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The 1985 PG-13 teen comedy "Weird Science" followed on the heels of writer/director John Hughes' acclaimed directorial efforts "Sixteen Candles" (1984) and "The Breakfast Club" which were big successes both critically and financially. "Weird Science" did well at the box office but at the time received a more mixed critical reception than his prior two films. It is definitely nowhere near as thematically serious as "Sixteen Candles" or "The Breakfast Club" were. "Weird Scrience" did show a different side of John Hughes in that he was not afraid to just kick back and have zany fun. The cast is excellent with the sadly deceased Bill Paxton in my opinion stealing the movie with a scene chewing performance as Chet. Kelly LeBrock as the dream woman created in a computer by the two male teen leads is positively gorgeous, luminous and incredibly sexy while also delivering an excellent performance in her own right. Anthony Michael Hall is just as good as he was in John Hughes' previous two films and he is matched step for step by Ilan Michael-Smith. "Weird Science" is definitely a product of its time but has aged well in terms of its overall comedy and approach in my opinion.
Universal initially brought "Weird Science" to DVD back in 2008 in a decent special edition. The film made its blu-ray debut back in 2013 which mirrored the DVD release's special features but upgrading the picture quality to HD of course. Sadly though the HD transfer done for the DVD release is what was used for the first blu-ray which by 2013 was sorely lacking and had huge room for improvement. Arrow Video in 2019 came to the rescue with a new special edition blu-ray release of the film which presents it in style with a huge upgrade in picture quality over the original blu-ray.
Arrow Video for their edition oversaw a brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative in the film's theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 utilizing the AVC codec at a very high bit rate staying in the mid to upper 30's for the most part. Simply put the film looks amazing on this new blu-ray. Detail is markedly increased and colors look fantastic and natural. Contrast and black levels look close to perfect. No digital tinkering was done so the film retains its natural grain structure. Arrow Video's transfer blows away Universal's initial blu-ray without breaking a sweat.
Audio is presented in 2 channel master audio sounding clear and punchy with dialogue levels coming through very clear. English subtitles are included for the hearing impaired.
As far as extra content goes, the new disc offers 3 different cuts of the film including the theatrical cut (94 min.), an extended cut (96 min. 36 sec.) and the television cut (94 min. 6 sec.). Both the theatrical and extended cuts are from the 4K restoration and presented in widescreen whereas the television cut is in 1.33:1 standard definition full frame. The extended cut consists of 2 extra scenes which I am not sure why they were cut out other than to perhaps tighten the movie up a bit more. The television cut also can be watched using a picture in picture option to see how alternate lines of dialogue and censoring techniques were used to make the PG-13 teen sex comedy conform to at the time more restrictive television standards.
The rest of the extraa are as follows:
- Additional Scenes (2m 45s, HD) These are the two scenes that are found in the extended version of the film.
- Casting Weird Science (6m 3s, HD) A all-new interview with casting director Jackie Burch, explaining how the film’s ensemble cast was assembled.
- Dino the Greek (6m 55s, HD) A newly filmed interview with actor John Kapelos on his experience playing Dino in the film.
- Chet Happens (19m 38s, HD) A newly filmed interview with special makeup effects creator Craig Reardon on how the infamous “Chet-blob” was created.
- Fantasy and Microchips (10m 46s, HD) A newly filmed interview with editor Chris Lebenzon on his experience cutting the film together.
- Ira Newborn Makes the Score (13m 43s, HD) A newly filmed interview with composer Ira Newborn on his experiences working with director John Hughes and producer Joel Silver.
- It’s Alive! Resurrecting Weird Science (16m 41s, SD) An archival featurette produced for the film’s 2008 DVD release, featuring interviews with cast, crew, and admirers, including Anthony Michael Hall.
- Theatrical Teaser (2m 37s, HD, 1.33:1)
- Theatrical Trailer (1m 34s, SD, 1.33:1)
- TV Spots (1m 1s, SD, 1.33:1)
- Radio Spots (4m 50s, SD)
- Image Galleries
Shooting Script (133 images)
Production Stills (119 images)
Poster and Video Art (22 images)
The film comes in a slip case featuring newly commissioned cover art. The actual sleeve can be flipped around to have the original poster art too. Lastly a 43 page booklet is also included with additional critical insight into the film as well as its production.
While the lack of any commentary tracks is a little bit disappointing, Arrow Video's special edition of "Weird Science" is superb in every way. The new 4K restoration is a thing of beauty and the new extras are plentiful and informative with the prior DVD and blu-ray extras being ported over too. Fans should pick this new blu-ray edition up without any hesitation.
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| Additional Blu-ray options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
|
Blu-ray
October 16, 2018 "Please retry" | Blu-ray | 1 | $9.95 | — |
|
Blu-ray
August 22, 2023 "Please retry" | Limited Edition | 1 | $25.74 | $23.86 |
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From the manufacturer
Weird Science
A nerdy computer whiz and his best friend create the perfect woman. Like a computer-generated fairy godmother, the duo's out-of-this-world creation guides the pair through the pleasures and pitfalls of adolescence.
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Pablo Fernández Luna
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Excelente Nitidez!
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