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The Movie:
One of the oddest, funniest movies I've seen, "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" is a hilarious first film from director Tim Burton. Working from a pretty simple concept; Pee-Wee, the strange main character, has his bike stolen and goes across the country to find it, the combination of Paul Rubens as Pee-Wee and the cartoon tone from director Tim Burton really takes the film far.
There is another element that makes the movie work, and that is simply a pure joy. The fun of having fun, and the endless energy that Rubens brings to the role of Pee Wee. He lives in a world all his own, and once he goes on the road to find his bike, he runs into strange truckers and other weird souls, but never loses his sense of humor. Burton never loses the tone, either. Rubens's script provides the laughs, and Burton knows when to add a little touch of dark humor into the mix.
The final element that really helps the movie is Danny Elfman's weird, bright, poppy score. Occasionally sounding like a loony march, the music helps the pace of the film, keeping it shooting forward to the next scene.
Occasionally, "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" plays like a number of episodes with Pee Wee getting into trouble or meeting someone new, but Burton does manage to keep Pee Wee's quest to get his bike back tying together all of the stories into one weird, wild thread. Certainly a comedy classic that's going to be remembered for a long time.
The DVD
VIDEO: Although Warner's edition of "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" isn't flawless, there are elements of the image quality that are remarkably good. Images are adequately sharp, with the exception of a few softer moments, and detail is generally good. Colors are very good, and although there are some moments where they look a little dull, but for the most part they look quite pleasing - vibrant and lively. Flesh tones are accurate and natural, and black level is good.
There are some slight problems, but they're not terribly distracting and can be overlooked. The print is in excellent condition, with only the occasional mark or scratch apparent. There is some shimmering as well, but only on a couple of occasions. Overall, Warner has presented "Pee Wee" very well, and although the 15-year old picture occasionally has a bit of a dated appearance, I was generally very pleased.
SOUND: The audio for "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" is certainly nothing agressive, but it does do a fine job at presenting what is certainly one of the biggest highlights of the sound, and that is Danny Elfman's score. The big, bright, weird score certainly does a lot to add to the oddball tone of the movie, and it sounds excellent here. Dialogue is clean and easily understood in a film where it really is the focus in terms of audio. Nothing remarkable, but does a fine job presenting the material.
MENUS:: Warner's menu art for "Pee Wee" captures the tone of the movie quite well, with an animated main menu that shows Pee Wee riding his bike, as well as basic film-themed sub-menus.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary track from director Tim Burton and actor Paul Rubens. Both of them seem to talk more freqently as the discussion goes forward, and once they get going, they have plenty of information to share about the making of "Pee Wee's Big Adventure". They space out the information in a nice structure, talking about the background story behind many of the scenes during the film, talking about the actors involved and even how the two got involved in the movie.
The two are recorded together and play fairly well off of one another, with one bringing up a topic of conversation and the other one continuning down that road. I was rather suprised to hear a moderate amount of talk about how the two worked with the studio, talking about the history of the screenplay to the test screenings for the movie (which must have gotten a pretty interesting response from audiences).
Although it's not always the most lively chat, with neither being too energetic, they do provide a detailed look at what it took to bring the weirdness of Pee Wee's world to the big screen.
Production Design/Storyboards: A short featurette, the production designer for the film leads us through, in narration, many of the storyboards and concept art for the movie. He also talks in-depth about how he became involved with the project. This featurette lasts for about 12 minutes, and provides some fine insights at the making of the "look" of the movie.
Deleted Scenes: Personally, I enjoy the film with the 90 minute running time - it zips by and the story never drags. The 11 minutes worth of scenes offered do offer some funny moments, but they're best left out of the final picture.
Text Notes: Cast/Crew notes and a bio about the writers.
Also: The theatrical trailer, as well as an isolated score with commentary by composer Danny Elfman when the music isn't playing.
Final Thoughts: Although it's taken a little bit of a wait to get Pee Wee on DVD, Warner Brothers has certainly used the time well, putting together a very fine special edition.
Film Grade
The Film B+
DVD Grades
Video 88/B = (352/400 possible points)
Audio: 86/B = (344/400 possible points)
Extras: 89/B+ = (267/300 possible points)
Menus: 85/B (170/200 possible points)
Value: 84/B = (252/300 possible points)
TOTAL: 1385/1600
DVD GRADE:B/86%
FILM GRADE: B+
DVD GRADE: B
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