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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • Dual Layer ( )
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • Commentary - English: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    English, Hebrew, Russian, Icelandic, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish
  Extras
  • Deleted scenes - Over an hour's worth
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Audio commentary
  • Featurette - A look back at Mallrats
  • Music video - The Goops: Build Me Up Buttercup
  • DTS trailer - Piano

Mallrats: SE

Universal/Universal . R4 . COLOR . 92 mins . MA15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Kevin Smith certainly uses the lowest common denominator to good effect. In creating his high spectrum lowbrow characters he creates people who appeal to all in their wry wit, their passion for slacking and their unique take on life.

So it is with Mallrats, the second major film from said Kevin Smith. Following on from the low-budget success of Clerks (told entirely in black and white in much the same way surveillance cameras would), Smith has brought in a scad of same actors that had already appeared or would later appear in his films. Though usually not as the same character.

The exception here is in the unlikely pairing of Jay and Silent Bob, who seemed to spring up in all the feature films, finally getting their own vehicle with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

However, I digress...

Slackers TS (Jeremy London) and Brodie (Jason Lee) have just been dumped by their girlfriends, Brandi (Claire Forlani) and Rene (Shannen Doherty) respectively. Hanging around down at the mall, they encounter a bunch of friends and other slackers they know and have all sorts of fun adventures that culminate in Brandi’s father putting on a gameshow in the mall itself. With a little help from these same friends, TS and Brodie set themselves up as contestants to win back their girls.

"I have no respect for people with no shopping agenda!"

It’s a simple plot device that allows all manner of satire and homage as the mall setting is the perfect vehicle for Smith to include many film and comic book references. Some of the more notable include Star Wars and Batman and even an appearance of Stan Lee, that master of the comic book universe himself.

As a film, it’s a no-brainer and that’s the appeal of this slacker-fuelled series of linked events. There are, however, a myriad of subtle and clever references to great writers and poets and these may be a little more challenging to those intent on seeking them out. It’s a fun film and while certainly no Oscar winner, its light hearted approach makes for simple lowbrow entertainment for anyone chasing an easy watch.

  Video
Contract

The picture quality of Mallrats is surprisingly good here. For this 'Special Edition', the colours are vibrant, lines sharp and picture practically free of artefacts. Flesh tones are natural looking and blacks are true, while the limited use of shadow comes across a tad above average for detail.

  Audio
Contract

Presented in system rocking DTS, the film doesn't sound as good as a film can sound, probably because it's mostly a dialogue epic. The film utilises a minimal score, but the music written by Ira Newborn does suit the piece well. More often than not we are granted cool indie tracks in favour of score and this also contributes heavily to the feel of the film. Noteable bands featured include Belly, Girls Against Boys, Elastica, KC and the Sunshine Band, Weezer and our own loveable infants, silverchair.

Dialogue is well spoken for the most part, but sometimes the deliberately dramatic and wordy lines get a little run together and can make it harder to understand. However, these lines are what make the film unique and the attraction of the film lies strongly in this verbose dialogue, so bear with it. As to sound effects completing the soundscape, they have been well done if slightly out of synch in one or two places. Sometimes comical in usage, they further build on the comic book feel of the simple story and are used to good effect. As far as DTS goes, while it’s always great to have it as an option, it’s probably wasted here as the Dolby Digital 5.1 alternative is just as good.

  Extras
Contract

Not much for a 'Special Edition', but still tons compared to the earlier release that featured but a trailer.

Firstly, the menus look very boring, particularly the main menu with its chopped up original Drew Struzan artwork for the film poster. Bizarre as to why they’d do this, but thankfully in this 'Special Edition' we get that artwork on the case (which is preferable, in my mind, to the older cover art).

Anyhow, we move onto our first treat and one that will have Kevin Smith/Mallrats fans with their undies in big ole knots. We’re talkin’ Deleted Scenes folks, and tons of ‘em. Clocking in at 1:02:49 in length, that’s over an hour of stuff to keep you busy. This includes the original opening for the film and a very informative series of introductions by Kevin Smith and long time associate Vince Pereira. This remains the highlight of the extras package without doubt and while most stuff was deleted with good cause, some stuff is really very good and perhaps should have stayed in. Oh well.

Next up, the yawntastic trailer. If you ever watch this one more than once, you’re doing much better than I. Presented in 4:3 and running for 2:18, it actually has dubbing out of swears in Jay saying ‘badass’ instead of ‘fatass’ as he does in the film. What’s up with that?

There’s the retrospective View Askew looks back at Mallrats which is an interesting featurette, but it was made in 1998, so could hardly be deemed a ‘look back’ (although technically accurate, with the film being made in 1995). It’s still worth the look though, as many cast and crewmembers discuss the film’s original release and its unfortunate opening.

A general purpose extra has been added with The Goops performing Build Me Up Buttercup in a music video. While the song is average, the Jay and Silent Bob interpretation of how to shoot a music video in the clip is a worthy addition and is actually pretty funny.

Finally, the audio commentary that effectively gives you another film in its own right. It is the original AC done for the first release of Mallrats on DVD back in 1998. However, if you’ve not heard it before it is still a worthy addition, even if it gets a little convoluted at times. Featuring six of the cast and crew in Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jason Mews, Jason Lee, Scott Mosier and Vince Periera, the guys are obviously having a lot of fun, with Smith trying desperately to keep focussed on the film among the clatter of voices. Still, worthwhile listening for the diehards, although there are several references that date it strongly, including to 'current' films Meet Joe Black and Chasing Amy.

Oh, and one last bit... the Easter Egg. You can learn how to access this bit by visiting our Easter Egg wing and looking it up.

  Overall  
Contract

Fans of this film will no doubt already be saving their pennies to splurge on this one, as will fans of Kevin Smith’s films in general. Many very humourous moments contribute to a better than average teen film that has found itself a comfortable nook among the alternative viewing set. A pretty good transfer overall and a powerful, yet wasted, sound delivery contribute their weight to the total value of the disc, though the out-dated extras don’t help much. Having said that, the whole extras thing is way better than the original Region 4 release. This one’s worth the money for fans and is a worthwhile investment for the discerning Kevin Smith aficionado.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=3319
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      And I quote...
    "Great sound, clean picture and re-hashed extras contribute to making this a fun disc and certainly one no Kevin Smith fan can live without."
    - Jules Faber
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Nintaus DVD-N9901
    • TV:
          Sony 51cm
    • Receiver:
          Diamond
    • Speakers:
          Diamond
    • Surrounds:
          No Name
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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