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[ Jump to: Movie Review | Image Review | Audio Review |Extras Review | Menu Review | Final Grades | Back To A Guide To Current DVD | DVD For Sale In Association With Amazon.com | A List Of DVD For Sale In Association With Reel.com ] The Faculty Dimension Films Starring Elijah Wood, Jon Stewart, Etc. I never really enjoyed the "teen horror" films that have(or, a better word now might be "did") populate theaters over the past couple of years. I didn't find the "Scream" series enjoyable because there was simply too much gore. I appreciate films where there may be violence, but it's more subtle: we may hear, but not see it, etc. In other words, the kind of technique "The X-Files" sometimes uses, or in this genre, the style that director Jim Gilespie chose to use for the first in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" series. In my opinion, the first "Summer" still stands out as the best of this genre, a straight-out, swiftly paced and intense scare that may not have been entirely original, but it was still certainly a good piece of entertainment. "The Faculty" is the same teen formula that has been used in the "slasher" films, transplanted into a "sci-fi" storyline where the kids of a high school suspect that their teachers have been possessed by aliens. A storyline any high school kid can identify with because, who hasn't thought, at one point or another, that their teacher must be from another planet? With direction by Robert Rodriquez and writing by Kevin Williamson, it seems like a perfect team at the helm, but unfortunately, the film is slow going for the first half, not choosing to slowly build in intensity from the first moments like the first "Summer" did. Worse, it doesn't have the performances that that film did. The actors here give bland performances that do nothing to help the forward movement, or lack of one. All this film is supposed to be is basic entertainment: how can we be entertained if the people on-screen don't look like they're having the least bit of fun?. 
Unfortunately as well, the pop-culture references that "Scream" played with are also back. Where that film used them in a clever manner, this picture doesn't seem to know what to do with them and they hit the ground with a rather loud thud each and every time. The dialogue by Williamson, as well as the characters he has created here, are unintelligent and uninteresting stereotypes. The film finally picks up the pace towards the end with a decent twist and turn and a few remotely effective scares, but by this point, it's too little, too late for a film that is fairly empty and one-dimensional. It's not nearly as bad as the second entry in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" series(what is?), but it's still a long trip from being a successful picture. I've recently started occasionally watching "Dawson's Creek", the TV series produced by Williamson and I've found it quite good. Hopefully one day he'll decide to put away the horror films for a while and write the kind of stronger characters and dialogue that can be found in "Creek". THE DVD: VIDEO QUALITY: "The Faculty" is similar in quality to the recent release of "Enemy Of The State" by the same studio, Disney("Faculty" is from Dimension, "Enemy" from Touchstone) The 1.85:1 picture is non-anamorphic, and although the general image quality is quite good, there are some flaws in the picture quality itself. There's a lot of cool colors involved and they all show up quite vibrantly in the picture, nicely saturated and without instances of colors bleeding. In terms of sharpness, the picture is clear and bright, but it's not quite as sharp as it possibly could have been. Black level in the image is deep and pure and daylight scenes are enjoyably and accurately bright. The only flaws that are a part of the image quality are a few instances of small artifacts, such as shimmering. Flesh tones are generally accurate throughout, although occasionally they looked the slightest bit reddish. "The Faculty" is just another Disney release that would have benefited from anamorphic enhancement. Again, they are the last studio who does not treat their titles this way. SOUND: Pretty great sound mix, bringing forth an onslaught of creepy ambient sounds. The surrounds are used mainly during the action, which doesn't come till the later half of the film, but when it does start, the sound mix is wonderfully enveloping, full of deep basses. Score, which is full of rock and alternative songs, sounds clear and rich throughout. Dialogue sounds good, but not always as clear and natural as I'd have liked. MENUS: Very basic film-themed menus. EXTRAS: The trailer. GRADES: The Film: 71/C = (355/500 possible points) Video: 91/A = (364/400 possible points) Audio: 92/A = (368/400 possible points) Extras: 70/C- = (210/300 possible points) Menus: 70/C- = (140/200 possible points) Value: 80/B- = (240/300 possible points) Presentation:80.75/B = (80.75/100 possible points) TOTAL POINTS:1757.75/2200 Overall:79.89%/C+ Final Thoughts: Not a great film and although it's a solid looking and sounding dvd, I recommend this maybe as a rental. Disney could provide a lot more for the $29.99 price tag. If you've heard the "El Mariachi/Desperado" Special Edition disc from Tristar, you know how fascinating a commentary director Rodriquez can provide. Unfortunately, all that Disney chose to include here was the trailer.
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