Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Entering high school can be a harrowing experience. It's even worse for three self-proclaimed geeks—Wade (Nate Hartley), Ryan (Troy Gentile), and Emmit (David Dorfman)—who are tormented daily by school bullies Filkens (Alex Frost) and Ronnie (Josh Peck). Fed up with the harassment, they decide to hire their own private bodyguard, Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson), a former soldier of fortune who isn't all he seems to be.

Produced by Judd Apatow and written by Seth Rogen and Kristofor Brown, I can't say I'm a big fan of this or any of their past work. Rogen's Knocked Up had its moments, but its believability was a stretch, and Drillbit Taylor takes it to a completely different level. There are some funny moments, but they are few and far between, and the characters, both heroes and villains, aren't likeable in the least.

Colors are very oversaturated and unnatural, with reds being a little too red and contrast overcooked. The print is pristine—some might say a little too much so, resulting in facial tones with no texture, which could be intentional or the result of excessive noise reduction. Close-ups are razor sharp, but medium to long shots aren't as resolved as they could be. As with most VC-1 encodes, banding rears its head on occasion, especially in solid backgrounds. There was also a playback glitch with both the Panasonic DMP-BD50 and BD30—if 24p is activated, the disc won't load. Disabling 24p output allowed the disc to load normally.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack doesn't break any new ground with the dialog-rich presentation. Ambient effects are fully realized in the surround speakers, and the music increases the sense of envelopment. Dynamics are good considering the genre, but like the movie itself, they are somewhat bland.

Paramount has dubbed this the "Extended Survival Edition" with a boatload of bonus features (all presented in HD). Highlights include a commentary by the director and some of the principal actors (although no Owen Wilson), some deleted scenes, a gag reel, production featurettes, and a couple of theatrical trailers.

Maybe I'm getting a bit old, but I just didn't find Drillbit Taylor funny. I chuckled a few times, but I kept wondering how the outlandish behaviors could go unnoticed by an authority figure. Are the people running our schools this stupid? Some might say yes, but I don't think so.

Release Date: July 1, 2008

Film: 5 out of 10
Picture: 6 out of 10
Sound: 6 out of 10

Review System

Source
Panasonic DMP-BD30

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 Amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector