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DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Herbie Fully Loaded (1 Viewer)

DaViD Boulet

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HERBIE
Fully Loaded

Studio:Disney Year:2005 RunTime:102 minutes Rating:G Aspect Ratio:16x9 encoded 1.85:1 (OAR) Audio:5.1 DD English, French, Spanish SpecialFeatures:Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, Music Video… ReleaseDate:October 25, 2005








The Movie...





I tried folks. I really did. I cued up the disc with an open mind, doing my very best to put on my “Herbie” cap and take in what was in store. While there are Disney remakes/sequels that I’ve very much enjoyed (Freaky Friday), I confess that this latest installment in the Herbie saga failed to impress me.

Lindsay Lohan is looking her usual gorgeous self and does her usual excellent job of combining a romantic, sexy young female look with a personable, accessible style. Her accompanying romatic counterpart does an excellent job acting as well. Acting is generally good all around. For me, the barrier in this film is the prosaic writing and formulaic flavor: Everything from “bad guy wears black” to “protective father won’t let liberated daughter race” to “slapstick oil-squirts-in-face gag”…no pre-packaged film device was left unexploited. To its credit, this movie isn’t really trying to set the world standard for timeless storytelling. And it will do an excellent job entertaining kids and pre-teens in family-friendly style. Oh heck, I guess the original Herbie movies weren’t veritable classics either…so maybe it’s just being true to form. In any case, if you loved Herbie Fully Loaded—more power to ya—it’s just for me personally I was hoping for something a notch or two higher.

And don’t get me started on the digital special effects (praised as they are by some, they still look stylistically out-of-place in a Herbie movie to my eyes).

Also of interest for those out in Southern CA:


FREE CAR WASHES TO CELEBRATE
HERBIE: FULLY LOADED ON DVD!!

WHAT:
Herbie: Fully Loaded star, Herbie (the classic car) will host car washes to celebrate the DVD release. Vehicles will get a free wash while their owners get to check out the real Herbie. The classic car will then be auctioned off to the highest bidder on Ebay to benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity of Southern California.

WHERE: Sunset Car Wash
7955 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA

WHEN: Tuesday, October 25th
8 AM – 11 AM


Variety -The Children’s Charity of Southern California’s mission is to provide life-saving and life-enriching assistance to addicted, physically-challenged, neglected, abused, and/or underprivileged children throughout Southern California.



Picture...


Despite quite a few excellent DVD transfers from the studio as of late, Herbie Fully Loaded suffers from the dreaded HF fitering/edge-enhancement syndrome. Ringing on hard edges isn’t bad (noticed it just a few times) mostly because there aren’t many hard edges due to the HF filtering…but the image tends to distract the viewer with a slightly electronic-look on a large screen, and when viewed wide angle (as in a front projection theater or sitting close to a plasma or LCD monitor), the image softness leaves the viewer feeling unsatisfied. I’m really at a loss for why Disney consistently puts out such lackluster DVD’s of their live-action films. Whether it’s intentional or not I cannot say, but it certainly is consistent.

Leaving the filtering aside, picture quality issues are fine. Colors are vibrant, blacks are solid and rich, and the image looks deep, saturated, and dynamic. It’s really a shame that given what is probably a very fine looking high-resolution digital master, that the mastering program couldn’t have taken more care to preserver more image detail and minimize the signature of electronic “boosting”.


Picture Quality: 3.5 / 5

:star: :star: :star: 1/2


Rating Rationale...

In the past I think I've been too ambiguous with my scoring or at least haven't applied it consistently from title to title, so I've endeavored to define my rating system more clearly to help make the scoring more meaningful (for all titles reviewed December 2004 and later):

Rating Key:

SCORE Description 1-2 An absolute abomination. Hurts to watch. Think "Outland" (scan-line aliasing, chroma noise, dotcrawl)-- truly horrid. 2-3 Has some serious problems, but one can at least watch it without getting a headache despite all the problems though you might try to talk your guests into picking a different movie to watch if you have a large projection screen. Think Cold Mountain. 3-4 Good or at least "acceptable" on a big-screen, but not winning any awards and definitely room for improvement if you view the image wide-angle (though smaller-screen viewers may be quite content). Think the first extended cut of Fellowship of the Ring...decent picture but still some HF filtering and some edge-halos. 4-5 A reference picture that really makes the most of the DVD medium and shows extraordinary transparency to the film-source elements. Non-videophile observers can't help but remark "WOW". Think The Empire Strikes Back or the Fifth Element Superbit (full “5” would be sans EE) or the new Toy Story 10th Anniversary Edition.



