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In Short: Paramount gets things right again for this holiday film's DVD release. No extras, but great audio/video.
The Movie:
It's been ages since I've seen this Bill Murray Christmas comedy and it's still just as funny as it ever was, with a fantastically sharp performance from Bill Murray and a script with a wickedly funny sense of humor. Murray plays Francis Cross, the president of a national TV network. Even though this film was made more than ten years ago, a lot of the TV jokes still are just as funny. Although this film didn't recieve good reviews when it was first released, it still remains as one of the most darkly humorous looks at the holiday season ever.
Murray plays the lead with evil perfection, bossing around his employees, and treating people like dirt. Murray is at his very best when he's playing a character with a serious edge, and this is a perfect role. Directed by "Lethal Weapon" helmer Richard Donner, "Scrooged" was a big hit when it was released, taking in 60m at the box office. It's also a film that certainly stands the test of time and is easily just as funny today.
The DVD
VIDEO: Paramount certainly does things right again here, with an anamorphic transfer that, although it isn't perfect, it certainly is a very strong image in terms of quality, with only a few small flaws that I found noticable. Images are sharp and nicely defined for the majority of the film, containing fine detail that it certainly enjoyable to view. There are only a few scenes that I saw during the picture that seemed a little soft, but for the most part, "Scrooged" looks great. Colors are strong and accurate throughout, and there are no instances where colors were bleeding.
Paramount has really gotten to the point now where they are making a far more "film-like" picture. There are no instances of shimmering or pixelization throughout "Scrooged" and the only little fault that I saw throughout the movie was the occasional little bit of grain, but it certainly isn't distracting. It's good to see that Paramount is taking steps further, improving each and every time out. They've done great work on "Scrooged" and I'm sure many will be pleased.
SOUND: For what is essentially an older comedy, "Scrooged" is impressive soundwise, with some nice surround effects popping up throughout the movie, and Danny Elfman's score sounding pleasingly rich and clear. Dialogue is clear and free of problems. Really strong work by Paramount on a really entertaining soundtrack.
MENUS:: Even a little more basic than the usual Paramount menus, with just the cover art as the background. Here's a disc where animated menus certainly could have been perfect.
EXTRAS: The trailer.
Final Thoughts: Perfect for the holidays. Recommended.
The Film: 85/B = (425/500 possible points)
Video 88/B = (352/400 possible points)
Audio: 89/B+ = (356/400 possible points)
Extras: 70/C- = (210/300 possible points)
Menus: 65/D = (130/200 possible points)
Value: 83/B = (249/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1722/2100
Average:82%/B
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