Plot: What’s it about?
Dr. John Richards (Hannes Jaenicke) and his team have been working on a special project for some time, but some bugs still remain in the invention. This piece of equipment has been designed for the government, who plans to use it in all sorts of situations. But it could serve all people if it were released, as lots of people would use it, perhaps even several times per day or more. So what is this grand invention? Richards and his team have crafted a powerful transmitter ray, which can move a person, animal, or object from one location to another, in mere seconds. Yes, you could be in Los Angeles one second and be in New York the next, if you’re using this scientific breakthrough. But one of Richards’ assistants, Martin Grecko has made a deal with some crooked folks, who will pay him four million bucks to steal the device for them. He even kidnaps Richards and makes himself into a twin, in order to remain undercover as he finishes the task. But Richards’ wife and son smell a rat and to stop Grecko, she becomes invisible and of course, hijinks ensue.
I had low hopes for this film from the premise and miserable cover artwork, but I had no idea just how bad Mom’s Outta Sight would be. I was not pleased with this movie and in truth, it is one of the worst ones I’ve seen in a long while, a real clunker indeed. I mean, this is even worse than those Disney Channel original movies and those are usually really bad, but this one is even worse than most of them. I was hard pressed to find anything good about this flick, but I will say the performance of Auriauna Albright (Horrorvision, Witchouse) was good, though mired in terrible material, to be sure. The rest of the cast seems like friends or family members of the filmmakers, which means bad turns all around. The whole invisible mom premise has been done a lot in the past few years, almost always in poor, lower than low budget fashion, just as in this case. In addition to the other flaws, the special effects are embarrassing, poor show here. I simply cannot recommend Mom’s Outta Sight, as the movie is bad and this disc is almost as bad. If you must see the film, then I suppose a rental is called for, but don’t buy it sight unseen, trust me on that one.
Video: How does it look?
Mom’s Outta Sight is presented in a full frame transfer. I am unsure of the intended aspect ratio, but the framing looks acceptable here, so I think it very well could be full frame. The image here is soft and shows minimal refinement, as is often the case with direct to video, shoestring budget flick like this one. I liken it to broadcast quality, though perhaps a tad sharper, which means it is watchable, but not too impressive. The colors look good, while contrast is solid, but not as deep and rich as I would have liked. All in all, this is a decent enough visual transfer under the circumstances, but it won’t dazzle the viewers, by any means.
Audio: How does it sound?
Just as the video looks close to television quality, I found the audio to be much like a television broadcast also. I was never let down here, as the material has no need for extensive surround presence or such, so this rather basic track is more than enough. The music comes through in clean form, while the various sound effects are well presented, with no real complaints. The dialogue remains crisp and easy to understand throughout, with no volume errors to report. This disc also includes English subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, as well as the film’s trailer.
