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    • WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

    Home Alone 3
    Genre:Comedy

    Reviewed In Issue 31 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
    Alex D. Linz, Olek Krupa, Haviland Morris, David Thornton, Scarlett Johansson, Lenny Von Dohlen

    WSR Review Scores
    Picture Rating: 4
    Sound Rating: 3.5
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    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score:
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    Supplementals

    DVD General Information
    (Studio/Distributor): 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number): 0276385
    (MPAA Rating): PG
    (Retail Price): $29.98
    (Running Time In Minutes): 102
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): Yes
    (Theatrical Release): 1997
    (LD Release Date): 7/98
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

    Credits Information
    (Director): Raja Gosnell
    (Screenplay/Written By): John Hughes
    (Story): NA
    (Music): Nick Glennie-Smith
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer): Henry Bumstead
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor): Bruce Green, ACE
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers): Ricardo Mestres
    (Co-Producers): NA
    (Producers): John Hughes & Hilton Green

    DVD Picture Information
    (Principal Photography): Academy Standard Flat
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1
    (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1

    DVD Sound Information
    (DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Surround
    (Theatrical Sound): Dolby Digital
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (Remastered Dolby Digital): No
    (Remastered DTS Digital Surround): No
    (Additional Languages):

    WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    The second sequel to John Hughes’ smash hit Home Alone, Home Alone 3 tells the story of a top secret computer chip with a hefty black market reward that makes its way from Hong Kong to a Chicago suburb hidden inside the mechanical components of a toy car. Four international thieves track the chip—but someone else knows of the chip’s location. He’s got strategy. He’s got guts. He’s got the chicken pox. And he’s… home alone. Home Alone 3 stars eight-year-old Alex D. Linz as Alex Pruitt, the tiny tyke who defends his house and neighborhood from the quartet of bumbling thieves.

    LaserDisc Picture:
    The LaserDisc exhibits a slightly soft appearance. Otherwise, picture quality generally natural with nicely rendered textures. Color fidelity is nicely balanced in all aspects. Contrast and shadow detail is good, with good visual delineation in the darkest scenes. The picture is generally solid on both versions, exhibiting no noise or artifacts. The picture is matted at 1.85:1.

    LaserDisc Soundtrack:
    The cartoonish music score is terrific and nicely recorded. Dialogue is generally natural, though often ADR-produced. Surround envelopment is aggressive, while special effects and Foley are very prominent. Bass extension often punctuates the action scenes and sounds deep and full on this matrix PCM LaserDisc soundtrack.
    (Surround Bass Below 50Hz): Yes
    (Aggressive System Surround): Yes
    (Intense 25Hz Bass): No
    (Deep Bass Challenging): No
    (Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
    (Holosonic Soundfield): No
    (Aggressive Split Surround): No
    (Center Back Surround Imaging): No
    (Directionalized Dialogue): No
    Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
    Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
    		 Yes
    Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
    		 No
    Superb Color Fidelity:
    		 No
    Superb Cinematography:
    		 -
    Reference LaserDisc:
    		 No
    Collector Edition:
    		 No
    DVD To LaserDisc Comparison:
    The LaserDisc and non-anamorphic DVD are similar in visual quality, and both exhibit a slightly soft appearance, though DVD images are shaper and more detailed by comparison. Otherwise, both pictures are generally natural with nicely rendered textures. Color fidelity is nicely balanced in all aspects. Contrast and shadow detail is good, with good visual delineation in the darkest scenes. The picture is generally solid on both versions, exhibiting no noise or artifacts. Both the LaserDisc and DVD are matted at 1.85:1. The DVD’s Dolby® Digital discrete 5.1 soundtrack is bright sounding compared to the more natural fidelity of the matrix PCM LaserDisc soundtrack. The cartoonish music score is terrific and nicely recorded and spread wide on the discrete version, while the matrix version sounds a bit pulled toward center. Dialogue is slightly strident on the Dolby Digital version, but otherwise sounds generally natural, though often ADR-produced. Surround envelopment is aggressive on both versions and the discrete’s split surrounds are sometimes effective. Special effects and Foley are very prominent. Bass extension often punctuates the action scenes and sounds deep and fuller on the matrix version, even when the discrete’s .1 LFE is engaged.