BLU-RAY REVIEW

Hot Tub Time Machine

Featured In Issue 149, July/August/September 2010

Picture5
Sound4
WSR Score3
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
MGM Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
M120598
(MPAA Rating):
R / Unrated
(Rating Reason):
Strong crude and sexual content, nudity, drug use and pervasive language
(Retail Price):
$39.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
99 / 101
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
2010
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
06/29/10
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Steve Pink
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

In "Hot Tub Time Machine," three friends with less-than-fulfilling lives get the chance to go back and do it all again. John Cusack, Craig Robinson, and Rob Corddry are buddies looking to recapture a little of their youthful glory by returning to the sky resort where they used to party. After a crazy night of drinking in the hot tub, they realize that they've been transported back to the '80s and into the bodies of their younger selves. Now they have to decide whether they should change their futures while wading through a sea of spandex, blue eye shadow, and heavy metal hair bands. (Gary Reber)

The disc contains the R-rated theatrical version (01:38:56) and the unrated version (01:40:37). Special features include nine deleted scenes (HD 11:48); theatrical promotional spots featuring production: "acting like idiots, Chevy Chase: The Nicest Guy In Hollywood," "totally radical outfits: Dayna Pink," and "Chrispin Glover: One Armed Bellhop" (HD 06:29); upfront previews; and a digital copy of the unrated film.

The 1080p AVC picture is stylized, with an aggressive fully saturated color palette. The 1980's stylizations feature bright and vivid neon hues, to exhibit an ultra-saturated look. The titular time machine glows golden yellow, and the light show at the Poison concert is a rainbow of eye-popping color. Every scene is vibrant with color and rich textures. Fleshtones are accurately rendered, even under radical lighting conditions. There are plenty of naked female bodies with terrific skin tones. Contrast is generally good with deep, solid blacks and revealing shadow delineation. The imagery is sharp and clear throughout, and detail during close-ups of facial features and object textures is excellent. The picture delivers a warm "heavy" cinematic film look throughout that is pristine. This is a terrific colorful visual experience, with lots of eye-popping visuals that is sure to please. (Gary Reber)

As with the typical comedy, the DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1 surround track is conventionally produced with production sound and ADR dialogue. But generally spatial delineation is well balanced. The music is pure '80s rock-and-roll with the normal recorded presence of that genre. The music is spread wide and deep, with aggressive extension into the surround channels. The ending scene has effective deep bass effects in the .1 LFE channel. When not occupied by the lively songs, ambiant sound effects are occasionally heard in the surround channels. But overall, the sound, with the exception of the songs, is frontal focused. Overall, this is a serviceable soundtrack with lots of lively, energetic sonic elements and a prominent music track to elevate the energetic comedic situations. (Gary Reber)