Blu-ray + Digital HD
Released by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: November 16th, 1990 (Home Alone Theatrical)
Novmeber 20th, 1992 (Home Alone 2 Theatrical)
Region Code REGION FREE
Run Time: 1h 43m (Home Alone)
2h 0m (Home Alone 2)
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (Home Alone 1&2)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Home Alone 1&2
French: DTS 5.1 (Home Alone)
Spanish: DTS 5.1 (Home Alone)
Portuguese: DTS 5.1 (Home Alone)
Thai: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Home Alone)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Home Alone 2)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Home Alone 2)
Video: 1080p (1.85:1 Aspect Ratio) (Home Alone 1&2)
NOTE: This review was originally posted on December 18th, 2016. Nothing has been changed with everything presented the way it was when it was originally posted.
THE FEATURES [2.5 out of 4]
1990 Press Featurette
(3m 52s, SD)
This is just what you think it is. This is a short piece
that was put together to sell the film to theaters and video stores. The whole
thing consists of behind the scene footage and interviews.
The Making of Home Alone (19m 24s, SD, 1.85:1, 4x3)
The rest of the features on this disc come directly from the
special edition dvd that was released in 2006. Here we get a nice, but not too
deep, look at the making of the film. Macaulay Culkin, director Chris Columbus,
Daniel Stern, and a few others are on hand to tell stories and to fawn over the
script that John Hughes wrote.
One thing that I learned from this is that the character of
Marley was not in the script and Columbus felt that the film needed some heart,
so they added the character. Not too much here, but it’s an ok featurette.
Mac Cam: Behind the
Scenes with Macaulay Caulkin (4m 46s. SD, 1.33:1)
Culkin had access to a camcorder during filming and would go
around recording everything. We are given a taste of what Culkin recorded.
I wish that Culkin had gotten some footage of Pesci. That
would have been worth the price of this blu-ray alone. Sadly, he didn’t.
Here the stunt team talks about their work on the film. The
team was having a bit of a problem finding their groove with the stunts until stuntman
Troy Brown came up with the “Home Alone Fall” which was the hard fall to the
ground with the feet in the air. Then it became a contest between stuntmen on
who could do the best fall.
The stunts in Home Alone are amazing and it was nice to see
how some of it was done.
Home Alone Around the World (3m 52s, SD)
Because the film was such a big hit around the world it was
translated into many different languages.
Here we are given a few scenes and
their translations into other languages.
It’s a cute little piece, but nothing special especially
with language options on dvds and blu-rays.
Where’s Buzz Now? (3m
2s, SD)
Some of the cast and crew give their theories about where
and what Home Alone’s resident ass would be doing now. Waste of time.
Angels with Filthy
Souls (2m 5s, SD, 1.85:1 4x3)
The black and white gangster film that causes so much havoc
is shown in its entirety. Kind of pointless since we see the whole thing during
the course of the film.
Deleted/Alternate
Scenes (16m 46s, SD, 1.85:1 4x3)
Here we have 15 scenes that were shortened or deleted all
together. All of them were rightfully cut.
-Silent Treatment
-Buzz Off
-Frank’s Yank
-Undercover Crook
-Criminal Decency
-Hungry Alone
-Final Judgement
-Close Encounters of the Marley Kind
-Hello…Goodbye
-Do You Speak French?
-A Very Harry Christmas
-Marv’s Christmas Coffee
-Sleepless in Paris
-A Savvy Shopper
-Christmas is About…
Blooper Reel (2m 3s,
SD)
Missed lines, laughing, and other tomfoolery.
Commentary with
Director Chris Columbus and Star Macaulay Culkin
The director and star sit down to give us a scene specific
track that provides with some good stories. I found the stories about Joe Pesci
to be the most interesting ones, but there are a lot of others to be found.
Trailers
-Theatrical Trailer #1 (2m 12s, HD)
Contains some scenes that are not in the final film or found
anywhere else on this disc.
-Theatrical Trailer #2 (1m 51s, SD, 1.33:1)
-Theatrical Trailer #3 (1m 4s, SD, 1.33:1)
A Christmas song was created to sell the film and it is
played here. There is even a little house that bounces on the words so that you
can follow along.
Also included is a slip that contains a code that will net you a digital copy of both films.
Also included is a slip that contains a code that will net you a digital copy of both films.
