Mallrats [Blu-ray]

It’s a great movie

I absolutely love this movie! I was too young to see it -- since it's Rated-R (by the MPAA) -- when it first came out in the movie theaters, back in 1995, in which it was received mixed reviews by the critics & average numbers at the box-office, but even by the time I had seen it on VHS, three years later, in 1998, it was already becoming a cult classic (ditto for The Big Lebowski, although it technically was still new & at the box office, at the time, in '98). I loved it so much, that I purchased it on DVD -- it was one of my first DVDs -- when tech. was still new & DVD players were about $200 at the time (in 2001). However, unlike when this movie first came out on the DVD market -- 'back in 1999 -- which was early to adopt the new DVD format, it has taken many years to become available in Blu-ray, whose format first debuted (in the US public consumer market) in the Winter of 2006 (although part of it, I think, was due to the fact that it was easy for the production/studios to simply transfer everything from the Laser-Disc format to the DVD one, since they were both in SD -- Standard Definition -- digital format; unlike having to up-convert everything to 1080p HD for the BD format). So, it goes without saying, that I was psyched -- another catchphrase from '95 -- when this movie finally came out on Blu-ray this year -- 2014 -- & was one of the first ones -- that I personally know of -- to purchase it on Blu-ray, in all its High Def. GLORY, & at half the price -- just 10 bucks -- from the original listed one ($19.98)! I like many of Kevin Smiths movies, but I absolutely love this one -- always have, always will! Without question, this IS my favorite Kevin Smith movie! Everything that I can relate to, and everything that was hip popular -- and now, considered "classic" -- at least, in subpop-culture, if not pop-culture, itself, was exactly was this movie was all about, 'back in the mid-'90s! Long before the world technologically evolved to the mobile, yet, fully information-connected social media-sharing pop-culture, that it is today, it was a time when the place to be -- whether you were cool or not, rich or poor, athletic or weak, smart or dumb -- was the (American Shopping) Mall, to just hang out with your friends and socialize all day long, without having to buy anything. It was a time when the Internet was just becoming mainstream to the populace, with the DOT.COM starting to take-off, new words, like "The Information Superhighway," "World Wide Web, & "The Cyber-net" was added to the American Lexicon, & dial-up was king, and the idea of shopping online was still considered dangerous, if nonexistent, compared to your local shopping mall; When Comic Books were still just for kids, or serious-minded collectors (mostly considered to be nerds, geeks, or dorks -- I know, because I was one of them), & were still mostly undiscovered territory for the movie studios to explore & (later) plunder, are were rarely considered to be movie-worthy at the box-office, and only die-hard comic book fans even knew who people, like Stan "The Man" Lee; and it was a time when large, fat, heavy CRT TVs occupied every American household, with the kids playing video games on them, with their SEGA or SUPER NINTENDO gaming consoles, or going to the local arcade, with a handful of quarters, to play with them. This movie, as far as I know of, was also the first to have a comic book themed opening credit sequence! Speaking of which, for me, the best part about this Blu-ray of MALLRATS, was that it came in a special (thin) cardboard slip-case, that, features a lot of fun trivia facts about the 1990s, which was the icing on the cake! If you've seen this movie, and you enjoyed it, then I can guarantee that you will love this Blu-ray of it!

Well, folks, it's been ten years since the would-be cult classic "Mallrats" bombed both critically and at the box office. To celebrate such failure, director Kevin Smith and company have erected a brand new double-dip...errr...I mean special edition DVD. Aside from the usual distractions (i.e. featurettes, commentary), the main attraction is an all new extended-cut of the flick, done by Kevin Smith himself. This new cut (don't fret, the original remains intact on the opposite side of the disc) integrates deleted footage and alternate takes into what ends up being a sprawling two hour and three minute epic. Think James Cameron re-editing "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." Ok, maybe not that big of a deal, but it's still cool, nevertheless. The "Extended Version" is (as Smith describes it in his introduction) basically the script put to screen. The "new" film is just as funny, and actually, better. I never had a problem with the original "Mallrats," but for some reason, this version feels more complete -- or incomplete? Watch the introduction...The film, whichever version you choose, is classic Kevin Smith. As a follow-up to "Clerks," it suffers, but if you want to be entertained and want to laugh, this is the right place to come. The story is centered on two slackers, who are both dumped at the same time and come to the mall to cope. Along the way, they run into friends, enemies, crooked security guards, nerdy comic book fans, Stan Lee, and the infamous Jay And Silent Bob. Dick and fart jokes ensue. Not only is it Smith's first "colored" flick, but it is also his first time working under a studio, and his first time working with View Askew regulars Ben Affleck and Jason Lee (who play enemies in this movie). These two findings were pure gold. Ben Affleck would go on to give Smith his finest performances in "Chasing Amy" and "Jersey Girl," while Lee establishes himself as being outright hilarious and natural, right off the bat in this movie. The film itself is not without it's flaws, but the old saying goes "Time heals all wounds." When this movie first came out, it tanked, and it tanked hard. Now, ten years later, it has it's own cult audience, and surely, Kevin Smith has recovered from the initial disappointment. Hell, at the very least, it's good enough to warrant a revisiting on DVD.If you owned the original DVD, you can give it up soundly when you by this DVD. Aside from a few minor things (i.e. the multi-angle commentary), most of the special features are intact with this new release. While not as extensive as last years "Clerks X" release, it still offers a bounty of supplemental material. The highlight being the "Mallrats Reunion Q & A" where the cast and crew get together for one big interview. Also, as mentioned before, the "Extended Version" of this film is also worth checking out if you are a diehard Kevin Smith fan. However, I have to warn, if you already own the first DVD and are just a mild Kevin Smith fan, you will probably be safe leaving this re-release alone. For me, and other people who just have to hear everything that comes out of his mouth, however, it is worth buying into the evil double dip.