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Cast your mind back to a time when Tom Cruise wasn’t quite so into Xenu, Winona Rider wasn’t so stealy, and jeans were both tight and light blue. Yes, we’re talking about the fabulous 1980s, a wonderful time in cinema, and now something you can enjoy in the comfort of your own 21st century home, in 1080p. Yep, Beetlejuice, Risky Business and The Goonies have gone all Blu-ray.
Why, you might ask, would anyone need 80s classics in high definition? Well, we were surprised to discover that the picture quality is actually pretty good. Added to that a decent crop of special features and we think you could spend your money on a lot worse *cough* Transformers *cough*. Plus, we’re guessing these are the kind of films you maybe bought in a three-for-a-tenner deal on VHS and didn’t bother to upgrade to DVD.
Beetlejuice is still the weird experience you remember, with a ludicrously slim Alec Baldwin and a 17-year-old Winona. The Blu-ray features what the cover notes generously describe as “three hilarious episodes of the Beetlejuice animated series”.
The Risky Business Blu-ray has a video commentary featuring Tom Cruise himself — this was his breakthrough role — and the producers Jon Avnet and Paul Brickman. There’s also a short, full-screen video intro to the audio commentary, which doesn’t really make much sense. Unusually, most of the special features, including original screen tests for Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay, are in HD. A nice change, especially for a movie this old. There’s also nudity, which earns the movie an 18 rating, and a Crave seal of approval.
The Goonies is certain to be the most popular of all these films — there’s plenty of crossover between Blu-ray fans and 80s kids who wanted to be Data. The disc features an audio commentary with Richard Donner, a making-of feature and if you needed any further pursasion, a Cyndi Lauper music video. Seriously, how have you not already bought this?
All the films feature Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital soundtracks, so your ears should be in for a similar treat to your nostalgia gland.
Credit to Warner Brothers, too — when you put the discs in your player, the movie starts with only a very brief warning about piracy resulting in a trillion-dollar fine, and a billion years in the big house, then it’s straight on with the film.
All three movies are available now and cost about £12 from Amazon. Go on, treat yourself to the Truffle Shuffle in 1080p. –Ian Morris
