It’s a remarkably delightful film when it comes to laughter, heartfelt emotion, and Christmas spirit.
In retrospect, it is very tough to beat the hard-earned Christmas classics, but I have to admit that "Elf" does make a good attempt at it. Had the film slowed down enough and let the characters evolve, we may have had a great classic on our hands. Conversely, it comes close, but it relies too much on its humorous subtleties and campy holiday spirit that any hopes for a deeper, character-driven tale are overshadowed. Regardless, the film is not empty of what truly makes us love a good Christmas tale. All the charm and warmth are self evident; it´s just when you put it up against some the Christmas classics that the movie runs just a little shy of knocking any one of them out of the top ten. In spite of this, "Elf" does manage to put a smile on the face, and it may certainly go down as a memorable holiday film for years to come.
Video:
It is a very pleasant and clean picture presented on two discs with a choice of a fullscreen disc at 1.33:1 ratio or a widescreen disc at a 1.85:1 ratio, enhanced for widescreen televisions. I, of course, preferred the widescreen version and found the picture to be very vivid in color with an overall clean appearance. What murky and grainy areas there were happened so seldom that they were hardly noticeable. It is simply a very acceptable picture regardless of the amount of extras crammed onto the disc.
Audio:
The audio is just as pleasant as the video and is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. The sound is very well balanced, packed with great dynamics and a good tonal range. Can´t say there were too many issues, and what issues there were could have easily gone unnoticed. The audio is also presented in Spanish and presented with the option of closed captions for the hearing impaired.
Extras:
All of the supplemental extras are spread across the two discs, and let me tell you, New Line holds back on nothing. If you were looking for DVDs with a healthy load of extras, then I´d have to say that New Line is obviously revolutionizing the market. With their introduction of what they call "Infinifilm" a few years ago, I´ve some to realize it is a wonderful feature. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Infinifilm, you simply watch the movie in its entirety without the Infinifilm feature turned on. Or watch the film by choosing "Infinifilm" from the main menu, and then choose to play the movie. You are now taken on an interactive experience throughout the film and are able to access special features as they pop-up on the screen. When you are done with the special feature, you are returned to where you left off in the film.
You may also access these features through the Infinifilm menu by choosing the "Beyond the Movie" feature and the "All-Access Pass" feature. Now I will admit New Line does need to make this a little easier, because if you´re not used to it, it is a little tricky to find your way around at first. Not to mention, the menus look like charming pop-up books that seem to have menus buried in one page after the next. As George W. might say, "Whew!" As an added nonsense goodie, look for the little red arrow on each page of the various menus. Click on it and watch a character on the pop-up book page do something silly. It´s nothing special, but I´m sure kids will eat it up.
For the most part, there are more features than are worthy of mentioning, and they are spread across both discs. On the first disc, you get the usual behind-the-scenes documentaries that you can watch through individual chapters, or chose to watch all of them, which run over thirty minutes. The same thing goes for the deleted scenes; watch them all or simply watch one at a time with or without commentary. There is a nice, entertaining feature on the music of "Elf," and it is interesting enough in its own way. There is also a movie commentary with director Jon Favreau and actor/comedian Will Farrell. On the second disc, there are plenty of fun and games for the kids. There is an elf karaoke, a read-along story book, Buddy´s adventure games, and a secret "Elevator o´ Fun." There are also some short features on the obsessions people have during the holidays. We see how people are fanatics when it comes to decorating, how kids think about Christmas, how Hollywood celebrates Christmas, and how some people are part of Santa Mania.
There is also a substantial amount of DVD-ROM features. There is a "Make Your Own Storybook," a "Be an Elf Photo Activity Center," a "Script to Screen" feature, an image gallery, and some printable activities.
Fact is, folks, there are more features here than I really need, or even remember for that matter. I couldn´t help but wonder why so many of them were geared towards kids when I really did not think of "Elf" as a kids´ movie; it´s a family movie, yes, but not necessarily a kids´ movie. Nevertheless, I have to give New Line credit for giving their competitors a run for their money. Their "Infinifilm" feature is really remarkable compared to some of the best studio DVDs on the market. And, yes, for all you "Criterion" fans out there, I have to say that the Infinifilm feature even has your precious Criterions beat. Sure, I´ll have to admit that the special features on this disc are a tad bit overkill, but at least New Line is stepping up and setting the bar for others. Infinifilm is really a nice interactive way to access special features while watching the movie, thus keeping you clear of having to surf through a plethora of menus. I can only hope other studios will follow suit in the near future.