THE PICTURE [4 out of
4]
Fox has taken their classic and given it an upgrade with the
transfer mastered in 4k. We have been seeing a lot of 4k transfers of older
films because of the UHD format and I gotta tell you: this one is really good.
Gone are the murky earth colors that plagued other releases of this film and in
their place is a more film-like experience.
When this film was released in 1990, I saw it many times in
the theater. My mother took everyone she knew to see the film (which included
me as I was here son) and when it came to the local dollar show (remember
those?) I was there to see it a few more times. I have seen this film more
times, in the theater, than any rational human should have to see, so I know
what this film looks like and I will say that this is the closest this film has
ever been to the theater experience.
There is a fine grain to be found here, but it isn’t heavy
so the grain haters can rest easy.
I am really happy with the way the film looks with this new
transfer. I wish that every film could afford the love and care that Fox
lavished on to Home Alone.
THE SOUND [3.5 Out of
4]
Keeping up with the lovely transfer, Fox has given Home
Alone a nice overhaul in the sound department as well. Sporting a 5.1 DTS-HD
Master Audio track, we get to hear that lovely John
Williams score in the most
lush of settings. The clarity of the music makes the film a treat to sit
through, if only for the score. The rest of the track is equally good, with the
surrounds being utilized well and the dialogue being crisp and clear. This is
another winner for fans of Home Alone.
THE FILM [3 out of 4]
Home Alone was a cultural phenomenon. It opened #1 at the
box office and stayed there for three months.
It would go on to play in theaters until mid-June. Now I would believe
that the film was a hit during the holidays, but the fact that the film was in
theaters until the summer was a shocker to me. But you have to realize that
back then a film didn’t have to make all its money in its opening weekend to be
a hit. The Force Awakens stayed at #1 for four weeks, but made most of its
money during that time. While Home Alone was still in theaters in April, The
Force Awakens had already been released on dvd and blu-ray.
Anyone born after the turn of the millennium will not know
what it is like to see a film still in theaters long after the hype has died
down. But that is what Home Alone did.
It also struck a nerve with audiences all over the world. People
turned out in droves to see this spunky ten year old kid (he’s eight in the
film) fight to not only keep his home safe from burglars, but to conquer his
own fears.
That is one of the main focuses of the film: fear. We all
fear the unknown and Kevin has a lot of fears. Some of them are kind of shallow
(he wants to find out whether the toothbrush that he plans on buying is
approved by the American Dental Association) to huge (the dark, scary basement
with the furnace that looks like a monster). We have all had some of the fears
that Kevin has to endure throughout the film and we overcome them just like he
does.
The film also has a lot of heart. Throughout the film, the
filmmakers try to show that Kevin and his mother have a link. I know that it
sounds crazy, but I am not trying to say that they have a psychic link, which
would have made the film that much better. I am trying to say that there is a
link that mothers have with their kids and Kevin has one with his mother. She
can sense that they forgot to do or bring something, but she can’t figure out
what it is.
When she finally figures out that they left Kevin at home
all by himself, she does everything in her power to get back home. Only a
mother would do this for their sons. Fathers will do anything for their
daughters, but mothers go for the boys. Kevin’s mother gives practically
everything that she has on her (money, jewelry, etc) to a couple just so that
she can get on a plane to get home. She even accepts a ride from a polka band,
headed by the always funny and sorely missed John Candy, so that she can get
home as fast as she can.
The film mostly centers around Kevin and Macaulay Culkin is
great in the role. He comes off as a truly nice kid and the scenes where he
gets made at his family don’t come off that well. I remembering being kind of
worried that Culkin wouldn’t be able to carry the film after seeing these
initial scene, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that he could carry
the whole film. Kevin has to be an adult for a few days and pulls it off
effortlessly.
Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci as the two burglars are
highlights as well. You would think that Pesci, known for playing a tough guy
in films like Raging Bull and Once Upon a Time in America, would not take a
role like this because it is beneath him, but Pesci did and he is great as
Marv, the “brains” of the two. Watching Pesci NOT curse is just as entertaining
as him ACTUALLY curse.
Stern is funny as Harry, the more dimwitted one, but Stern
doesn’t really have anything funny to do until the big raid on the house later
in the film. Once Stern and Pesci attack the house, Stern turns on the funny
lets it roll.