Viewing Equipment:
Currently running DVDs on my OPPO DVD player (Faroudja deinterlacing) which scales to 720P, feeding my BenQ 8700+ PJ via DVI, projecting onto a 106” 16x9 Dalite HiPower screen, viewed from approximately 1.6 screen-widths distance. Well mastered DVDs produce a stunningly film-like image in this scenario, and lesser-mastered material quickly shows its flaws.






Sound...



Quite unlike the video, the audio presentation of Herbie Fully Loaded is very impressive. From the very opening scenes, I was amazed at the use of the 5.1 matrix to create such an immersive and enveloping soundfield. As expected, many of the “action” scenes make appropriate use of the rear channels to carry the action around the room. However, equally (or more) impressive is the effective use of the 5.1 mixing to envelop the listener during less-active scenes where the soundfield is seamlessly blended around the room to create a realistic sense of space to reflect the on-screen context.

Well done. Whoever mixed the audio for this film had a wonderful ear for how to make the most of the 5.1 palette even in scenes where other mixers are content to just stick with a front-heavy mix. The only criticism I have is that I heard some distortion on some of the dialogue (during dynamic peaks) which seemed odd given the better-than-average quality of the rest of the audio presentation.


Sound Quality: 4.5 / 5

:star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2




Special Features...


All bonus features are 4x3 encoded…I’d love for Disney to start to offer 16x9 bonus features along side their 16x9 feature films!


[*]Deleted Scenes:A nice handful of deleted scenes also includes an alternate animated opening-credits sequence which was nice to ponder. There is a “Play all” feature so you can just watch them through without keeping the remote in your hand and you’ve got optional commentary. Nicely done.

[*]CommentaryDirector Angela Robinson may not be the most invigorating commentator, but fans will find plenty of trivia tid-bits to make the listen worth the while. Do what I do…put the movie on in the background with the commentary while you’re doing house-chores. Angela takes the time to go into detail about many of the decisions behind the finished product, and I you love Herbie or enjoy this feature film you’ll want to check it out.

[*]Behind the Scenes:Several documentary shorts, all rather interesting:

• Bringing Herbie to Life Featurette
• A Day at the Races Featurette
• Breaking the Rules Featurette
• The Stunts of Herbie Featurette


Even not finding myself overly fond of the feature film, I still found the information in these special features quite interesting. NASCAR enthusiasts will also find special pleasure in taking the time to check these out.

[*]Blooper Reel: The Usual.


[*]Music Video:Lindsay Lohan performs a music video “First”. While I often dislike these music videos on the basis of principle, I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, the song is catchy. On the other hand, I’m not sure what the connection between Lindsay’s teen-girl-sex-idol style dance number has to do with Herbie (interjecting scenes of the number 53 beetle just didn’t convince me). And on a more personal note: What makes Lindsay such a cool young actress isn’t just her attractive good looks and personality, it’s the fact that she’s different than all the other cookie-cutter teen-singer girls. In this video, she’s dropped weight and bleached her hair blond. What is she thingking? :rolleyes:Not to mention that I’m not keen on a sultry music video with lyrics and gestures strongly implying a sexual theme on a family-friendly Herbie DVD. Now don’t get me wrong…I’m not coming at this from some ultra-conservative point of view (trust me ;) ), it’s just that even given my personal liberal views, I still found it a bit jarring to see a music video like this on a DVD that’s marketed mostly to pre-teen kids. Just my opinion.


[/list]

All Together...


While the movie didn’t appeal to me personally, it’s a harmless 102 minutes of family-friendly entertainment that is sure to please the pre-teen crowd--and a few adults as well. For me, the biggest detractor was the lackluster video which clearly (ironic word choice) showed signs of unnecessary HF filtering and lack of detail when viewed on the big screen. Small-screen viewers might not miss the low-level detail as keenly, and the 5.1 audio presentation was surprisingly well delivered. Bonus features are more than adequate given this single-disc presentation, and I think that fans of the film will find something to enjoy.
 

TonyD

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i liked it a little.

it was fun to see the montage of the older herbie stuff in the beginning.
i just dont think dean jones would have dumped herbie in a junk yard after losing some races tho'
 

TedD

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Sorry, but I have to disagree here.

I didn't see any ringing at all on my system (Qualia 004 fed at 1080 from an HTPC via DVI) using a 5' x 9' image viewed from 13' distance. Detail was good, film grain and the actor's skin textures were clearly visible. Background details were good.

However, the deleted scenes and bloopers actually do have more detail than the feature, so this could have easily been a 5 in the image quality area if the compressionist had been a little more attentive.

It's certainly no "Cold Mountain" which was truly an example of a horribly filtered transfer.

Maybe nitpicking, but I would certainly give the film a 4 in the image category.

I know I was expecting worse and was regretting having ordered it, based on your review, until I fired it up last night.

For any Nascar fans here, it was certainly worth it for the cameos from Jeff Gordon and other Nascar drivers.

