Plot: What’s it about?
Kristen (Kristy Swanson), Malik (Omar Epps), and Remy (Michael Rapaport) are all freshmen at Columbus University, but that’s about all they have common. Kristen is a naive young woman with no real ideals to speak of, so she is pretty much just floating around, going with the flow, so to speak. Malik is a track star with a scholarship, but he is weak minded and can never face the truth, that his failures are his own fault, not the fault of the system. Remy is a smart young man with an interest in being an engineer, but he has found college life to be miserable, thanks to obnoxious black students (Ice Cube & Busta Rhymes), who blast their music at all hours and care nothing for anyone else, unless they’re black. As the three experience the highs and lows of college life, they each begin to change into something else, in an effort to better understand life, as well as fit in somewhere in the grand scheme. But as Remy starts to relate to some skinheads, Malik buys into the oppressed black man bullshit, and Kristen seeks to maintain idealistic boundaries, something is bound to snap and when it does, what will be the result?
I am very pleased to have Higher Learning on DVD, as I think it is a most enjoyable picture, even if it bites off much more than it can handle. John Singleton writes and directs with skill here, but he tackles too broad of a topic I think, extending himself too far in each direction, but it works out well, though not as well as it should. As a result, I wasn’t too sympathetic with any of the characters, but I think that is part of Singleton’s plan here, at least somewhat. The film packs a lot of information, events, and characters into just over two hours, but it never seems mismashed, which I think is quite impressive indeed. Perhaps it is a little rushed at times, but it very cohesive and the major points come through just fine, though some portions still remain unclear, at least in my opinion. The characters are all over the board here and are very well played, by such performers as Michael Rapaport, Kristy Swanson, Jennifer Connolly, Omar Epps, Laurence Fishburne, Tyra Banks, and Cole Hauser. As I mentioned, Higher Learning aims a little too high and suffers as a result, but it is still worth a look, especially in this more than solid release.
Although Higher Learning is an ensemble piece to be sure, I think the heart & soul of the cast is Michael Rapaport, who shines within his role. I am unsure if is the way Singleton intended or not, but Rapaport’s character comes through as the most sympathetic one, at least toward the start of the picture, less so toward the end. It is hard to say that, because he does some bad things, but so does everyone in this flick, to be sure. Rapaport fills his role with longing to be part of a group, then switches track a little once he discovers how exclusivist the other groups are, though he retains some elements of his original persona. You can also see Rapaport in such films as Bamboozled, Kiss of Death, Small Time Crooks, True Romance, Deep Blue Sea, and The 6th Day. The cast also includes Omar Epps (Love & Basketball, The Wood), Kristy Swanson (The Chase, The Program), Jennifer Connolly (Waking the Dead, Requiem for a Dream), Cole Hauser (Pitch Black, Good Will Hunting), Tyra Banks (Love Stinks, Coyote Ugly), and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Just Cause).
Video: How does it look?
Higher Learning is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I was quite pleased here, as aside from some slight grain at times, this is an excellent visual presentation. The grain is never extreme and doesn’t alter the other elements, so I see no real reason to complain much. The contrast is stark and well balanced, which ensures deep black levels and a strong sense of detail, at all times. The film uses a pretty bland color scheme, but it looks as good as possible and when richer hues come into focus, those look terrific as well. All in all, this is a better transfer than I’d expected, so I am giving it an excellent score, which it deserves.
Audio: How does it sound?
This movie has a loud musical soundtrack, but aside from that, there’s not much to speak of with the included Dolby Digital 5.1 surround option. The music varies from hard rock to rap to softer, more intimate sources, all of which sound great in this mix. Aside from that, the surrounds don’t see much action, but the mix is very natural, which is what counts, if you ask me. The surrounds spark when they need to and while that isn’t often, I wouldn’t want forced surround presence by any means. The dialogue is sharp and never hard to understand, thanks to well balanced volume levels throughout. This disc also includes 2.0 surround tracks in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Thai, Korean, and Chinese, just in case you’ll need any of those options.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc isn’t loaded, but it has a couple features included, such as an audio commentary track from writer/director John Singleton. I’ve heard Singleton before talk about this film in interviews and such, but offers much more detail here and that’s always welcome. I wish he would have touched upon the characters a little more, but even so, this is one you won’t want to pass up, not by any means. This disc also includes some talent files, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