Everyone remembers the scene where Kevin protects his house
with elaborate traps, but that is only about 15 to 20 minutes of the film and
that is at the climax. Sure, the burglars try to enter the house earlier, but
they are shooed away quickly. The storming of the house is much later in the
film and isn’t all that long, but these scenes are so memorable that it is most
of what people remember.
The storming of the house is memorable for all the amazing
stunt work. Pesci and Stern do some of the stunts, but it is their stunt
doubles, Troy Brown and Leon Delaney, who take the biggest hits and fall the
biggest falls. Watching these guys fall on stairs is wince-inducing. There is a
stunt where Pesci’s character slips on some ice that is on the front stairs.
Brown decided to add a flip and he lands with his back on the stairs. It is a
stunt that should have paralyzed him, but he wasn’t fazed by it at all.
Home Alone is a film that is fondly remembered , but I don’t
think that it is the classic that everyone remembers. The character work is
well done and the stunts are truly breathtaking, but the film isn’t very funny.
Culkin is charming, but he doesn’t really have the best comedic timing. There
are plenty of jokes that fall flat and just because a kid is doing adult things
doesn’t make anything funny.
I wanted to like the film than I did, but I don’t. The film
is charming and has great heart, but the comedy isn’t very funny. I still like
the film, don’t get me wrong, but I wish that the script had been worked on a
bit more. Home Alone works because of the charm of Culkin and the abuse that
his character makes the two burglars suffer through. It is a fondly remembered
film that doesn’t hold up that well today. Worth a watch, but there are better
Christmas films out there.
HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK
THE FEATURES [1 out
of 4]
Home Alone Theatrical Trailer (2m 13s, HD)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Theatrical Trailer (1m 9s,
SD, 1.33:1)
This is another sing-along trailer which means that this is not the original theatrical trailer, but one that came out either right before the
film hits theaters or right after it. Shame that the actual trailer isn’t here.
Home Alone 3 (1m 38s, SD)
I find it kind out weird that Fox would put the original theatrical trailer for the first and third Home Alone films on this disc, but not for part two.
THE PICTURE [3 Out of
4]
While the first Home Alone was given the royal
treatment when it came to the A/V aspects of the film, the sequel doesn’t fare
as well.
This is the original release that Fox put out around the
time that blu-ray players were hitting
their stride. The picture doesn’t look all that bad, but after watching the
first film with its fancy 4k sourced transfer, it pales in comparison.
Don’t get me wrong: the picture looks nice. The color
palette is more realistic which means that we don’t have the sense of wonder
like the first had. This also means that browns look browns and blacks look
black. There are not too many bright colors that the original film had. For a
film that takes place during Christmas time, the lack of bright colors is off
putting. Then again, the film takes place in New York City and we all know
about how that city was during 80s and 90s.
There were also a few shots, especially towards the end,
that were out of focus. They weren’t completely out of focus, but it was enough
for me to notice. I don’t know if this was how the film is supposed to be
(sometimes these things are overlooked until it is too late) or if there was a
mess up at the lab. There are also a few shots that had a yellow tint to them.
At first I thought that they may be opticals, but they aren’t.
Other than that, this transfer is perfectly fine.
THE SOUND [3.5 out of
4]
This track, another 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio shindig, is
equally robust and nice sounding as the first film. John Williams score again
takes center stage and that is how it should be. In fact, there should be an
isolated score for these films. It would be interesting to watch the film like
that.
Anyways, the track is nice, but I did notice that sometimes
the dialogue is a bit low. There was a point where I couldn’t hear what the
characters were saying. I mean, I could hear their voices, but faintly. I
checked my system and everything seems to be ok, so I don’t know what is going
on.
Outside of those few times, this track is pretty impressive.
THE FILM [2 out of 4]
Home Alone 2 is the original Home Alone in every way
possible: the same cast (with some additions), the same crew (writer, director,
director of photographer, hell the same editor). This is the same film that
Home Alone was, just a bit different.
In the first Home Alone, Kevin spent much of the
film trying to live in an adult world. In Home Alone 2, he spends much of the
film trying to live in a bigger adult world. In Home Alone, Kevin scammed his
way around town. In Home Alone 2, he does the same thing.
Home Alone 2 is a bigger and better (some would argue that last
one) remake of the first film. While the first film felt alive and breathing,
Home Alone 2 is a film that is trying to stay alive, but knows that it can’t
and decides to go for the gusto before terminating. This results in a film that
has some really funny moments, but also has some of the dumbest moments I have
ever come across.
