Detention Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
A downtrodden 17-year-old girl is sent to detention where she must survive a slasher film killer and save the world in time for prom.
For more about Detention and the Detention Blu-ray release, see the Detention Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on July 28, 2012 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.5 out of 5.
Novelty in cinema is a glorious thing, but filmmakers must tread carefully lest the results end up like Detention, a whacked-out spectacle that
combines most every genre and style and references decades worth of pop culture in one ninety minute extravaganza of WHAT? The movie's
partially incomprehensible beyond the basics; it's a smorgasbord of style, an avalanche of stuff, characters and a plot that move at the speed of bytes
and texts and OMGs and incoherent quips and complex relationships and situations. Calling this a "kitchen sink" movie would be to grossly
underestimate all the randomness that efforts to
come together into one tale, to coalesce into a nonlinear but lucid entity. Detention never quite gels; it's just too difficult to keep all of the
characters, motives, backstories, timelines, ideas, and dialogue straight and make much sense of it. There's so many different elements that even as
the story takes a rough shape in the second half, it's too much to process and with any concrete sense of place, time, people, ideas, and themes.
Detention earns high marks for effort, an A+ for originality, but a failing grade in cohesion and substance.
'Minority Report' gets Detention.
Things are a little crazy around the hallowed halls of Grizzly Lake High School. One of their own has been murdered, but it seems everyone is so
self-absorbed with their own little microcosms that the big picture isn't quite in focus. Riley Jones (Shanley Caswell) is hobbled by a broken leg.
She's something of an outsider who falls asleep in ketchup and french fries and lives with an alcoholic father. Rather than a cheerleader like
one-time gal pal Ione Foster (Spencer Locke), she's relegated to playing the school mascot. She has her eye on longtime friend Clapton Davis (Josh
Hutcherson), who likes Ione. Their problems come to a head when another student is murdered and the suspects -- including Riley, Ione, and
Clapton -- are forced into Saturday detention, on the day of the prom no less. Now, with the help of a student they know nothing about, it's up to
them to peg the identity of the "Cinderhella" murderer, which just might take a little more time than they might have believed.
Detention isn't rightly labeled an "experimental" movie, at least not in total. The movie's vastly different from anything ever made, but
then
again it's mostly a collection of older ideas, styles, and elements blended together into a single entity. But apart from the details, the structure and
style are fairly novel; Director Joseph Kahn (Torque) maintains a nearly unmaintainable pace, the picture a kinetic roller coaster of dialogue,
visuals, and plot developments. It never slows down; it's always in motion, whether developing characters, working through to the next segment,
or
engaged in Horror/Sci Fi/Action elements. The movie aims for a near self-awareness, knocking on the fourth wall throughout. The characters exist
in
a hyper, ultra-modern, cutting edge world where everything is at their fingertips and life and the school experience are shaped by complex
relationships, the digital age, and an effort to always stay on the leading edge of life. Some may argue it tries too hard to be a hipster movie and
disapprove of its style, while
many
in
the generation it depicts might find it the greatest movie ever made. Reaction will range from hatred to obnoxiousness to entertainment to
unabashed
love for the project. This is the furthest thing from a "one size fits all" movie, even if Detention builds itself up by copying and intermixing
themes and elements from any number of older, safer, more familiar styles and films.
So what, exactly, makes up the bits and pieces that shape Detention? In the broadest sense, the movie is something like Scream meets The Breakfast Club meets Heathers meets Déjà vu. That covers the basics of "high school slasher," "Saturday
detention with an eclectic mixture of students," "angry at the world high school whack jobs," and "time travel to save the day" pieces. But
Detention is
only getting started. There's some mixture of Freak Friday meets Big. The movie features a cast of characters as seemingly random as
those in Can't Hardly Wait. There are references galore, to everything from Star Trek to Back to the Future and Minority Report-inspired holographic technology which, even way ahead
of its time, the students instinctively know how to operate and never question its presence (then again, they never question that they can time
travel from inside an animatronic and anatomically correct gorilla). Then there are references to LaserDiscs and many of the fashions and trends of
the past twenty years. The movie offers a history lesson of music over the past two decades, too. Throw in some ridiculously over-the-top gore and
backwards scenes, such as when the students aim to prove one another's innocence rather than guilt, and it's easy to see what Detention
might be the movie and culture geek's dream come true. It's just too bad there's not a tighter, more coherent movie behind all the stuff
that makes it tick.
