...exactly what we can count on from a Disney comedy these days--weightless, nonabrasive entertainment, appealing mainly to the youngest of children.
Yet despite its many drawbacks, "Herbie: Fully Loaded" exudes an innocent charm and winds up being halfway cute. Herbie, for instance, falls in love with a VW New Beetle at about the same time that Maggie is falling for Kevin. How can you beat two sweet romances in the same kiddie fantasy?
Video:
I'm making a conjecture here: To me "Herbie" is an example of a studio producing an excellent transfer from a medicre-looking film print. (Or maybe it's a mediocre transfer of a excellent-looking film print. What do I know?) The screen size retains most of the film's 1.85:1 theatrical-release ratio; it's anamorphic, enhanced for widescreen TVs; and reproduced on disc at a high bit rate. Yet the picture comes out looking so bright, it's often glassy. In a few scenes, the color is positively wiped out by the bright glare. On the plus side, the definition is good, the depth of hues when not glossed over is pleasing; and grain is almost nonexistent.
Audio:
At first I was unimpressed by the film's Dolby Digital 5.1 sonics, which sounded a tad bright to my ears and appeared to put almost no material into the surrounds. But as the movie wore on, I noticed more and more information in the rear channels, things like car horns, squealing tires, and crowd noises. Then I began observing the bass and dynamic impact reinforcing key scenes and events. In the end, I was forced to realize that the sound was more subtle than I had thought, adding a fine ambiance to the music and effectively underlining pivotal action. The several well-known pop tunes used on the soundtrack come across efficiently as well.
Extras:
The single disc comes with the usual complement of bonus materials. The first is the obligatory audio commentary, this one by director Angela Robinson. She explains that this was only her second picture, the first being "D.E.B.S." Her remarks are sprinkled with quite a few instances of "really" and "incredibly," but she seems refreshingly earnest and genuine enough.
In addition, there are about five minutes of bloopers, plus seven deleted scenes, including an alternate title opening, with optional director commentary. Then, there are three featurettes: "A Day at the Races," a thirteen-minute, behind-the-scenes promo about NASCAR racing; "Breaking the Rules: The Stunts from Herbie: Fully Loaded," a nine-minute, behind-the-scenes promo about doing the stunts for the movie; and "Bringing Herbie to Life," an eleven-minute, behind-the-scenes promo with the director and other filmmakers. In addition, there is a three-minute music video, "First," with Lindsay Lohan singing some god-awful music, redeemed only by shots of a 350Z in the background winning a race.
The extras conclude with twelve scene selections, and a chapter insert; and Sneak Peeks at six other Disney features: "Lady and the Tramp," "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Sky High," "Kronk's New Groove," "Antarctica: The Journey Home," and "Walt Disney World's Xtreme Stunt Show." The extras conclude with English, French, and Spanish spoken language options, plus French subtitles and English captions for the hearing impaired.
For an "extra" extra, see the DVD Town interview with director Angela Robinson.
Parting Shots:
The Wife-O-Meter got up and left the picture at about the halfway point; thus, the 5/10 rating below. She's usually right about these things, and I wish I had her by my side doing her body-language reviews more often. It would make my job a lot easier.
"Herbie: Fully Loaded" is frantic, zany, maudlin, dreary, and precious by turns. It's not so bad you want to throw rocks through the TV screen but not so good you want to brag about it to your friends. It is, in fact, exactly what we can count on from a Disney comedy these days--weightless, nonabrasive entertainment, appealing mainly to the youngest of children. Where's Dean Jones when you need him?
Video:
I'm making a conjecture here: To me "Herbie" is an example of a studio producing an excellent transfer from a medicre-looking film print. (Or maybe it's a mediocre transfer of a excellent-looking film print. What do I know?) The screen size retains most of the film's 1.85:1 theatrical-release ratio; it's anamorphic, enhanced for widescreen TVs; and reproduced on disc at a high bit rate. Yet the picture comes out looking so bright, it's often glassy. In a few scenes, the color is positively wiped out by the bright glare. On the plus side, the definition is good, the depth of hues when not glossed over is pleasing; and grain is almost nonexistent.
Audio:
At first I was unimpressed by the film's Dolby Digital 5.1 sonics, which sounded a tad bright to my ears and appeared to put almost no material into the surrounds. But as the movie wore on, I noticed more and more information in the rear channels, things like car horns, squealing tires, and crowd noises. Then I began observing the bass and dynamic impact reinforcing key scenes and events. In the end, I was forced to realize that the sound was more subtle than I had thought, adding a fine ambiance to the music and effectively underlining pivotal action. The several well-known pop tunes used on the soundtrack come across efficiently as well.
Extras:
The single disc comes with the usual complement of bonus materials. The first is the obligatory audio commentary, this one by director Angela Robinson. She explains that this was only her second picture, the first being "D.E.B.S." Her remarks are sprinkled with quite a few instances of "really" and "incredibly," but she seems refreshingly earnest and genuine enough.
In addition, there are about five minutes of bloopers, plus seven deleted scenes, including an alternate title opening, with optional director commentary. Then, there are three featurettes: "A Day at the Races," a thirteen-minute, behind-the-scenes promo about NASCAR racing; "Breaking the Rules: The Stunts from Herbie: Fully Loaded," a nine-minute, behind-the-scenes promo about doing the stunts for the movie; and "Bringing Herbie to Life," an eleven-minute, behind-the-scenes promo with the director and other filmmakers. In addition, there is a three-minute music video, "First," with Lindsay Lohan singing some god-awful music, redeemed only by shots of a 350Z in the background winning a race.
The extras conclude with twelve scene selections, and a chapter insert; and Sneak Peeks at six other Disney features: "Lady and the Tramp," "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Sky High," "Kronk's New Groove," "Antarctica: The Journey Home," and "Walt Disney World's Xtreme Stunt Show." The extras conclude with English, French, and Spanish spoken language options, plus French subtitles and English captions for the hearing impaired.
For an "extra" extra, see the DVD Town interview with director Angela Robinson.
Parting Shots:
The Wife-O-Meter got up and left the picture at about the halfway point; thus, the 5/10 rating below. She's usually right about these things, and I wish I had her by my side doing her body-language reviews more often. It would make my job a lot easier.
"Herbie: Fully Loaded" is frantic, zany, maudlin, dreary, and precious by turns. It's not so bad you want to throw rocks through the TV screen but not so good you want to brag about it to your friends. It is, in fact, exactly what we can count on from a Disney comedy these days--weightless, nonabrasive entertainment, appealing mainly to the youngest of children. Where's Dean Jones when you need him?
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[release]16551[/release]