Here’s a look at a couple of box office hits starring legendary actors now available in the home theater disc format.
F1: The Movie (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 155 minutes, $29.99) The Brad Pitt-fueled, high-speed sports drama from director Joseph Kosinski races to the 4K disc format and takes the checkered flag for its dazzling race sequences that are sure to please home theater, thrill enthusiasts.
Mr. Pitt stars as aging former Formula One driver Sonny Hayes, gone from his beloved sport after a near-fatal crash, now a nomadic driver for hire, Sonny returns to the F1 circuit to help his once teammate Rubén Cervantes (Javier Bardem) rescue his struggling APXGP racing team in desperate need of a win to keep it from being sold by his investors.
Sonny’s main competition is the young and cocky APXGP rookie Joshua Pierce (Damson Idris) who’s worried more about his ego and is willing to challenge old man Sonny at every turn despite doing what the team needs to win.
Hate turns to mentorship within the motorsport narrative as the pair balance and consider whether technology has more of an advantage than human skills and instinct.
“F1” follows a comfortable formula of a flawed old guy given one more chance for redemption while thriving through faithful performances and those on-track action sequences.
The ultra-high definition upgrades shine, starting with a spectacular opening highlighting Sonny racing in Daytona at night with fireworks exploding above him. It sets the pace for a visual smorgasbord highlighting the mechanical wonders and sleek designs of professional racing vehicles in competition.
Details are impeccable, spotlighting burning rubber, shredded tires, puffs of flame from exhausts, water sprays from wet tracks, black fumes from scorched plastic, spitting up of gravel and grass divots, sparks spewing from dragging metal and cracked glass in a rearview mirror.
The races take place in locations sporting panoramic views, all sizzling with visual impact and including Las Vegas, Abu Dhabi, Spa in Belgium, Suzuka in Japan, Monza in Italy and Silverstone in the United Kingdom.
Best extras: Viewers get nine featurettes (roughly 50 minutes in total) covering the production, enhanced through cast and crew interviews led by the director and Mr. Pitt.
Topics include a quick look at the initial table read, the main actors actually driving the modified F1 race cars, training actors to drive dangerous vehicles, the varied track locations, shooting a crash with the help of visual effects, the high level of realism involved in the movie and Hans Zimmer’s musical score.
The Naked Gun (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, rated PG-13, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 85 minutes, $31.99) Legendary action star and former Jedi Liam Neeson successfully tapped into his humorous side, continuing a classic action parody film franchise featuring the legendary Los Angeles Police Squad and now available in the Blu-ray disc format.
Mr. Neeson plays Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the iconic law enforcement officer Frank Drebin (originally played by Leslie Nielsen back in 1988) and on the case of a stolen tech gadget that could reset humanity back to its primal state.
On the trail of prime suspect millionaire and Edentech owner Richard Cane, he gets help from partner Capt. Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser) and the sister of the missing programmer, femme fatale Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson).
Compared to the original 1988 film, director Akiva Schaffer’s effort is practically a serious drama. Simply put, the movie is not funny as viewers endure a bombardment of rapid-fire puns, double entendres, pratfalls and sight gags that mostly all fall flat.
An example of the dialogue exchanges includes the standard: Frank says, “Take a chair.” Beth says, “No, thank you, I have plenty of chairs at home,” or Richard says, “Miss Spaghetti, can I speak freely?” Beth replies, “I prefer English.”
Only two sequences registered out loud laughs. Silhouettes of Frank and Beth cooking a turkey in a kitchen (pulled right from the Austin Powers and Ace Ventura playbook) and a final fight between Frank and Richard with some witty wordplay.
Now, do not blame the cast. Mr. Neeson’s gravelly voice and deadpan delivery work perfectly with the dialogue, and the addition of Ms. Anderson as Frank’s romantic interest helps, though she might have been better used as more of an unintentional ditz rather than a clever partner.
The debut in high definition offers a visually efficient presentation but can’t enhance the lack of laughs.
Ultimately and unfortunately, “The Naked Gun” was a box office hit, and viewers should expect plenty more Frank Drebin Jr. hijinks.
Best extras: Viewers get six featurettes (roughly 30 minutes in total) covering the production, Mr. Neeson and Ms. Anderson’s work, the villains, the octagon arena fight and building a set of a set within a set that’s on a set.
Additionally, dive into 16 minutes of alternate, extended or deleted scenes and 12 minutes of outtakes (sort of a gag reel).
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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