Starring: Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, Sarah Jessica-Parker, John Lithgow
Director: Herbert Ross
Ratings - Film: 3/5
Blu-Ray: 3/5
It’s all the fault of the Walkman and the Ghetto-Blaster. Now on Blu Ray for the first time as the remake is set to hit the multiplexes, how does this version of Footloose hold up?
Footloos is the story of Ren (Kevin Bacon), a city slicker teenager who’s forced to move to the small town of Bomont, where raucous music and dancing are banned. There he falls foul of the locals, especially Reverend Moore (John Lithgow), as he tries to bring back music to the town, striking up a relationship with the Reverend’s rebellious daughter Ariel (Lori Singer) along the way.
This is a film so 80’s it hurts. Between the skin tight jeans, montages and perms, Footloose falls foul of all those clichés we all know and love. Whether you take this is good or bad is entirely based on your personal levels of nostalgia.
For a film remembered for its dancing, there’s surprisingly little of it. Mostly Footloose is a teen drama, filled with angst and rebellion. While these stretches don’t feel as natural as other films from the era, it’s all held together by Bacon and Lithgow, who, along with the rare dance sequences are the film’s highlight.
Not everything holds up quite as well as the soundtrack and hairspray though. The picture and audio quality vary dramatically throughout, going from gorgeous one moment to plain the next, as does the audio.
While it’s always above the levels of the DVD versions, it’s still slightly disappointing that not all the film looks as good as some scenes.
The extras are a drastic improvement over the last release though, with updated interviews with both Kevin Bacon and Sarah Jessica-Parker about both their times on the film and their now departed co-star Chris Penn.
That all the DVD extras are included as well just rounds off a comprehensive package, and easily the best put together yet.
While not perfect, this release should defiantly get you in the mood for the remake before it hits the screens and lays down a real gauntlet for the class of 2011.
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith
Tagged in Footloose Kevin Bacon