Wild Hogs – Blu-ray Disc

– The Movie Itself (has an average rating of 6.1 on IMDb)
– Video Quality (1080p in AVC MPEG-4 on a 50gb disc)
– Audio Quality (in PCM 5.1 @6.9Mbps & Dolby Digital 5.1)
– Bonus Materials (are all in High Def but a bit too short)
–
– 2007
– 100 minutes
– Touchstone (Buena Vista)

Buy it for $19.99 @ Amazon.com

The Movie Itself first off includes an All-Star Cast of actors and was widely acclaimed the “#1 Comedy of the Year” by critics. The film is about these four guys (all roughly my dad’s age) that are going through their mid-life crises by riding Harley‘s on the weekend to relax. These guys in the group of friends include “Doug (played by Tim Allen), “Bobby” (played by Martin Lawrence), “Dudley” (played by William H. Macy) and “Woody (played by John Travolta). These four ride as “biker gang” just for fun under the name “Wild Hogs” and don’t really take themselves too seriously as bikers, nor do the real bikers. When all four of these guys find themselves looking for a getaway or way to relax they’re easily talked into a road trip (with no real destination) by “Woody.” So it’s as easy as that and we’re off onto the wild American asphalt traveled so many times by bikers of the past. It’s easy to say the movie has some since of tribute to classic biker films like “Easy Rider” as you’ll see by the cameo by Peter Fonda.

Without giving too much away I just want to state that this film is absolutely hilarious and really is one of the best comedies I’ve seen in a long time. You’re definitely in store for loads of laughs with “Wild Hogs” and this is a must-have for any Blu-ray consumer with a sense of humor. Yes, I know that rhymed.

Video Quality on this release is in 1080p AVC MPEG-4 on a 50 gigabyte Blu-ray Disc. The video quality on this release is absolutely stunning and very “pristine” as Buena Vista themselves describe their High Def in their Blu-ray Disc trailer. I’d have to say I’m amazed by this one visually and I continue to be by Buena Vista on their releases. There are some really awesome special effects in the bar explosion scene of the film and that translates over to High Def beautifully as well do the scenic driving scenes of the road trip. Which leads me to say that this offers some amazing scenery that you’d expect from film about a road trip.

Audio Quality on this release is in Uncompressed Linear PCM 5.1 @ 6.9Mbps and in Dolby Digital 5.1 @ 640kbps as well. Nothing like hearing the roar of a Harley Davidson motorcycle in PCM 5.1! Sounds like the real thing, believe me on this one. The soundtrack to this film is perfect and includes songs like “Slow Ride” (by Foghat), “Who Do You Love?” (preformed by George Thorogood), “The Breeze” / “That Smell” (by Lynyrd Skynyrd), “Highway to Hell” (by AC/DC) and even “Good Vibrations” (by The Beach Boys).

Bonus Materials first off include an audio Commentary with Director Walt Becker and Writer Brad Copeland. As always on Buena Vista releases there’s the “Movie Showcase.” This features some of the best three scenes in High Def from the film. Next we get the original DVD features but they are all in High Def (1080i video) with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. “Bikes, Brawls and Burning Bars: The Making of Wild Hogs” (16 minutes) features interviews with Director Walt Becker, Writer Brad Copeland as well as the cast members. A bit of discussion is also had about the stunt work in the film as you’d expect. It’s all definitely worth a watch and this proves to be a really good “making of” documentary of sorts.

“Freewheeling Alternate Ending” (1 minute) involves the “Highway Patrolman” (played by John C. McGinley) having one last run-in with the “Wild Hogs.” This is really a funny alternate ending but it’s obvious it just wouldn’t have worked like the one used. Next you get 2 Deleted Scenes, “Molar Abscess” (1 minute) features star John Travolta‘s sister and “Chili Pepper Abuse” (1 minute) shows a somewhat goofy elaboration of the “run-in with the Del Fuegos at the Chili cook-off.” There’s a short reel of “Outtakes” (with only a runtime of 2 minutes) that are good for a couple of laughs at least.

Last we get a short called “How to get your wife to let you buy a motorcycle” (2 minutes) which is pretty self-explanatory and honestly not my personal “cup of tea.” But to let you know the stunt coordinator from the film speaks on behalf of the husband’s defense. This is obviously aimed at a crowd like the four main characters, guys my dad’s age. Overall the bonus materials are decent on this release (especially the quality of the High Def video) but nothing too amazing.

— Review written by Justin Sluss

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