Plot: What’s it about?
Warren (Jason Lively) and his buddy Fred (Tim McDaniel) love to make horror movies, but they have serious cash flow issues. But those problems seem to be solved when Warren reaches the age of 21, thanks to an inheritance from his deceased grandfather. At first, the two are let down when the inheritance amounts to little, but then they’re pulled into a wide scale chase, to track down the real, very valuable goods. As time passes, the two discover a ghostly spirit has arrived to guide them, via a strange alien creature, who sort of looks like Yoda from Star Wars. There seems to be more at stake than either of the two realize, but can these two boobs manage to figure it all out and complete the spirit’s wishes?
This disc was released to cash in Roland Emmerich’s success, which is all good, but man, I didn’t expect it to be so much fun. I admit Ghost Chase is a bad movie in the basic sense, but the special effects were cool and the dialogue hilarious, which made this a worthwhile viewing experience. I had my expectations low though, so perhaps that coupled with my love of low rent sci/fi, is what made me like this one. I mean, the creature looks like a comedic Yoda, what more can you want from a low budget sci/fi flick? The damn creature serves drinks, dresses up in various outfits, and delivers classic cheese laden lines, more than enough merit for me right there alone. The acting is bad, with a mullet toting Jason Lively (Russ from European Vacation) leading the pack, as well as some other people with bad hairstyles and little talent. But even with the downfalls, I think Ghost Chase is more than worth a rental, if you’re a fan of low profile, low budget sci/fi pictures.
At the helm of Ghost Chase is Roland Emmerich, who of course, has gone to direct a handful of blockbuster motion pictures. Now Ghost Chase is not his usual massive budget, explosion filled romp, but his roots in sci/fi are more than evident, so there is a slight connection. I think Emmerich can make some fun popcorn movies and that is a compliment, but I don’t think most people like his direction much, as he uses more special effects than storytelling devices. In other words, Emmerich makes movies that look glossy and slick, but have minimal depth under the layer of shine. Of course, this picture has a much small budget than his more recent efforts, but Emmerich still focuses on fun and visuals, which works well enough, in all of his films. Other films directed by Emmerich include Independence Day, Stargate, Godzilla, Universal Soldier, and The Patriot.
Video: How does it look?
Ghost Chase is presented in a full frame transfer, which is a pan & scan version of the film’s original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. In addition to the cropped image, the transfer looks like a third generation dubbed tape, perhaps stored in a shoebox for a few decades. A lot of grain is present and even though print damage is minimal, the excessive grain lessens the whole experience. The colors and contrast both take a beating as a result, which forces me to lower the score a lot. I know this is a low interest release, but I think it deserves a better treatment than this.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio isn’t dynamic by any means, but it does put the video to shame, though that isn’t too hard. The mono format seems to handle most the needs well enough, although the music and sound effects seem limited at times. But the elements come across in more than decent form, which is all you can ask of a mono option like this one. The dialogue is always clean and easy to understand, not much else to discuss with this one.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
