Plot: What’s it about?
It’s highly unlikely that, as a fan of Family Guy and The Simpson’s, I’ll ever find another set of animated series that I love as much. While The Simpson’s came first and obviously inspired Seth MacFarlane’s foul-mouthed “family”, it’s going on its third decade. But both shows remain fresh and funny as ever. Up until a few years ago, I really hadn’t seen much of Family Guy, but with reruns being so prevalent, it’s kind of hard to turn the channel without running into an episode. And so, it began…If you’re familiar with one show, you’re familiar with the other though MacFarlane’s “family” is a bit harder to love (or easier, depending on who you are). The show literally came back from the dead in 2001 and has since made MacFarlane a multi-millionaire. With Ted, MacFarlane has now shown he has what it takes to dominate the box office as well, with the movie raking in over $200 million in the United States alone. And if you’re sick of MacFarlane, he’s the host of the 2013 Academy Awards, so sit back and enjoy him.
John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) wasnt’ a very popular kid. He got beat up by the kids who were beat up. But his parents got him a very special present, a teddy bear that, on a magical night, came to life. Time has passed and John and Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) have remained best friends. John doesn’t have a lot going for him except his girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis) who is looking to take their relationship to the next level. However John seems perfectly content in a dead end job, smoking pot with Ted. But, Lori has other ideas and after making John choose between Ted and her, Ted’s forced to move out on his own. There is, of course, the “down time” when John and Lori are separated which gives her sleazy boss, Rex (Joel McHale) an opportunity to woo her, but was it really meant to be?
Ted is a very simple movie and it’s supposed to be. There’s really no antagonist, rather it’s exactly like I thought it would be – like a live-action version of Family Guy. I’m sure middle-America has a problem with a teddy bear that makes obscene gestures, drinks too much, smokes pot and dates prostitutes, but to me that’s something else entirely – namely it’s funny! If there was ever any doubt that Seth MacFarlane is going to take over the world of entertainment, I think Ted is one of the catalysts for that to happen. MacFarlane is literally everywhere these days with appearances on Saturday Night Live to his upcoming host gig of the Oscars. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that MacFarlane and his creations have made an impact on the pop culture market of the world.
Video: How does it look?
Shown in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 the AVC HD transfer for Ted is nothing short of brilliant. As we might expect for a new to Blu-ray film, colors pop and there’s nary a thing to complain about. Detail is amazing, even the little pieces of fuzz in Ted’s “skin” are very visible. Bold colors abound from the stark white interior of John’s apartment to the darker scenes later on in the film. I was most pleased with the way this looked.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS HD Master Audio mix isn’t anything to balk at, either. The majority of the film is dialogue driven, though we do get a few notes from Queen’s “Flash Gordon” and we see way too much of actor Sam Jones who played the title character. The movie is a pretty front-heavy mix with LFE coming in at a few times and the surrounds adding a good bit of ambiance. Here’s a trick…if you’re a fan of Family Guy, close your eyes and you’ll immediately picture Peter Griffin in the film. It’s even quoted in a line of dialogue as well. A great effort here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Ted comes to Blu-ray with the usual variety of supplements, giving fans just enough to warrant a purchase. We start off with the audio commentary by Director/Producer/Actor (and so forth) Seth MacFarlane, actor Mark Wahlberg and co-writer Alec Sulkin. This is a hilarious track that’s both informative and self-deprecating as the three rib on one another all the way through. Unfortunately Wahlberg has to leave early (seriously, it’s like a 90 minute movie) but this is a very enjoyble track. Next up is “The Making of Ted” in which three shorter featurettes: “A Guy, A Girl and a Teddy Bear”, “Doing it Live” and “A MacFarlane Set” are all discussed. We get insight from the cast and crew (most of which are Family Guy regulars), the concept behind the film, what it took to animate the bear and so forth. Fifteen deleted scenes are also included as is “Teddy Bear Scuffle” which shows us how the fight scene between Wahlberg’s character and the non-existent bear was choreographed. Rounding out the supplements is a gag reel. There’s also a second disc with a DVD copy of the film in addition to two versions of the movie: an unrated version and the theatrical cut.