Parting Thoughts:
Jumping into the lion´s den of great Christmas classics, I´d have to say "Elf" put up a pretty good fight, leaving the den with only a few marks and scratches. Fact is, it´s a tough bid whenever Hollywood makes the attempt to try and put out a decent holiday film. It is truly a genre where people are very passionate about the classics they love. For some there´s "It´s a Wonderful Life" and for others there´s "Miracle on 34th Street" or "Christmas Vacation"; as for myself, I´m partial to "A Christmas Story." As far as I´m concerned, you just can´t beat the leg lamp and the Red Ryder BB gun. I will say, though, that "Elf" may be delightful enough to stand the test of time, but only time will tell. It might not make my top-ten list, but it is certainly welcome somewhere in my top twenty.
Video:
It is a very pleasant and clean picture presented on two discs with a choice of a fullscreen disc at 1.33:1 ratio or a widescreen disc at a 1.85:1 ratio, enhanced for widescreen televisions. I, of course, preferred the widescreen version and found the picture to be very vivid in color with an overall clean appearance. What murky and grainy areas there were happened so seldom that they were hardly noticeable. It is simply a very acceptable picture regardless of the amount of extras crammed onto the disc.
Audio:
The audio is just as pleasant as the video and is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. The sound is very well balanced, packed with great dynamics and a good tonal range. Can´t say there were too many issues, and what issues there were could have easily gone unnoticed. The audio is also presented in Spanish and presented with the option of closed captions for the hearing impaired.
Extras:
All of the supplemental extras are spread across the two discs, and let me tell you, New Line holds back on nothing. If you were looking for DVDs with a healthy load of extras, then I´d have to say that New Line is obviously revolutionizing the market. With their introduction of what they call "Infinifilm" a few years ago, I´ve some to realize it is a wonderful feature. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Infinifilm, you simply watch the movie in its entirety without the Infinifilm feature turned on. Or watch the film by choosing "Infinifilm" from the main menu, and then choose to play the movie. You are now taken on an interactive experience throughout the film and are able to access special features as they pop-up on the screen. When you are done with the special feature, you are returned to where you left off in the film.
You may also access these features through the Infinifilm menu by choosing the "Beyond the Movie" feature and the "All-Access Pass" feature. Now I will admit New Line does need to make this a little easier, because if you´re not used to it, it is a little tricky to find your way around at first. Not to mention, the menus look like charming pop-up books that seem to have menus buried in one page after the next. As George W. might say, "Whew!" As an added nonsense goodie, look for the little red arrow on each page of the various menus. Click on it and watch a character on the pop-up book page do something silly. It´s nothing special, but I´m sure kids will eat it up.
For the most part, there are more features than are worthy of mentioning, and they are spread across both discs. On the first disc, you get the usual behind-the-scenes documentaries that you can watch through individual chapters, or chose to watch all of them, which run over thirty minutes. The same thing goes for the deleted scenes; watch them all or simply watch one at a time with or without commentary. There is a nice, entertaining feature on the music of "Elf," and it is interesting enough in its own way. There is also a movie commentary with director Jon Favreau and actor/comedian Will Farrell. On the second disc, there are plenty of fun and games for the kids. There is an elf karaoke, a read-along story book, Buddy´s adventure games, and a secret "Elevator o´ Fun." There are also some short features on the obsessions people have during the holidays. We see how people are fanatics when it comes to decorating, how kids think about Christmas, how Hollywood celebrates Christmas, and how some people are part of Santa Mania.
There is also a substantial amount of DVD-ROM features. There is a "Make Your Own Storybook," a "Be an Elf Photo Activity Center," a "Script to Screen" feature, an image gallery, and some printable activities.
Fact is, folks, there are more features here than I really need, or even remember for that matter. I couldn´t help but wonder why so many of them were geared towards kids when I really did not think of "Elf" as a kids´ movie; it´s a family movie, yes, but not necessarily a kids´ movie. Nevertheless, I have to give New Line credit for giving their competitors a run for their money. Their "Infinifilm" feature is really remarkable compared to some of the best studio DVDs on the market. And, yes, for all you "Criterion" fans out there, I have to say that the Infinifilm feature even has your precious Criterions beat. Sure, I´ll have to admit that the special features on this disc are a tad bit overkill, but at least New Line is stepping up and setting the bar for others. Infinifilm is really a nice interactive way to access special features while watching the movie, thus keeping you clear of having to surf through a plethora of menus. I can only hope other studios will follow suit in the near future.
Parting Thoughts:
Jumping into the lion´s den of great Christmas classics, I´d have to say "Elf" put up a pretty good fight, leaving the den with only a few marks and scratches. Fact is, it´s a tough bid whenever Hollywood makes the attempt to try and put out a decent holiday film. It is truly a genre where people are very passionate about the classics they love. For some there´s "It´s a Wonderful Life" and for others there´s "Miracle on 34th Street" or "Christmas Vacation"; as for myself, I´m partial to "A Christmas Story." As far as I´m concerned, you just can´t beat the leg lamp and the Red Ryder BB gun. I will say, though, that "Elf" may be delightful enough to stand the test of time, but only time will tell. It might not make my top-ten list, but it is certainly welcome somewhere in my top twenty.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]12339[/release]