Blu-ray Review Neighbors (2014) Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Neighbors (2014) Blu-ray Review

Neighbors invites itself onto Blu-ray with a release that presents this movie in solid high definition along with about 45 minutes of bonus material. The movie itself is one that will likely appeal to fans of Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow but not to too many other people. In its simplest terms, the story follows the clash between a thirty-something married couple and the wild fraternity that just moved in next door. That premise allows for a series of typical fraternity gags and pranks, and a general atmosphere that being outrageous is automatically funny. Sadly, the movie just isn’t that funny, and the gags become tiring in short order. Again, fans of Seth Rogen will likely enjoy this – it certainly did well at the box office. More casual viewers would do well to think twice before parting with coin.

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, Spanish 5.1 DTS, French 5.1 DTS

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Rating: R

Run Time: 1 Hr. 39 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray, Digital Copy, UltraViolet

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: ABC

Release Date: 09/23/2014

MSRP: $29.98

The Production Rating: 1/5

“If it BENDS, it’s Funny; if it BREAKS, it’s Not Funny!”

-Lester (Alan Alda) in Crimes & Misdemeanors

It’s oddly appropriate that Neighbors focuses on the conflict between a fraternity and the next door neighbors. It shares many qualities of a typical fraternity party – at least as they have been presented in movies over the past 40 years. It’s too loud, too crude, too obnoxious and it goes on way too long. The remarkable thing is that the movie only runs about 95 minutes, and it STILL feels way too long. The simple story pits young parents Mac and Kelly (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) against the brothers of the Delta Psi Beta frat house, led by Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron). After the first polite exchanges, things quickly devolve into cheap pranks and open warfare between the two houses. Viewers who enjoy this kind of comedy, and who are particularly fond of Seth Rogen’s mode of humor (as seen in movies like This is the End) will likely have a good time. More casual viewers are warned that there really isn’t a middle ground here. If you like this kind of movie, you’ll have a good time here. If you’re not already a fan, this will be a LONG time getting through it – unless you hit the “Stop” button first.SPOILERS: In terms of formula, it appears that the filmmakers were trying to see if they could mix two comic genres – in the same way that Knocked Up combined the silly gross-fest humor seen here with a more female-oriented relationship comedy. In the present case, the movie tries to combine Animal House material with something a little closer to Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The cast is certainly game to try this material out, as seen from the enthusiasm that Rogen, Byrne and Efron throw into their scenes. The problem is that the individual scenes simply drag on too long, and the combination of characters doesn’t seem to add up to anything. Granted, there’s definitely an audience for this material – from a fairly restrained budget, this movie made a LOT of money. My instinct says that this has to be an audience of younger men close enough to college age to enjoy all the frat jokes. People outside that demographic are likely to have a lot less patience for this stuff.Neighbors was released on September 23^rd on Blu-ray and DVD. The Blu-ray includes the movie in high definition picture and sound, as well as the aforementioned 45 minutes of bonus materials. The DVD holds about 21 minutes of those bonus materials. The Blu-ray also includes the DVD edition in the packaging, along with instructions for downloading a digital copy.

Video Rating: 4/5 3D Rating: NA

Neighbors is presented in a 2.40:1 1080p AVC encode (@ an average 28 mbps) that presents this colorful movie in fine detail.

Audio Rating: 4/5

Neighbors has an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix (@ an average 3.2 mbps) that provides plenty of music in the surround channels while keeping the emphasis on the dialogue in the front channels. DTS 5.1 mixes in Spanish and French are also included, as is an English DVS track.

Special Features Rating: 2.5/5

Neighbors comes with about 45 minutes of bonus material, nearly half of it consisting of deleted material in one form or another.Alternate Opening – (6:40, 1080p) (EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAY) – An alternate beginning to the movie is provided here, providing more emphasis on the fraternity side of the equation. This alternate is actually more tolerable in some ways than the strange opening that was actually chosen.Deleted/Alternate Scenes – (10 Scenes Total, 12:55, 1080p) (EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAY) – Ten deleted or alternate versions of scenes are presented in high definition. There’s nothing particularly crucial here. The scenes can be viewed individually or via a “Play All” function.Line-O-Rama – (2:52, 1080p) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON BLU-RAY AND DVD) – Here’s the usual bonus found on Apatow productions (which this movie is not, by the way). It’s an assembly of alternate line-readings for various moments – accomplished by having the actors perform as many variations as possible on the day and then choosing the preferred one later.Gag Reel – (5:57, 1080p) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON BLU-RAY AND DVD) – A six minute gag reel is presented here, essentially showing moments where the cast bobbles their lines in one way or another. It’s also a chance to hear Seth Rogen’s unmistakeable laugh multiple times.An Unlikely Pair – (5:34, 1080p) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON BLU-RAY AND DVD) – This short featurette focuses on the opportunity to play Seth Rogen off of Zac Efron. All the usual suspects are interviewed for short soundbites, where they mutually compliment each other between the film clips.Partying with the Neighbors – (7:17, 1080p) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON BLU-RAY AND DVD) – This featurette is a more general look at the production of the movie, once again intercutting the mutual compliments with backstage footage and film clips.On the Set With… – (3:41) (EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAY) – This short featurette only has time for a few quick soundbites to go with the same backstage footage and film clips seen in the other featurettes.The Frat – (5:44, 1080p) (AVAILABLE BOTH ON BLU-RAY AND DVD) – This featurette puts its emphasis on the fraternity side of the story, as well as on the actors playing the frat members.DVD – The Blu-ray packaging includes the DVD edition of the movie, presenting it in standard definition with a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English, Spanish and French (@448 kbps) as well as the English DVS track. The DVD includes the gag reel, the Line-O-Rama and the featurettes “An Unlikely Pair”, “The Frat” and “Partying with the Neighbors” from the Blu-ray.Digital/Ultraviolet Copy – The packaging has an insert that contains instructions for downloading a digital or ultraviolet copy of the movie. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French for the film itself, as well as for the special features. A standard chapter menu is included for quick reference.

Overall Rating: 1/5

Neighbors looks and sounds great on Blu-ray, but the movie itself is not one that will appeal to many people outside of Seth Rogen’s fanbase. That’s a large fanbase, given that the movie did very well at the box office, but there are plenty of casual viewers who may find this journey a bit taxing.

Reviewed By: Kevin EK

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My instinct says that this has to be an audience of younger men close enough to college age to enjoy all the frat jokes. People outside that demographic are likely to have a lot less patience for this stuff.

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Not necessarily. My mother (in her 60's) thought it was hilarious. This was the film she picked to watch when I took her out for Mother's Day.

My instinct says that this has to be an audience of younger men close enough to college age to enjoy all the frat jokes. People outside that demographic are likely to have a lot less patience for this stuff.

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I'm another one that thought it was funny and I'm not part of that young man demographic. I remember seeing more than a few of my generation laughing during my theatrical viewing.

One thing about "sense of humor" it's very subjective so you have to be careful in not painting with a wide brush as to what's funny or not funny to any demographic.

Agree with Robert. I'm rather removed from college age (35), was never part of a frat and I have a real hard time with comedy. Neighbors was hysterical for my entire group (I'm the youngest).

That being said, I know Neighbors is not for everyone. I would never recommend it to my parents, for example.