The funny moments belong to Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci,
returning as the burglars who tried to kill Kevin at the end of the first film,
only to be saved by a man who could really have been a killer. Their
interactions are the highlight of this rather dull film.
One of the funniest scenes in the film is during the “stunt
man’s paycheck scene” aka the taking of the house. This time the house belongs
to Kevin’s uncle who was living in France in the first film.
Anyways, Daniel
Stern gets covered in paint and walks over to a sink to wash off his face.
Kevin, being the psychopath that he is, has hooked up the faucets to a
generator. When Stern turns the handle, Kevin cranks up the voltage, and Stern
starts flailing about as he is being electrocuted. At one point he turns into a
skeleton because why not? I laughed really hard during this scene and
appreciate that Stern took what could have been a dull, lifeless scene into a
very funny scene.
The rest of the film is not as funny. At one point, the
hotel staff (Kevin is staying in the Grand Hotel in New York) go to confront
Kevin about his “stolen” credit card. Kevin begins play a tape like he did in
the last film. This time the film, called Angels with Filthier Souls”, the
gangster is talking to a woman. Not that it matters. Kevin plays the tape and
the hotel staff does everything that the tape says. Then the gangster in the
tape starts shooting and the staff runs away.
This scene was fine in the first film because the intended
victims were outside and thus they might not have been able to make out that
the source was not a person but a tape. Here the hotel staff is in the other
room. They should have been able to tell. It also doesn’t help that the scene
is just so bad. It doesn’t even really seem like they are trying.
The biggest problem I had with the film was that everything
felt forced. The parents overslept again? Yup. Kevin has a house to protect?
Yup. Kevin and his mother will have a true bonding moment at the end? Yup. This
is a paint by numbers film, but it doesn’t seem that the filmmakers want to use
colors outside of what the instructions tell them.
The house fight at the end is bigger, but it is too big. The
two burglars would have been dead about half way through this section of the
film. The stunts are impressive, but they are too big and too deadly. Sure, the
burglars could have been killed in the first film, but everything was more
believable. Here, there are many times where the burglars fall from great heights
and then, while they lie there in pain, something else comes crashing down on
them.
I know what people are going to say. “It’s slapstick. It’s
supposed to be like that.” True, but
this is going way too far. It becomes less and less funny the more deadly it
gets. Not because we care about the burglars, but because the rules have been
established and then the film says “Rules? Screw rules” and then breaks them.
This makes the film completely unbelievable and thus takes us out of the film
itself. At one point I was hoping that the burglars actually caught Kevin and
killed him, but it would have made the film a tad dark.
Home Alone 2 wants to be the first Home Alone, but fails. All
is not lost, though. Macaulay Culkin is still charming as Kevin and Daniel
Stern and Joe Pesci are still the highlights of the film. Home Alone 2 is a sequel
that believes that it is better than the original, so much so that it flaunts
it. The problem lies in the fact that the first film is better at almost
everything. The sequel is the little brother nobody pays attention to.
THE PACKAGING [3 out of 4]
Since this is a double
feature, I am putting the packaging stuff here.
 |
Fox has given us a nice package here. This is a Target Exclusive.
 |
The first thing that you will find inside the box is a
replica of the hat that Kevin wears in the film. It is a child’s hat, but it
fit my big head without any problem.
 |
Next you will find a blu-ray case containing the two films
on separate blu-rays. The case is an eco-case so you are going to want to
change that out for a non eco-case.
Also inside the case is a code for digital copies of both
films.
 |
All of this comes inside a big box that is the height of a
blu-ray case, but is wider to support the hat.
Both discs have similar artwork and are REGION FREE.
OVERALL [3 out of 4]
Fans of the film will want this package for their
collections. The hat is kind of nice, but the box is a little too big for some
collectors who have limited space.
The films themselves are a mixed bad. I like the first one
(with some reservations), but I am not a big fan of the second film. Fox has
given the first film a nice new 4k master transfer and I love the way the film
looks here. The second film has a nice transfer, but it pales in comparison to
the first film’s transfer. The audio for both film is very nice. The first film
also gets all of the extras, with the second film only having trailers for the
two films.
I can only recommend this set to fans of the film and maybe
those who want to reminisce about the two films.
HOME ALONE (1990)
HOME ALONE (1990)
HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK (1992)
 Blu-ray Review + Screenshots){kind=link}
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