The Boy Next Door Blu-ray Review
Anyone who has read many of my reviews here on Home Theater Forum probably knows I’m a sucker for low-budget movies that know, up front, that they are what they are - exploitation. What makes movies like Joe Dante’s Piranha and The Howling, The Incredible Melting Man, Sam Raimi’s Darkman, even the recent Wolfcop, entertaining is that they never take themselves too seriously and exist within their own world of logic. And that is where The Boy Next Door ultimately fails. It asks the audience to take way too much for granted and to suspend their disbelief way beyond expectations for the world in which the film takes place, modern day suburbia. Claire is too smart to allow a student, even one as “hunky” as Ryan Guzman’s Noah, to flirt and woo her. This would not only jeopardize her job, but her life as she knows it. Then there is the casting of Guzman, with whom the audience is supposed to believe is only 18 years old; he’s a good 9 years older, and looks it, especially when seen with Claire’s son Kevin, played by Ian Nelson, who does look like a high school teenager. Rob Cohen has made some pretty good thrillers, including XxX, The Fast and the Furious, and even Stealth. However, The Boy Next Door is so by-the-books and unoriginal, that it is ultimately predictable, lacking any kind of suspense, and takes its subject matter way too seriously.
The Making of The Boy Next Door (1080p; 9:17): A lot of information is compressed into this nine minute featurette, including interviews with Rob Cohen, Jennifer Lopez, producer Jason Blum, and producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, as they discuss the many aspects of making the film.
Deleted Scenes (1080p; 9:34): Five scenes are included here, without any commentary: Vicky Wants to Help Claire, Noah Runs Into Claire, Garrett Asks Claire Out on a Date, Claire Asks Vicky For a Favor, and Claire is Angry at Vicky.
Digital HD Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy through both Ultraviolet partners and iTunes. The code is subject to expiration, but no expiration date was provided.
DVD Copy: The movie in 480p and Dolby Digital 5.1, trailers for Satisfaction, Bates Motel, Blackhat, Fifty Shades of Grey, Seventh Son, and The Man With the Iron Fists 2, plus all of the bonus features included on the Blu-ray edition.
A high school teacher, separated from her cheating husband, has a one-night stand with one of her students living in the house next door, leading to disastrous results in director Rob Cohen’s low-budget would-be thriller The Boy Next Door. Not even a solid performance from Jennifer Lopez can save this film.
Studio: Universal
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, English DVS 2.0, French 5.1 DTS, Other
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Rating: R
Run Time: 1 Hr. 31 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy, UltraViolet
2-disc Blu-ray keepcaseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer), DVD-9 (dual layer)
Region: A, 1
Release Date: 04/28/2015
MSRP: $34.98
The Production Rating: 2/5
Anyone who has read many of my reviews here on Home Theater Forum probably knows I’m a sucker for low-budget movies that know, up front, that they are what they are - exploitation. What makes movies like Joe Dante’s Piranha and The Howling, The Incredible Melting Man, Sam Raimi’s Darkman, even the recent Wolfcop, entertaining is that they never take themselves too seriously and exist within their own world of logic. And that is where The Boy Next Door ultimately fails. It asks the audience to take way too much for granted and to suspend their disbelief way beyond expectations for the world in which the film takes place, modern day suburbia. Claire is too smart to allow a student, even one as “hunky” as Ryan Guzman’s Noah, to flirt and woo her. This would not only jeopardize her job, but her life as she knows it. Then there is the casting of Guzman, with whom the audience is supposed to believe is only 18 years old; he’s a good 9 years older, and looks it, especially when seen with Claire’s son Kevin, played by Ian Nelson, who does look like a high school teenager. Rob Cohen has made some pretty good thrillers, including XxX, The Fast and the Furious, and even Stealth. However, The Boy Next Door is so by-the-books and unoriginal, that it is ultimately predictable, lacking any kind of suspense, and takes its subject matter way too seriously.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
Audio Rating: 3.5/5
Special Features Rating: 3/5
The Making of The Boy Next Door (1080p; 9:17): A lot of information is compressed into this nine minute featurette, including interviews with Rob Cohen, Jennifer Lopez, producer Jason Blum, and producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, as they discuss the many aspects of making the film.
Deleted Scenes (1080p; 9:34): Five scenes are included here, without any commentary: Vicky Wants to Help Claire, Noah Runs Into Claire, Garrett Asks Claire Out on a Date, Claire Asks Vicky For a Favor, and Claire is Angry at Vicky.
Digital HD Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy through both Ultraviolet partners and iTunes. The code is subject to expiration, but no expiration date was provided.
DVD Copy: The movie in 480p and Dolby Digital 5.1, trailers for Satisfaction, Bates Motel, Blackhat, Fifty Shades of Grey, Seventh Son, and The Man With the Iron Fists 2, plus all of the bonus features included on the Blu-ray edition.
Overall Rating: 3/5
Reviewed By: Todd Erwin
Support HTF when you buy this title:
