle Berry) to carry the can on these decisions,
while they secretly embezzle company profits and plan to elope to Rockapulco. Wilma
(Elizabeth Perkins) comes to the rescue with proof of their scheme and so ends another
chapter in the lives of the Flintstones.
So How Does This Transfer Hold Up??
As far as the 16:9 Enhanced transfer goes it is very good overall, Universal are
usually pretty much on the ball in terms of video transfer quality. It is very much a
clean transfer in terms that it is free from film grain, dirt & other print scratches.
Colours are nicely rendered and very natural looking. I did feel that the image had a
softish feel to it here and there and was not as razor sharp as I would like. This can
become distracting at times , it just gives the image a tad out of focus look. Needless to
say this is a minor quibble and on the whole the transfer is good. Shadow detail is
acceptable, flesh tones are natural and it is free of artifacting. This disc is RSDL
with the layer change at 59:04.
Okay, let's talk audio. There are no less than 5 Dolby
Digital 5.1 audio tracks on the DVD...Wow!! These are in various languages but in terms of
this review I only listened to the English version. This is very good. The opening
sequence has some very deep bass, the surrounds are used effectively , although ambiently
with some directional effects now and then throughout the film as well. Dialogue is clear
and easy to understand and overall I found it to be quite enjoyable. A two channel audio
track in Czech & Polish for those Eurpoeans amongst us is also included.
Extras, extras....This is a Collectors Edition
and as you'd expect Extras are fathomless on this disc. Not only are we treated to an
audio commentary (always a delight on any DVD) from the Director - Brian Levant but also
included are:-
a behind the Scenes Featurette - (41 minutes of interviews with cast and crew, trivia and
explanations of how things were accomplished during the film)
Production Photgraphs - Over 100 various photographs of the films production.
Art Department Concept Sketches - Preliminary still drawings of set designs.
Production Notes
Cast/Filmmakers Biographies.
Teaser Trailer - Widescreen, 16x9 enhanced.
Theatrical Trailer - 5.1 Dolby Digital. Widescreen, 16x9 enhanced.
Overall, if you are a fan of this movie, or if your kids
are then this is a fantastic DVD. The extras will keep you going for hours and it deserves
the Collectors Edition status. If you think you'll like the film itself because you used
to enjoy the cartoons, then you might want to give it a rent first.
| PICTURE QUALITY |
7/10 soft at times |
| SOUND QUALITY |
8/10 Quite a fun mix |
| FEATURES |
10/10 fathomless amount of extras!!! |
Review Equipment
TV: Pioneer SD-T43W1 (16:9 RPTV)
DVD: Toshiba SD2109 (Region Free & S-Video)
Receiver: Yamaha RXV995 (5 x 100w - dts & Dolby Digital)
Speakers:-
Fronts: Polk Audio RT55's
Centre: Polk Audio CS350
Rears: Polk Audio AB705's (Ceiling flush mounted)
Subwoofer: M&K V125
- Reviewed 18th December 1999
|
