Stars:
Joshua Morell
Writers:
Roland Emmerich, Hans J. Haller, and Thomas Lechner
Director:
Roland Emmerich
American
Feature Length: 79 minutes
German
Feature Length: 98 minutes
Extras:
Trailers
Languages:
English and German Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound EX and Dolby
Surround Sound 2.0
Subtitles:
English Closed Captions and English Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Two-Disc Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 22/24
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound EX and Dolby Surround Sound 2.0
Year
of American Theatrical Release: 1985/DVD Release: 2002
American
Theatrical Distributor: New World Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: PG/Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
One
of Director Roland Emmerich’s early theatrical fantasy efforts has been
released as a two-disc special edition from Anchor Bay Entertainment. Released
by New World Pictures in the United States theatrically under the title
“Making Contact,” the film is very much a homage of the early 80s work of
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas complete with a chirping robot that looks a
cross between “R2D2” and the robot Roddy McDowell voiced in “The Black
Hole,” a few puppet monsters, one that looks like “E.T” with a horn on
it’s nose, flying Star Wars toys, and scenes that will call attention to such
classic Spielberg directed and produced films as “Close Encounters Of The
Third Kind” and “Poltergeist. The film also feels more like an extended
episode of “Amazing Stories” than anything else.
Joey
has special abilities that enable him to contact beings from beyond and
telekinetically move objects. When a malevolent possessed ventriloquist dummy
threatens Joey and his family, Joey risks his life to save even the kids who
made fun of him at school.
Released
in Germany under the film’s original title “Joey,” Anchor Bay
Entertainment presents both versions of the film each on a separate DVD with the
American version featuring a well mixed English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround
Soundtrack as well as a Dolby Surround Soundtrack and optional English Closed
Captions for the hearing impaired while the lengthier German version features a
German Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround Soundtrack as well as a Dolby Surround
Soundtrack with optional English Language subtitles.
Both
films are presented in an anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio with a
relatively good transfer that is about equal for both versions. Two American
trailers and the German theatrical trailer are included and have running times
of (1:28), (: 59), and approximately 2-minutes or so respectively. All are
presented in (1.85:1) aspect ratios. The main menu on both discs feature
animated transitions to standard interactive still frame menus and all are easy
to navigate.
“Making
Contact: Special Edition 2 Disc Set” is available on DVD-Video now from Anchor
Bay Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.