Plot: What’s it about?
Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan) has just graduated from college and soon, she will leave home and head to New York. Her father Ray (Michael Keaton) runs a racing team that has hit hard times, a win is needed badly, as sponsors have been scarce of late. As income has been low, Ray was unable to give his daughter a big graduation gift, but he has a plan. After seeing one of her friends given a brand new car, Ray wants to buy Maggie one too, only not so new. A trip to the junkyard introduces Maggie to her new vehicle, a beaten up old Volkswagen, with the number 53 on the hood. Right from the start, she realizes that Herbie, the name listed in the glovebox, was not just another car. Soon enough, Herbie takes over and a street race with an arrogant professional driver unfolds, one which Herbie wins. But when Herbie is taken onto the race track, a place very well known to the car, can Herbie keep up with the modern racers?
Disney goes back to its roots, but also brings an old school series up to date in Herbie: Fully Loaded. I was unsure about this one, as I enjoyed most of the old Herbie movies, but these days, you never how well an updated take will turn out. Of course, I knew I would have to find out, since Lindsay Lohan was involved, but I didn’t expect too much. I have to admit though, I really liked this movie and not just for Lohan, though her gorgeous presence did enhance the experience. If you approach this with a critical eye, you’ll be let down. This is the case with most family films that just try to provide a fun experience, Herbie: Fully Loaded is no exception. But if you just want a brisk, fun movie, this one is a great choice. There is more of the old school Disney touch here than I expected, I hope that continues in other projects. The movie is a lot of fun and Disney’s DVD is a good one, so Herbie: Fully Loaded is given a high recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
Herbie: Fully Loaded is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. As this is a new release from Disney, of course it looks terrific and then some. The print is almost pristine, so the visuals have a clean, crisp, and well detailed appearance. In fact, detail is so good at times, the image takes on a much deeper texture, quite impressive work indeed. The movie’s vivid color scheme bounds off the screen, with rich and vibrant hues that never drift into errors. I found contrast to be stark and consistent also, with no problems in the least to mention. All in all, another excellent visual effort from the folks at Disney.
Audio: How does it sound?
A Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is used here, but the material doesn’t ask much of it beyond the basics. The pop driven music comes through well, with a lot of life and presence that spices up the experience a lot. The surrounds do come to life in the race sequences, so you will get some power in those instances. The rest of the elements sound more than solid, but never rise above passable levels. A handful or so of other scenes have some added presence, but on the whole, the mix is basic and reserved. The material doesn’t need explosive audio however, so the experience is still fine and more than acceptable. The dialogue is crisp and clean throughout, with no signs of trouble in the slightest. This disc also includes French and Spanish language tracks, as well as subtitles in English and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Angela Robinson provides a director’s commentary track here, in which she seems open and candid, which is good news. She doesn’t really provide in depth comments, but she discusses the production experience and shares some stories. I do wish Lohan could have been involved, but no such luck. You can also browse some deleted scenes and outtakes, as well as an alternate title opening, all of which are worth a look. This disc also includes three brief featurettes, as well as the video for Lohan’s song First.
