Plot: What’s it about?
Allison (Anne Hathaway) comes from a wealthy family, so she has access to money, power, and can pretty much do whatever she wants. Her circle of friends come from the same kind of lifestyle, mansions, country clubs, and whatever else money can buy to keep them satisfied. For Allison and her friends, the street lifestyle they see in music videos has much allure. Of course, they don’t realize that music videos don’t offer a realistic look into that lifestyle. So the women dress like they’re hood rats and the guys pretend to the ghetto thugs, while the group takes in whatever drugs they can get their hands on. They even consider themselves to be street hardcore, so they decide to venture into bad areas, to find more of the urban culture. But they quickly learn that real life is not a music video, as they are ensnared into a world of violence and hatred. Will any of these pampered teens be able to survive, or will they be victims of the lifestyle they adored?
This movie was treated to quite a bit of buzz, thanks to the rumors that Anne Hathaway, one of Disney’s valets, took on a darker, more sexual role. The rumors told of graphic sexual situations and of course, that made a whole lot of people want to see this movie. In the end however, those rumors were just that, though Hathaway does show some skin and slut it up. I am all about hot chicks going naked, but keep in mind, the tone in the sex scenes here is not erotic or romantic, not even close. So you will see some beautiful girls take off their clothes, but not in the kind of situations that are ideal. The movie itself is rather dull and predictable, with a storyline that isn’t that original, but has some decent moments. The main issue here is that we have no reason to care what happens to these kids, the material has little emotional depth. So unless you have to see Hathaway take it off, you’re better off to leave Havoc on the shelf.
Video: How does it look?
Havoc is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a superb presentation in all respects, but it all starts with the source print, which looks clean and very sharp on the whole. This means the other elements aren’t held down and it shows, as colors look bold and true, while flesh tones are natural at all times. This is a rather dark movie, but the contrast holds up very well, with sharp black levels and no visible detail loss. In the end, this is an excellent visual effort and fans should be pleased, to say the least.
Audio: How does it sound?
Universal has chosen to include both Dolby Digital & DTS 5.1 surround options here, though I am unsure why this movie needs the deluxe audio treatment. I found both tracks to be solid and more than adequate, but this simply isn’t the kind of film that becomes a demo disc. As such, I doubt anyone will be blown away by either of the two mixes, though as I said, both more than handle the material, which is what counts. The basics are more than covered here, with crisp dialogue and good surround presence, but in the end, neither track is too memorable. I still commend Universal for including a DTS option here though, even if it has little to offer over the Dolby Digital version. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround option, as well as subtitles in English and Spanish, just in case you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
