Crash isn’t a movie I found all that great though my interest was mainly for some of the controversy and honestly as strange as the “plot” and characters were, it’s not that out of bounds at least nowadays.
Jetsons: The Movie
(1990)
Genre(s): Animation, Science Fiction, Comedy
Kino Lorber | G – 82 min. – $24.95 | February 16, 2021
Date Published: 02/06/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Kino Lorber provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 2½/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Meet George Jetson (GEORGE O’HANLON), his wife Jane (PENNY SINGLETON), daughter Judy (TIFFANY), son Elroy (PATRIC ZIMMERMAN), Rosie the Robot (JEAN VANDER PYL) and Astro the family dog (DON MESSICK) as they move to an asteroid full of space-age wonders. But when they discover that George’s new company is disturbing the home of friendly underground creatures named Grungees, they’ll have to work together to spread peace on their new space place.
Review: The Jetsons was an animated sitcom that was well before my time, airing from 1962-63, followed by a revival in 1987. It wasn’t one I watched a whole lot in syndication as in the 1980s I was into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Real Ghostbusters and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. But in 1990, at age 9, I do have memories of my parents taking me to see Jetsons: The Movie, perhaps because there wasn’t any other family offerings (checking, Die Hard 2 was the only other new opener). As for what I thought of it back then, no f’ing clue. Watching it again for a second time now 30 years later, and I did remember certain parts, it’s a pretty lame animated feature, I didn’t utter a laugh or even a smirk. It was a rather dull movie with traditional 2D animation (there were a few 3D animation renderings, but the bulk is 2D) that felt dated. That being said, it is only 82-minutes long, even shorter taking out the opening and end credits, and I suppose safe enough for younger audiences to enjoy, if not for anything else than the bright colors and zany situations the numbnut George Jetson gets himself into. The voice talents involved include a few of the original actors such as George O’Hanlon who apparently was in ill health and had to record his lines in bits, and died during production (Jeff Bergman would record some lines), same for veteran voice actor Mel Blanc as Mr. Spacely. The only new voice is for Judy Jetson, with the studio, hoping to draw in a younger audience to theater, was pop superstar at the time, Tiffany. I’m no expert in the original show, but it was clear Tiffany wasn’t right for the role and proof there is incredible talent that has to go into voice performances.
Jetsons: The Movie was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, the duo behind so many animated classics, including The Jetsons and The Flinstones amongst numerous others. This was their last film as directors. As a film watching alone as an adult, there’s not much to offer. The animation and humor are both basic. However, it’s a safe film that a family can watch, especially ones with younger kids (probably 10 and under), even if they’re not familiar with the source material. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3/5 |
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Features on this release includes a new Audio Commentary with Author/Film Historian Lee Gambin, a very lengthy and new Audio Interview (54:13) with Actor Jeff Bergman and last the Theatrical Trailer (1:27). |
VIDEO – 4¼/5 |
| Kino Lorber releases Jetsons: The Movie onto Blu-ray for the first time, presented in its original theatrical 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and has been given a 1080p high-definition transfer. There’s no mention of any restoration, but to be honest a movie like this doesn’t warrant the cost. As such, the picture looks pretty good, colors are bright and vibrant. However, I did notice many minor instances of dust marks and scratches, so it’s not incredibly clean. Still, it’s a fine transfer and I would assume is a solid upgrade over the previous DVD releases. |
AUDIO – 4/5 |
| The disc comes with a 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks, with the former being the default option and how I watched the majority of the film. The track isn’t incredible or awe-inspiring but as animated features go, it does sound rather good outputting clear dialogue and some so-so depth for the more action-oriented moments. |
OVERALL – 2¾/5 |
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Overall, Jetsons: The Movie is a bland animated feature that I think younger audiences might enjoy and I suppose watchable enough for adults, especially as a short time waster. The Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber at least is decent with good video and audio transfers and a couple solid features. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.