(BluRays sold separately)
Video: 1080p High Definition
Audio: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD (English)
For my generation the Wayne’s World movies are a defining moment in our pop culture history. From hilarious Saturday Night Live Sketches, Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) rose to the occasion of making a Hollywood movie and succeeded where most other Saturday Night Live alumni sketches have failed. The Wayne’s World movies are definitive, off the wall comedies that also feature Lara Flynn Boyle, Kim Basinger, Aerosmith, Rob Lowe, Chris Farley, Tia Carrere, Christopher Walken, Ed O’Neill, Alice Cooper, Meatloaf, and others and is set to the greatest collections of classic rock songs ever assembled.
Wayne’s World
For their debut, Myers and Carvey go all out. The film is basically a low key story about some guys who have a public access TV show that they do from their basement. An evil executive (Rob Lowe) lures them in with the promise of money and fame and soon they are hosting a wildly popular TV show and becoming Hollywood elite (which, for them,, means backstage passes to the Alice Cooper concert). Life lesson are learned though and Wayne and Garth seek to right the wrongs and get revenge on the evil executive. Of course, they work just as hard to get the girls as they do their revenge.
The film comedically mocks everything from stereotypes to pop culture to the film itself. Scenes such as the one where Wayne and Garth “refuse” product placement to the Grey Poupon mustard commercial spoof to the “Bohemian Rhapsody” jam are classic moments that fans of great comedy have never forgotten. The extras include a commentary track, cast and crew interviews, and the theatrical trailer in HD.
Overall Wayne’s World looks pretty good on BluRay. The transfer is excellent for the most part and the colors are sharp. Where this all stumbles a bit is the audio. It’s not that the audio is bad, and it is a little better than the DVD, but it sounds tinny. I attribute this to the analog recordings of the soundtrack songs, its just not as bass heavy as you are used to hearing in today’s films, so the surround sound doesn’t get put to much good use.
Wayne’s World 2
In the second installment in this series, Wayne and Garth return to ponder their lives. They now have a hugely successful TV show and have no idea where to go from there. The answer comes to them via a naked Indian (and Jim Morrison). And the answer is to throw the greatest concert Aurora has ever known….Waynestock. Together with the help of the world’s greatest roadie, his friends and crew, his best friend Garth, and his lady love, Wayne sets out to do the impossible, all the while following this simple advice:
“If you book them, they will come.”
As if this wouldn’t be pressure enough, Garth is being stalked by a beautiful older woman (Kim Basinger) and Wayne is trying desperately to save losing his girlfriend to a fiendish producer (Christopher Walken). Waynestock will be the answer to all Wayne’s woes though if Jim, Morrison, Sammy Davis, Jr., and their naked Indian compadre are right.
Wayne’s World 2 tries really hard and is a solid film overall but its nowhere near as spectacular as the original Wayne’s World. I remember thinking how odd it was when this came to DVD because it looked so much worse than the original but had a much bigger budget. Unfortunately this translates to the BluRay release even more. Don’t get me wrong, this still looks better than the DVD BUT it doesn’t look anywhere near as sharp as the first film. The audio struggles with the same issues as well, but with the songs being more recent (for the time) releases, the audio kicks up a bit here and there, utilizing your whole surround sound a few times.
Overall these are classic movies and if you are switching to BluRay then they are must own films. If you aren’t making a complete jump though then I’m not sure these are essential purchases if you already own the DVDs.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
