Plot: What’s it about?
Lex, Trip, Hawk, and Jeremiah are totally enamored with KISS. They wear the shirts, they have the records, they even have a tribute band, Mystery, in honor of their favorite rock band. But the ones thing they’ve always missed out on is about to finally happen. Tonight, they will see KISS in concert, in Detroit for God’s sake, what perfect timing! The morning of the concert, Jeremiah discovers he has the tickets in his jacket pocket, and his overbearing KISS hating mother almost finds them, so he leaves him at home, hoping she does not find them. But alas, she does, and not only does she cart him off to religious school, but she burns the tickets! The three remaining friends are moping about the loss, knowing the concert is totally sold out, and they give up ever going. Until the radio station they listen to offers four front row tickets and four backstage passes in a contest! Trip pulls a fast one on the teacher, makes the call, and wins the tickets! So the threesome uses a pizza with special mushrooms on the principal at the religious school, rescues their friend, and heads out to Detroit, to watch KISS rock the place down. But will the trip be a smooth one, or will these fans have to wade through Hell to see their favorite band in action?
Detroit Rock City is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. The storyline is so great, and we can all relate to the excitement of seeing our favorite bands on stage, or the disappointment in missing out. Of course, I might be biased about this movie, because I am a huge fan of teen comedies, but I think most comedy fans will get a kick out this flick. The dialogue is very well written, and the timing is excellent. When the boys finally arrive in Detroit, the movie divides screen time between them, as the camera follows each of them, and we see what happens as they try to make it into the show. Each mini storyline concerning the friends is superb, and really helps the movie flow better than if we watched them all together. Adam Rifkin, the director, does a great job here, using all sorts of camera angles and pans. The color use is outstanding as well, but more on that in the visuals section.
The cast of Detroit Rock City is great, and they bring the characters to life quite well. The movie focuses on the four friends, played by Edward Furlong, James DeBello, Sam Huntington, and Giuseppe Andrews. The chemistry between them is very good, and Furlong shows that he has some good work left in him. It’s interesting to note how the actors play their characters differently when the group is together, as opposed to when they are each on their own missions. The movie is riddled with cameos and smaller roles, I found it very entertaining to watch the movie again, and spot more and more celebrities. I swear, everytime I watch this, I see someone new. Of course, the four members of KISS appear, and they give a nice on stage performance. Others appearing include Shannon Tweed, Natasha Lyonne, Ron Jeremy, Lin Shaye, Melanie Lynskey, and a boat load more, I assure you. The small parts in this movie add so much depth to the film, it amazes me. This is a must have movie for comedy fans, and the disc is one of the best examples of just what DVD can do. Buy this!
Video: How does it look?
This visual transfer is excellent, presented in 2.35 anamorphic widescreen and looking good! The colors are juiced up a couple notches in brightness, but no errors emerge, such as bleeding, that would be bad. Black levels are rocking as well, no detail loss to be found here, daddies! All in all, this is one of the best visual transfers I have seen to date.
Audio: How does it sound?
This movie is a comedy, based on dialogue, so you might not expect much activity from it’s audio track. You would be wrong, as the movie’s soundtrack rocks the house with the greatest classic rock soundtrack ever! Effects are minimal, and dialogue sounds clear throughout.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Oh wow. You get three running commentaries with this disc. One by the director, one by the cast, and the third by the four original members of KISS! Yes! You also get two featurettes, one is a short promotional piece, the other runs almost 40 minutes and is chock full of good stuff. Also included is a gallery of deleted scenes, including an extended cut of The Confessional scene. In the deleted cut, you can opt to watch the scene by seeing the actors’ screen tests for that segment, talk about a bonus! Speaking of alternate angles, you can watch KISS perform “Detroit Rock City,” all the while changing between the four members with your angle button, and you can also check out Mystery’s performance from the movie by watching/listening to them record the song! But cover your ears, they suck! You can also learn how to play “Rock N Roll All Nite” on the guitar with the included lesson, which is pretty cool. Rounding out the disc are the theatrical trailer, cast/crew files, and two music videos. Whew…you gotta have this disc!
