HTF DVD REVIEW: Starstruck: Extended Edition (1 Viewer)

[Neil Middlemiss]

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[SIZE= 18px]Starstruck: Extended Edition[/SIZE]​

[SIZE= 16px]Studio: Walt Disney
Year: 2010
US Rating: TV:G
Film Length: 84 Minutes
Video: Color / 1.78:1 – Enhanced for Widescreen Televisions
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, French and Spanish Language Tracks[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 16px]Subtitles: French, and Spanish[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]Release Date: June 8, 2010[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]“Everyone has a choice – what do you want to do?”[/SIZE]​

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[SIZE= 16px]The Film: 3.5 out of 5[/SIZE]​

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[SIZE= 16px]When I sat down to review the Jonas Brothers TV movie Camp Rock a while ago, I was less than enthused by the prospect. It was a somewhat begrudging effort that I engaged in as the upbeat pop-feel (despite promises of ‘rock’) began. The sugary wholesomeness of Disney’s expert branding, and packaging of feel-good stories, has produced an entire library of replicated stories tweaked and nudged ever-so slightly to appeal to the latest generation of the youthful ‘fan-frenzy’ capable pre-teens, tweens, and teens.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]For my review of Camp Rock, I began by saying:[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]“By the time your body says goodnight to life and you pass into the ether of your afterlife, you will have ingrained in your mind the broadly drawn characters that make up Disney’s version of the world. You will be able to recognize in an instant the rich snob, the shy outcast, the handsome loner, the secretly beautiful nerd, the wise old person; the…well, you get the point. All these stock characters that giddily and gainfully adorn well worn plots in family approved stories exist today for the tweens just as they did for us, albeit with less clothes and more sass now”.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]As I sit here writing my review of Starstuck, I am reminded of being in that frame of mind, and have to say that, once again, the ability of Disney to simultaneously tap into and create youthful pop demand is something to behold. And again, while I am most certainly not the target demographic, I can take a step back from my initial wince response, and marvel at the bubblegum fun of it all.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]Starstuck begins as Christopher Wilde (a Justin Bieber-esque blonde-haired pop sensation played by Sterling Knight) lights up a stage with a harmless pop-rock tune as Sara (Maggie Castle), perhaps the world’s biggest ‘Wilde’ fan, watches at home on television. When the adoring Sara and her less-than-impressed-with-Wilde younger sister Jessica head to Los Angeles (all the way from Kalamazoo, Mi) to visit their grandma, the older sister plots to find the handsome young Wilde by any means necessary. Jessica, however, is utterly disinterested in the Wilde sensation, and begrudgingly accompanies her near-obsessed older sister on an excursion to see him sing. But this wouldn’t be a Disney tale without a fun twist of fate, which here comes in the form of the unimpressed Jessica fatefully meeting, and adventuring, with Wilde. With escapades across the glitz of L.A. (and some not-so-glitzy surrounding areas), Jessica and Christopher find that there is more to life than fame.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]Besides the absurdity of stardom (and the creepy fascination that the ‘paparazzi has in creating and then feeding the fame monster), Starstruck is easy-going, likeably predictable, and generally innocuous entertainment, ripe for the target demographic of pre-teens and tweens. The film moves at a comfortable click, and so long as the script doesn’t demand any real emotion or impressive comedic timing, the young actors do what they need to. A less than subtle, yet still appreciated attempt at a melting pot scenario of life (perhaps to temper the blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man and white girl headliners), helps diversify the proceedings.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]Also starring Disney Channel regulars Brandon Mychal Smith and Chelsea Staub, Starstruck is harmless, cute, and simple entertainment with all the familiar ingredients, and a soundtrack which bubbles with easy tunes, delivered by the kids performing beyond their years and experience.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px][COLOR= #000000]The Video: 3.5 out of 5[/COLOR][/SIZE]​

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[SIZE= 16px]Framed at 1.78:1, Starstruck falls in line with other Disney Channel TV-Movies, bright colors adorning almost every scene, warm sunny tones throughout and, when its dark, well-placed light sources that keep everything bright. The level of detail in the image is quite good, and in the couple of night scenes, the black levels were deep.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px][COLOR= #000000]The Sound: 3.5 out of 5[/COLOR][/SIZE]​

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[SIZE= 16px]With a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound track, and French and Spanish language tracks, Starstruck is fairly ordinary throughout, though likely by design, does come alive during the musical numbers. The center channel is issue free with the dialogue, and the front channels handle the sounds well, especially the scene at the beach where Jessica and Christopher evade the paparazzi.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]The Extras: 3.5 out of 5[/SIZE]​

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[SIZE= 16px]Exclusive Extended Music Scene: An extended scene featuring the song Got to Believe.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]Music Videos: Videos for Starstuck, Something About the Sunshine, and Party Up.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]Rock Along: A karaoke-style feature where you can sing along with the musical numbers.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]Full Music CD:Disc two contains the full-length soundtrack featuring 12 songs from the highly-rated Disney TV movie.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]Final Thoughts[/SIZE]​

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[SIZE= 16px]With a likeable tone, good messages, and a good balance of goofy and happy pop, Starstruck achieves most of what it attempts. The initial ‘starstruck’ older sister, whose obsession over a ‘boy’ is tired, is nicely balanced by the common-sense reality check written by the Jessica character. The fairy-tale freedoms of the young players and the improbability of their adventure is perfect fun Disney material. Fans will enjoy reliving the tale, and the extra footage. Parents can take comfort in the family-friendly fun, and others who know what the film is about (and who it is for) most likely won’t be disappointed.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE= 16px]Overall 3.5 out of 5[/SIZE]​

[SIZE= 16px]Neil Middlemiss[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 16px]Kernersville, NC[/SIZE]