Ted
 

DaViD Boulet

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Ted,

thanks for sharing your impressions. Interesting that the image looked better to you (on clearly a more exacting display).

While ringing was only visible in a few instances in my system...the image just had that "filtered" look to my eyes. But clearly folks if Ted's impressions are generally positive, don't avoid buying this disc if my assessment of PQ was discouraging you...give it a try and tell us what you see.


Like *RIGHT*. I was wondering the same thing. AS IF the "alive" car Herbie would end up in a junk-yard. :rolleyes
 

Dan Hitchman

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No thanks! I'll stick with the original. A beloved Disney classic. I even like one or two of the sequels.

And they CGI'd Lohan's new, improved knockers so as not to offend the family (or give dad a reason to be embarrassed in front of his wife and kids). :D What a bunch of malarky!!

Dan
 

TonyD

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what are you talking about exactly.

first of all cgi'd them?
and b. "new, improved".
 

Yumbo

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watched this on the plasma, and looked quite ok.
actually enjoyed it, save the last part special effect - just destroyed any atmosphere of credibility.

a fun cute movie.
 

Stephane

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Looks like I confused two movies when I wrote the rant that I had here. Sorry about that.
 

Jean-Michel

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What's the actual running time of the DVD? The back of the package says 102 minutes, same as the theatrical release.
 

TonyD

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could you be more specific about what you mentioned?

do you mean parts of the montage are missing or actual filmed scenes?

hopefully someone else saw this in the movies and can coomment.
 

TonyD

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also because dan never responded to the possable shrinking boobs theory i found this in the movie thread.

"Teen actress Lindsay Lohan's breasts have been digitally reduced for forthcoming Disney film Herbie: Fully Loaded, to avoid offending family audiences. Test screenings for the new movie, the fourth sequel to the 1968 film The Love Bug about a Volkswagen Beetle car with a mind of its own, indicated that some parents felt Lohan's character Maggie Peyton was too raunchy for a children's film. Disney technicians were forced to plough through numerous scenes - especially those showing the busty actress jumping up and down at a motor racing track, reducing her breasts by two cup sizes and raising revealing necklines on her T-shirts. Amused at her digital bosom reduction, Lohan says, "I don't know how Renee Zellweger kept swelling and shrinking for Bridget Jones. It's no fun. Bring on the computer guys."

and then there is this.
http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/st...-25928,00.html
 

Colin Jacobson

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Stephane's claim that Herbie has been cut strongly appears to have no merit. Stephane apparently confused Herbie with a 1997 TV Love Bug. Its IMDB summary:

"Herbie, the magical Volkswagen Beetle, is passed on to a new owner. Together, they must battle a dastardly racer and his devil-car "Horace", an evil Herbie."

There's NO evidence that Herbie has been cut. Stephane, if you complain to Disney, you'll look silly...
 

Colin Jacobson

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This whole "digital breast reduction" concept is idiotic. Clearly it didn't happen. Did anyone actually see how big Lohan's chest looks in the movie? Heck, in my review I even wrote this:

"Lohan may be a little too sexy for a spot in a “G”-rated flick – her chest alone should have ensured a 'PG'".
 

TonyD

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heh, good call by jason in the other thread.

how can one mis rememember something out of a movie from 8 years ago into a movie they saw only about half a year ago?
 

Paul D G

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I saw this in the theatre (my 3yr old's first movie) and I don't have the slightest idea what Stephane is talking about. Bad, evil Bug???!

[edit: ah, looks like it's been cleared up here: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=244906

As for the movie itself, it's exactly what you'd expect it to be. Fomulaic plot, harmless humor, silly car antics. It was the perfect movie to take my son to and I wasn't expecting anything more.

My son loved it. You wouldn't have guessed it during the movie; I thought he was bored but he was engrossed. Afterwards he wouldn't stop talking about it and still does so I picked up the DVD for him.

-paul
[edited to correct name spelling. sorry. :)]
 

Stephane

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The reason that I confused both movies is that a few days after I went to the movies to see Herbie Fully loaded, my wife and I watch the other movie as it played on TV. I had never seen it so that is how I got both movies confused. I had watched them with only 2 to 3 days interval.

My wife also thought that there was something missing in the Fully loaded version. That is till I got put in my place. Thanks guys.

I did not mean create such a mess.

Oh and by the way the name is Stephane. There is no (i) in my name.
 

Stacey_V

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Forgive my shameful request here....

I have a 9 year old daughter who is deep into Disney's online world called 'VMK'. She wants to buy this DVD simply for the VMK code that it apparently comes with. Would any of you who own this DVD, and have no use for it, be willing to email/pm your code to me?

Both father and daughter do appreciate it!
 

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