National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Blu-ray features mediocre video and audio in this still enjoyable Blu-ray release
It's Christmas time and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration, but
things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck
is worsened by his obnoxious family guests, but he manages to keep going knowing that his
Christmas bonus is due soon.
If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet I wouldn't be more surprised than I
am right now.
There's nothing quite like milking (or eggnogging?) a favorite on home video, and as such it's
certainly no surprise to see National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation make its second
appearance on Blu-ray, this time a mere three years after its high definition debut. What's changed? The
answer is "not much." The film is still a Holiday classic and one of the best of its kind, and the
Blu-ray disc is identical in every regard save for the packaging and the artwork that appears on the
physical disc. However, Warner Brothers has included a few nice collectibles in the package (see the
"Supplements" section below) to make this a decent gift set that will probably please both fans of
the film and Blu-ray collectors as an additional gift underneath the tree this year.
Clark, we're picking out a tree for the living room, not Rockefeller Center.
Christmas Vacation stars Chevy Chase (Fletch) as family
man Clark
Griswold, and he's obsessed with making
this Christmas the best his family has ever seen. Though his intentions are just -- if not a bit
foolhardy -- each attempt to inject holiday joy through the cozy confines of his suburban home
leads only to one disaster after another. Clark remains mostly unaware of or indifferent to the
problems, facing them with
an almost
childlike acceptance that they're just part of the Christmas experience, and never does he allow a
case of the "bah humbugs" to keep him from his noble goal. This enthusiasm falters, however,
when his
cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid, Independence Day)
and his clan show up uninvited to the Griswold home in an abused
and decrepit RV, planning to spend the entire holiday season with Clark and family. Making
matters worse
is a missing bonus check that threatens to destroy Clark's secret plan to install a swimming pool
in
the back yard. In the end and in the true spirit of Christmas, Clark comes to realize that life's
best bonuses don't necessarily come in the form of a corporate check.
1989's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is one of the most successful of the
modern
Christmas movies,
offering up ninety minutes of nonstop holiday fun. Perhaps the best and most beloved of the
Vacation films, Christmas Vacation is a pleasant diversion from the avalanche of
sappy
Hallmark Christmas movies and the deluge of Santa-centric pictures like Tim Allen's Santa Clause series.
Grounded in a mostly realistic plot with plenty of fun but never overly exaggerated comical
scenarios,
this film is a success because it's so very easy to relate to, particularly for those that find
themselves in a packed house full of a quirky array of relatives every December. National
Lampoon's Christmas Vacation does for the family get-together what Office Space
did
for the office routine, delivering a true film classic filled with laughs, holiday spirit, plenty of
charm, unforgettable characters, quotable lines, and memorable scenes that make it a film that's
required viewing every Christmas season.
Warner Brothers' 1080p, 1.78:1 Blu-ray presentation of National Lampoon's Christmas
Vacation surpasses in quality all previous home video releases, save, of course, for the identical
2006 Blu-ray. Nevertheless, the image retains what has always been a rather flat and soft
appearance that surprisingly still manages to
look fairly pleasing overall. It's nothing spectacular, but for a 20-year-old comedy, it looks fine.
Detail
is moderately high, particularly in scenes that feature brighter lights and a wider array of colors.
Flesh tones look solid enough, colors are moderately vibrant, and black levels appear fine, but not
magnificent. There are some pops and nicks evident over the print throughout,
particularly in establishing and long-distance shots. Outdoor scenes fare well, too, though
snow-covered terrain and a generally negligible sense of depth only take the image so far. This
Blu-ray
isn't a cut-and-try "must upgrade" release over standard definition DVD presentations, but
fans that don't already own the film will certainly enjoy this decent Blu-ray presentation.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track.
It sounds fine, all
things considered, an example of a movie and a mix that have little to offer beyond the basics.
There's not much in the source material to work with, and this is a front-heavy audio
experience
with the vast majority of the sound emanating from the center channel speaker. Obviously, the
rear channels enjoy a 90 minute holiday with this disc in conjunction with the absence of any
sort of low end, and there are but a few sound effects and
musical notes spilling over and out of the left and right front channels. As a 20-year-old
dialogue-driven Comedy, not much more is to be
expected. Said
dialogue comes across pleasantly enough;
there's nothing that ever really distracts from or hinders it. Though not at all anything
resembling a
robust sound presentation, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation covers the basics,
and
as such, it
sounds fine when considered in the proper context.
The only on-disc supplement to speak of on this recycled Blu-ray release of National
Lampoon's
Christmas Vacation is a feature commentary track with Actors Randy Quaid, Beverly
D'Angelo, Johnny Galecki, Miriam Flynn; Director Jeremiah Chechik; and Producer Matty
Simmons.
This is a fun, none-too-serious track. Discussions revolve around ice skating lessons, hairstyle
choices, and facial hair. There are also some actual filmmaking tidbits, too; they are interesting
(such as a discussion on the editing of a particular scene) and such insights allow for a brief
respite from
the nonstop humor of the track. This commentary supplements the movie well, fitting right in
with
the theme, pace, and style of the film. Also included is a 480p trailer for the film.
This latest National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Blu-ray release does come with a few
added trinkets that fans should enjoy. Housed inside a tin that measures approximately 8" in
height, 5.5" in
width, and 3.25" in depth (a bit less wide
than the A Christmas Story
tin), buyers will find a "I Survived a Griswold Family Christmas!" button, a box of snow powder
(just add water), a miniature plastic replica of the famed "moose head" mug that features
prominently in the film, a small "moose head" Santa hat, and four
Christmas Vacation-themed coasters (see additional screenshots for detailed
photographs).
A timeless classic of holiday laughs and spirit, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a
Christmas staple, a wonderful little film that never seems to wear out its welcome. This latest
Blu-ray release of Christmas Vacation might be an old gift in new wrapping, but it's still sure
to bring Christmas cheer to any recipient. The video and audio presentations are nothing to brag
about, but they're easily overshadowed by the quality of the movie. This release adds no new
on-disc extras, but the included goodies in the tin should make any stalwart Christmas
Vacation fan jolly. At the right price, this would make for an excellent collectible for the
National Lampoon's
Christmas Vacation and/or Blu-ray collector on the list this Holiday season, not to mention a
handsome complimentary piece to Warner Brothers' A Christmas Story tin
release. Recommended for fans that don't currently own the previous Christmas Vacation
Blu-ray disc.
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National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: Other Editions
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quickly latched onto the realistic special effects used to insert Tom Hanks
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Warner Home Video has announced that they have delayed the Blu-ray release of 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: Ultimate Collector's Edition' by one week to November 3rd. No reason was given for the delay, and no technical specs or special features have been ...
Warner Home Video has announced that it will release 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: Ultimate Collector's Edition' on Blu-ray on October 27. The film comes in a collectible gift tin including a replica of Clark Griswold's holiday Santa hat, a set of holiday-themed ...
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
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