BLU-RAY REVIEW

Superbad

Featured In Issue 127, January 2008

Picture3.5
SoundNR
WSR Score4.5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
19921
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
For pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use, and a fantasy/comic violent image—all involving teens
(Retail Price):
$43.95
(Disc Type):
2 Disc Set, Single Side BD-50 & Single Side BD-25
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
118
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2007
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
12/04/07
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Greg Mottola
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby TrueHD 5.1, PCM 24/48 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Seth (Hill) and Evan (Cera) are seniors in high school determined to lose their virginity before graduation. In order to impress their potential girlfriends, the two best friends agree to purchase the liquor for a "Superbad" party that they will all attend. Seth and Evan enlist the help of their only friend, Fogell (Mintz-Plasse) a.k.a Mclovin, who has a fake I.D. The three friends set of on a chase for the elusive booze, and end up on an adventure they will remember for the rest of their lives. (Stacey Pendry)

Special features on Disc One that aren't on the DVD include a "SuperMeter" in-movie guide to lewd and crude lingo found in the film and "The Semen Conversation" in three minutes. The following special features can be found on the DVD: commentary with filmmakers and the cast, deleted and extended scenes, a preview of the upcoming film "The Pineapple Express," four minutes of "Line-O-Rama," a four-minute Gag Reel, and previews. All of the special features on Disc Two can be found on the DVD, and they include 13 "Cop Car Confessions"; a 13-minute making-of featurette; a one-minute "Vag-Tastic Voyage"; two "Table-Read" segments; the original audition tapes for Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, four voicemail messgages from Jonah to Michael; "Snakes On Jonah" featurette (four minutes; three minutes of the "Dancing TItle Sequence"; "TV Safe Lines" (three minutes); interviews with the cast in "Everyone Hates Michael Cera" (seven minutes); 18 minutes of "On Set Diaries"; "The Music Of Superbad" (13 minutes); and three-minutes of a "Press Junket Meltdown."

The anamorphically enhanced 1.84:1 DVD exhibits a clean picture, with deep, well-saturated colors and solid black levels. Details aren't delivered as well as in the best releases, with textures looking flat and artificial. Fleshtones generally look natural, although they can look too orange on occasion. Contrast is slightly blown out in outdoor daytime scenes, Pixel breakup can be noticed from time to time and edge enhancement, while minor, is noticeable on higher contrast transitions. The H.264 AVC-encoded Blu-ray Disc doesn't have the level of detail as the better high-definition releases, but there is a decent sense of depth to the image. Colors, especially greens, can have a subdued, even pastel look. Fleshtones are generally nicely balanced, but there are times when they still look orange. (Danny Richelieu)

The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack is hampered by a bright overall character, especially audible in the dialogue. Atmospheric effects are mixed into the soundstage well, using each of the available channels, but the overall expansiveness of the soundtrack is limited, with a heavy bias towards the screen channels. The audio can have a digital edginess to it that can be distracting. The Blu-ray Disc includes two lossless encodings, one using Dolby TrueHD and the other being lossless PCM. Both feature good fidelity with that digital edginess almost completely removed. The mix is still the same as the DVD, and there are times when dialogue can still sound thin. (Danny Richelieu)