Buy This DVD Now By Clicking On The Text Link Below!
Remo Williams - The Adventure Begins
Stars:
Fred Ward, Joel Grey, Wilford Brimley, J.A. Preston, George Coe, Charles Coffi,
and Kate Mulgrew
Writer:
Christopher Wood
Based
On “The Destroyer” Series By Richard Sapir & Warren Murphy
Director:
Guy Hamilton
Feature
length: 121 minutes
Extras:
Trailer
Languages:
English Dolby Surround Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 16
Sound:
Dolby Surround Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1985/DVD Release: 2003
Theatrical
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: PG-13
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Based
loosely on “The Destroyer” series of books by Richard Sapir & Warren
Murphy, Fred Ward stars as an NYPD Officer who is recruited by a top secret
organization that polices corruption at the highest levels of industry and
government. Given a new face and a new identity (taken from the hospital bedpan)
Remo Williams undergoes mystical martial arts training by an 80 year old Korean
Master (Joel Grey) and soon he is able to brave terrifying heights, thwart
attackers with martial arts, hear their every movement with spectacular
precision, and unarm his opponents while dodging bullets. He can even run across
wet cement as if it were practically solid. Upon the completion of his training,
he is set out to exterminate an untouchable businessman developing his own
“Star Wars” like laser defense program with henchmen in the army that could
threaten the free world.
“Remo
Williams: The Adventure Begins…” is a fun mid-1980s action flick with Fred
Ward delivering a gruff action hero and Joel Grey appearing almost
unrecognizable under the makeup as his guru like instructor. Actually for 1985,
I think the makeup work on Grey was probably state of the art. These days some
form of “Matrix” like “Bullet Time” or hyperactive movement aided by
computer animation would probably be used to simulate Remo and his instructor
dodging bullets, walking on water, and lest we forget the spectacular action
sequences such as the fight on top of the scaffolding on the Statue of Liberty.
However here it is old-fashioned cutting, choreography, stunt work, set design,
and optical illusions that deliver a refreshing and still quite believable
action fantasy environment. The film also stars Wilford Brimley, George Coe,
Charles Coffi, and Kate Mulgrew, who looks like she’s ready to don her
“Captain Janeway” outfit for “Star Trek: Voyager.” I suppose if I were
to tell her back in 1985 you look a lot like a woman tens years older than you
are now, she would be understandably insulted, but in hindsight considering this
film is nearly twenty years old, Mulgrew can take comfort in knowing she
hasn’t aged badly at all much like one of this feature film’s producers Dick
Clark.
A
part of the Orion Pictures catalogue owned by MGM, “Remo Williams: The
Adventure Begins…” is a disappointing DVD release that deserves much better
treatment along the lines of what MGM did for “The Adventures Of Buckaroo
Banzai: Across The Eighth Dimension” two years ago. The film may not have as
large an audience as “Banzai” however “Remo Williams: The Adventure
Begins…” is definitely a cult film worthy of a better DVD release than this.
The picture quality sucks with lots of grain and scratches throughout the entire
film and while I am not sure if the film was shot open-matte or in scope, the
(1.33:1) aspect ratio only adds insult to injury. The English Dolby Surround
Sound is serviceable, but a 5.1 remix would have been a lot better. English
Captions and Closed Captions for the hearing impaired and French and Spanish
Language Subtitles are encoded onto the DVD as options. A (1.33:1) theatrical
trailer (2:58) is the only extra feature included. The menus are standard
interactive still frames that are easy to navigate.
There
is no excuse for a DVD release like this from MGM when they do far greater and
more respectable work for their “Midnight Movies,” which are often older
than this mid-80s action adventure fantasy. I could give a list of possible
extra features that should have been made available for this release, but I
think it is obvious for anyone to just imagine what could have turned this into
a great cult DVD release instead of disappointment and I really do think I MGM
would go back now, since it is already too late to postpone the DVD release, and
invest a year in developing a proper “Special Edition” for “Remo Williams:
The Adventure Begins…” the “Special Edition” would sell quite well and
makeup greatly for their costs. In other words, I believe they’d profit from
it.
If they should follow up with a "Special Edition" in a year or two I
hope they will use the superior original one-sheet artwork instead of the cover
art used for this DVD release now.
Alas
if you are a die-hard fan of the film and absolutely have to have it on DVD,
then you already bought it before I wrote this review, but otherwise I say at
the most give the film a rental and then decide if you agree that “Remo
Williams: The Adventure Begins…” definitely deserves better DVD treatment
than this?
“Remo
Williams: The Adventure Begins…” is available now on DVD-Video from
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Buy This DVD Now By Clicking On The Text Link Below!
Remo Williams - The Adventure Begins