Detention's HD video photography sparkles on Blu-ray. Though there are some shots that look noticeably softer than others, the image dazzles,
generally, with incredibly brilliant colors and very crisp, accurate details. From the opening moments forward, audiences will note the dazzling array of
hues seen in the to-be-murdered girl's bedroom and house. Lavish pinks and reds dominate, but the sum total of the palette sparkles. Clarity is
fantastic, and the transfer offers some marvelous details. Faces, clothes, beat-up lockers, well-used locks, and all sorts of school-specific elements appear
amazingly detailed right down to the nitty-gritty level that approaches real life. Blacks are deep, perhaps a bit overly so in a few of the darkest shots, but
flesh tones appear balanced throughout. There's a hint of banding in places, but no other major eyesores to report. Overall, this is another wonderful
transfer from Sony.
Detention features the Sony-standard DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack, and it doesn't disappoint. This is a big, spacious, all-in, completely
immersive listen. It recreates the hectic 21st century high school setting with uncanny precision, placing all sorts of music and effects all over the
soundstage to believable, necessary, and oftentimes sonically intoxicating effect. Whether specific elements or simply the din of a busy hallway or
cramped girls bathroom, Sony's lossless presentation manages to find even the most nuanced elements and make them a part of a complete listening
experience. The film's diverse range of music, which spans two decades of beats, sounds wonderful. From Hip-Hop to Hard Rock, every note blares, but
blares with the utmost clarity, precision, and range, including deep and penetrating lows that only once or twice seem too rattly and distraught at the
bottom. This holds true in various flashback sequences or in a party segment where music plays with a deliberately mushy tenor but accuracy for the
locale. Dialogue is clear and even, flowing from the center channel with no interruption or competition from surrounding music or sound effects. This is
an excellent track that serves this high-energy, nonstop movie experience very well.
Cheat Mode: The Unbelievably Mind Melting Making of Detention (1080p): From the menu: "Graduate Grizzly Lake High with
flying colors! Watch the film in cheat mode where cast and crew come on-screen to give detailed insights and trivia throughout the film." The PiP piece
is as active and energized as the movie. Cast and crew cover a wide array of topics, supported by a wealth of picture-in-picture video interview and
rehearsal clips, still photographs that move around the screen, raw film footage, and more. Discussions include casting, the film's style, references,
cameos, making various scenes, character arcs, and more.
Fight Rehearsal (1080p, 2:18): Rehearsal footage with low-end special effect support.
Riffing with Dane (1080p, 4:19): Outtakes featuring the famed comedic actor.
Screen Tests (1080p, 8:03): Shanley Caswell and Yves Bright, Shanley Caswell, and Shanley Caswell and Aaron David Johnson.
Simply put, Detention isn't for everyone. It's a sharp divide sort of movie, one audiences will cherish or despise. It's worth trying if only for the
novelty, but chances are a lot of audiences won't be able to get past all of the clutter and hyperactivity. It's quick, sometimes smart, and is
commendable for its ability to
weave together so many different elements and maintain a fire-hot pace. Yet ultimately it feels a little too busy, seems to be trying way too hard. It's
difficult to sort out but the effort is
undeniable. Still, this may be the future of cinema; moviegoers wanting to get in on the ground floor or check out a vision from a few years out might
want to watch. Sony's Blu-ray release of Detention offers spiffy video and great audio. A few good extras are included. Fans should purchase
with
confidence, but newcomers should definitely rent before buying.
This week, Lionsgate is re-issuing the 1990 sci-fi-epic Total Recall on Blu-ray. While the release seems timed simply to capitalize on Sony's upcoming Total Recall remake, director Paul Verhoeven uses the Philip K. Dick short story "We Can Remember It for You ...
Next month, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will bring Detention to Blu-ray. Starring Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games), Shanley Caswell (Bones), Dane Cook (Mr. Brooks), and Spencer Locke (Monster House), director Joseph Kahn's surreal, visually extreme horror-comedy ...
