The Breakfast Club (30th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-Ray]
Director: John Hughes
Cast: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald
Release Date: Now Available on 30th Anniversary Blu-Ray & DVD
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Disc Rating: 9/10
Synopsis:
The Breakfast Club 30th Anniversary Edition commemorates the debut of Hughes’ most beloved creation with an all-new, digitally remastered and fully restored version of the film Entertainment Weekly calls “the best high school movie of all time.” At the beginning of a Saturday detention session, five teens are simply the Jock (Emilio Estevez), the Princess (Molly Ringwald), the Brain (Anthony Michael Hall), the Criminal (Judd Nelson) and the Basket Case (Ally Sheedy), but by afternoon they become closer than any of them could have imagined.
Whether you’ve seen the film or not, the chances are there are very few individuals out there who are not at least vaguely aware of John Hughes’ timeless high school classic that helped to define a generation. The phenomenal ‘The Breakfast Club’ tells the story of high school students who couldn’t be more different, most conveniently described as the Jock (Estevez), The Princess (Ringwald), the Brain (Hall), The Basket Case (Ally Sheedy) and The Criminal (Nelson), who when forced to share a Saturday in detention together go from hating or ignoring one another for no logical reason, to becoming closer than any of them ever imagined and discovering that none of these teens are truly as simple as what you initially see on the surface.
‘The Breakfast Club: 30th Anniversary Edition’ Blu-Ray release brings this well loved classic home once again in a new edition celebrating this notable anniversary. This time around we are treated to a new transfer for the film (something I know many fans were hoping for and it looks like Universal delivered) that’s been digitally remastered and fully restored from high resolution 35mm original film elements, along with a lossless multichannel soundtrack and a number of great extras including an Audio Commentary with members of the cast, a 12-Part Documentary and more (more detailed information regarding the bonus content can be found in the special features section of the technical specification coverage below) making this an absolute must owns for fans of ‘The Breakfast Club’ as this will very likely be the definitive version of the movie on Blu-Ray for at least a while.
VIDEO:
‘The Breakfast Club: 30th Anniversary Edition’ Blu-Ray release features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. ‘The Breakfast Club’ looks fantastic and surely better than it ever has before with this new transfer, Digitally remastered and fully restored from high resolution 35mm original film elements. This new Blu-Ray release’s transfer delivers a rich and detailed picture while still maintaining some slight grain and other elements that combined deliver the purest picture in addition to an impressive representation of the time in which it was shot, with no notable faults to be found within on my end. This is a top notch high definition video presentation that should have fans of this timeless classic more than pleased.
AUDIO:
The Blu-Ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This lossless soundtrack perfectly complements the film, utilizing the surround channels more for the music and minimal background elements, while never causing any of the dialogue to become distorted or negatively affected in any way when other auditory elements might be occurring simultaneously. This 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA track may not be overly active (which should come as no surprise) but it manages to do a very solid job of exactly what it’s intended to and it should definitely not leave the fans disappointed.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
‘The Breakfast Club: 30th Anniversary Edition’ Blu-Ray release includes a number of fun and worthwhile bonus features. Included on the release is an Audio Commentary Track with Actors Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson, in addition to the option of watching the film utilizing ‘Accepting The Facts: The Breakfast Club Trivia Track.’ We are also treated to a 12-part Documentary titled ‘Sincerely Yours’ (running approximately 51 minutes in length) which features members of the cast and crew along with other random individuals discussing the impact and experiences of and resulting from the film. Lastly, the release includes a 5 minute Featurette titled ‘The Most Convenient Definitions: The Origins of the Brat Pack’ and the Theatrical Trailer.
