Review of Mallrats: Collector`s Edition

Introduction

Kevin Smith found fame and fortune as a director after the success of his first film Clerks, which was very well received and was made on a shoestring budget. Studios like films that make a lot of money for very little investment. He was offered lots of money to make another film and Mallrats is what he made.

Unless you`re a fan, you probably won`t have heard of the film, since it didn`t do well at the US box office and went straight to VHS here in the UK. So did the studio waste their money on this young talent, or is this another case of a good film doing badly at the box office?

Video

A 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer which all looks rather good. There`s hardly a trace of any print damage and everything looks fine.

Most of the film is set indoors (in the mall of the title) and it`s quite difficult to compose many interesting shots when you`re inside a shopping centre. But there are a few interesting set pieces here.

Audio

A DD5.1 soundtrack which is good but not quite great. There`s no hiss, everything is clear and audible, but it just lacked that certain sparkle. There`s nothing that will distract you from your enjoyment of the film though.

The soundtrack was scored by Ira Newborn, who amongst other things supplied the soundtrack for the excellent Ferris Bueller`s Day Off - not only did Kevin Smith watch John Hughes` films, he also uses some of his collaborators.

Features

It may have bombed at the US box office and got sent straight to VHS in the UK, but that doesn`t mean you have to miss out on extra features. If you know the history of this film you`ll know that there`s plenty of extra material lying around. Someone has very nicely gathered it up and stuck in on this disc for you.

First up is the commentary, and this is a commentary with a difference. It features director, producer and several of the cast, and as well as listening to them you can watch them commentate. This is not quite the same as the Ghostbusters commentary where you see silhouettes on the screen. This is a clever use of the multi-angle feature, where you can watch the commentators watching the film and commentating. The commentary itself is very interesting and very funny too!

There are about an hour of deleted scenes which are introduced to you and also referenced in the commentary track. You`ll see the long alternative opening that was dropped due to bad test screenings, along with other scenes related to the opening and some more alternative scenes. Well worth watching.

You also get a featurette, which isn`t the usual PR fluff as it is quite honest and open about the film and some of the problems that they had. At last a featurette that isn`t just an extended trailer. You`ll also be able to watch a music video by "The Goops" (directed by Kevin Smith). Look out for Jay and Silent Bob...

You`ll also find the usual cast and crew bios, production notes, and a photo gallery. A well rounded bunch of extras.

Conclusion

A very amusing film, although it will not appeal to many. Some of the humour is a little off the beaten track, and you can see why it didn`t do great box office. It`s still a very good film, and really serves as Smith`s "tribute" to the teen movies of John Landis and John Hughes, which he grew up with. It`s a teen comedy but it`s unlike most that you`ve seen.

If you like Kevin Smith then this is a must see DVD. Good picture and sound combined with excellent extras make for a great package for all Smith fans.

The only cloud on the horizon is that there is a region 4 release scheduled for January 2002 at a bargain price (around £8-£9 delivered at current rates). Exact details are sketchy so you might want to contact your favourite R4 retailer before ordering.