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Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Here Comes the Boom (Blu-ray) (2012)

Here Comes the Boom (Blu-ray) (2012)

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Released 4-Apr-2013

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Comedy Deleted Scenes-Deleted Scenes (16:18)
Featurette-Gag Reel (2:36)
Featurette-Here Comes the Cast (6:24)
Featurette-Back to School (4:27)
Featurette-Learning How to Fight (8:48)
Featurette-Gino Vs. Ritchie (3:49)
Featurette-Three Amigos (5:39)
Featurette-The Pros (3:00)
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 2012
Running Time 105:45
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Frank Coraci
Studio
Distributor
Universal Sony Starring Kevin James
Salma Hayek
Henry Winkler
Greg Germann
Joe Rogan
Gary Valentine
Bas Rutten
Case Amaray-Transparent
RPI $29.95 Music Rupert Gregson-Williams


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Unknown English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
German DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Italian DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 1080p
Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English
English for the Hearing Impaired
German
Hindi
Italian
Turkish
Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    Kevin James is best remembered in the spin-off Everybody Loves Raymond sitcom, The King of Queens. Co-starring Jerry Stiller, the show concluded in 2007, which allowed James to work full-time in the film industry. James quickly settled into caricatured portrayals of his King of Queens role; productions like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007), Paul Blart: Mall Cop(2009) or Zookeeper (2011) were all critical flops, yet outstanding financial box-office successes. In 2012, the 47-year-old American ventured into the ring, armed with $US42 million dollars and support from Salma Hayek, Henry Winkler and Charice.

    James plays Scott Voss, a biology teacher in a Boston High school. He is demotivated and cynical, coming to work habitually late and setting independent tasks for his students, refusing to answer their queries. In fact, he'd much rather read the newspaper in class. Not surprisingly, the Principal Becher (Greg Germann) doesn't think much of Voss' reputation as a teacher. One day, due to austerity measures, it's announced that music lessons will be cut back, threatening Marty's (Henry Winkler) job. Scott decides to raise the $US48000 himself to save his friend's job, but time is short, because the end of the semester is coming up fast!

    By now you would be familiar with the stereotypical Kevin James role: clumsy, plump and lazy, but blessed with a big heart, full of kindness. This does not change at all in this movie. At least the comedy on offer here is not 'slapstick'! Make no mistake however, this film is every bit 'the Kevin James show'. This can be deduced from the fact that Scott's brother Eric is played by James' real-life older brother, Gary Valentine and Ras Butten, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, is a close personal friend of Kevin James. James has also 'beefed' himself up for this role, as the premise of a mid-forties overweight bum who takes up mixed martial arts would have made this film too corny. The script here lacks originality, it has all the hallmarks of an atypical feel-good comedy, with the hero winning against the odds and getting the girl at the end. The punchlines are 'hit-and-miss' and the good-natured James doesn't really pull-off a seasoned wrestler, as the fight scenes seem much less violent than what is normal for UFC bouts.

    Nevertheless, the choreography is really well done, and the editing is quite good too in the fight scenes. The problem is that the transformation of a 42-year old slacker into a UFC contender is done all too quickly, it seems but a matter of minutes. Add to this the frantically-built love story with the school nurse Bella (Salma Hayek), which you can predict the outcome of quite easily, and I guess we can see for ourselves the limits imposed by the feel-good comedy genre. The best comedic scenes are those in which James can be seen together with his brother Gary Valentine.

    With Frank Coraci directing, we know at least what to expect, so if you liked The Wedding Singer, Waterboy and Click, this will up your alley. I know I especially enjoyed The Wedding Singer, but if you want a story about a teacher who turns to fighting mixed martial arts done properly, then I would suggest viewing Warrior (2011), starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, instead.

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Transfer Quality

Video

    Here Comes the Boom becomes more 'lively' in colour as the film's progresses, with dull tones making way for strong and vibrant colour schemes which reflect the character development of the hero played by Kevin James.

    The aspect ratio is done in a 1080p 1:85:1 AVC encode.

    Shot digitally on Sony Cine Alta, the video transfer is not as sharp as other films on Blu-ray, yet you wouldn't fault it either. The average bitrate of the image transfer is 24 Mbps.

    As mentioned, the colour palette of the film becomes more saturised as the plot unfolds to its natural conclusion.

    There are no major film artefacts present.

    Subtitles are available in English, English for the hard of hearing, German, Hindi, Italian and Turkish.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is top-notch, with an average bitrate of 2.7 Mbps.

    The main audio track is an English DTS-HD Master Audio lossless 5.1 track, with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio dubbed track available in German and Italian.

    The dialogue is crisp and clear and audio is synchronised.

    The signature soundtrack piece, Here Comes The Boom, gets plenty of plays in this film, with an alternate version too!

    Surround channel usage is evident in the rear channels, which ring with audience applause, with cheering and screaming making you feel involved in each bout.

    The Subwoofer is emphasised with good low-end bass in punches and kicks, and the introductory songs of the fighters.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Deleted Scenes (16:18)

18 deleted scenes are presented which were edited out of the final cut of the film.

Gag Reel (2:36)

This shows the cast cracking-up during the filming of scenes.

Here Comes the Cast (6:24)

This is a standard EPK featurette which promotes how the cast loved working on the movie.

Back to School (4:27)

This featurette shows how the production team found the school they used for filming.

Learning How to Fight (8:48)

A behind-the-scenes look at how Kevin James prepared and trained for the film's fight scenes.

Gino Vs. Ritchie (3:49)

Associate producer Gino "The Sandwich" Falsetto takes on Richie "The Bigger Sandwich" Minervini, Kevin James' stand-in. The guys fight in the ring with the cast and crew as the audience.

Three Amigos (5:39)

We learn about the actors who make up Kevin James' support team in the film, Bas Rutten, Mark DellaGrotte and Henry Winkler.

The Pros (3:00)

We get a quick look at the real mixed martial arts fighters and trainers who feature in the movie.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    The Region-Free United States, United Kingdom and German Blu-ray releases of Here Comes The Boom differ slightly in audio and subtitling specifications. Otherwise, they are identical to the Region-Free Australian release.

Summary

    Technically, Here Comes The Boom is a solid effort from Universal Sony Pictures. The image transfer is quite good and the sound has a lot to offer, certainly more than creditable for a comedy genre movie. The subwoofer is well-used during the fight scenes. The extras are worth a look mainly for mixed martial arts fans, with standard in-depth extras found on most modern Blu-ray releases missing here. Here Comes The Boom is aimed at an audience familiar with standard Kevin James roles. If that is you, then this is definitely worth a look, just don't expect it to re-invent the 'feel-good' comedy genre!

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© John Stivaktas (I like my bio)
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Review Equipment
DVDSony BDP-S550 (Firmware updated Version 020), using HDMI output
DisplaySamsung LA46A650 46 Inch LCD TV Series 6 FullHD 1080P 100Hz. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio DecoderSony STR-K1000P. Calibrated with THX Optimizer.
AmplificationSony HTDDW1000
SpeakersSony 6.2 Surround (Left, Front, Right, Surround Left, Surround Back, Surround Right, 2 subwoofers)

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