Real Genius (4K UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Sony Pictures
Release Date: September 13, 2022
Rating: PG
Film: 3.5/5
 
Plot
When a group of crazy college geniuses put their heads together, almost anything can happen. Hold on for a freewheeling, uproarious look at just how much mischief a bunch of high-IQers can concoct. Chris (Val Kilmer) is the top brain who just wants to party, Mitch (Gabe Jarret) is the 16-year-old whiz kid, and Lazlo (Jonathan Gries), America's number one brain, literally lives in a world of his own ... Chris' closet. Supposedly hard at work on a lab project, they still find time to turn the dorm into an ice-skating rink, and throw a beach party in the auditorium complete with a lagoon and bikini-clad beauties. When the geniuses discover that their unscrupulous mentor Professor Hathaway (William Atherton) has had them working on a secret weapon for the military, they plot an elaborate revenge. Their plan culminates in an incredible scheme that outsmarts the military and convinces the professor that it doesn't pay to fool with a REAL GENIUS!
 
My Thoughts
I saw this film in 1985 as a sophomore in high school and could barely remember much about it. As I sat through this, the memories started to come back and I remembered why I had fond thoughts of the film. This is one of Kilmer’s early roles and believe it or not, he shows his range as an actor. The part he plays here versus his Top Gun persona couldn’t be more different and he was only scratching the surface of his acting abilities. I still think he got screwed out of an Oscar for his role in Tombstone, but that’s an argument for another day.
 
The film itself is full of sophomoric humor, which is the typical type of film from the 1980s. It’s farfetched but entertaining in its own way and there are plenty of laughs to be had throughout the nearly 105-minute runtime.
 
The presentation is a mixed bag. For the most part, the video quality is decent and at least the studio took the time to use the original camera negative and do a freshly minted 4K scan, although there are a number of scenes where certain portions of the film are blurry and lack any detail at all—this could have been from print damage and they did its best to fix them. The audio sounds surprisingly robust for a production that comes from the 80s. The highlight of the audio track is the music, which features quite a few tunes from the time period, and they brought me back to my high school days.
 
Video 7.5/10
 
Audio 8.5/10 (Dolby Atmos)
 
Special Features:

• “Balloon Chair” Deleted Scene + Raw Takes Montage
• TV Version of the film
• Feature Commentary with Director Martha Coolidge
• 4K + Blu-ray + Movies Anywhere Digital Copy

 

 
 
Conclusion
While this doesn’t quite fall into the “classic” 80s films such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, it still provides a nice trip down memory lane. It was fun to see Kilmer in one of his early roles and he did a great job not to get typecast as just another pretty face. The new 4K scan is a nice touch, but it shows its age, especially in the backgrounds. Overall, if you’re a fan of the film it’s worth owning on 4K. Recommended.  
 
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
M&K Sound X15+ Subwoofer
Dual JL Audio F-110 (stacked and treated as one sub)
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling

PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[bmoney]

Oh man. I remember renting this from a Cumberland farms (convenient store) that was like the first store to ever rent movies near us. Hahah. I’ll have to revisit this movie