Mystery Men appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This felt like a mediocre presentation.
Sharpness seemed decent to good. While the image rarely offered strong delineation, it also never came across as genuinely soft, so we found reasonably concise visuals.
No signs of jagged edges or moiré effects appeared, but I noticed some light edge haloes. As for source flaws, I noticed occasional specks but no substantial defects.
Colors were adequate. The film used a stylized comic book palette that could seem a bit heavy at times, but the hues were usually acceptable and they occasionally showed a bit of pop.
Blacks seemed a bit crushed, and shadows could be thick. Low-light shots were generally less visible than I’d like. This turned into a bland image that barely nudged its way to “C“ status.
At least the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack seemed more satisfying, though it wasn’t as impressive as one might expect for a flick about superheroes. At its best, the mix opened up the room well, with vehicles, explosions and the like all about the spectrum.
However, those sequences occurred less frequently than expected and weren’t particularly intense or immersive. The occasional action bit provided decent punch but the movie never turned into the five-channel butt-kicker I anticipated.
This meant the soundfield often remained oddly restrained and didn’t deliver great pizzazz on a consistent basis. Still, the action scenes brought a reasonable amount to the table, and they showed pretty good localization.
Audio quality was always solid. Speech seemed natural and concise, without edginess or other issues.
Music appeared lively and dynamic, and effects presented positive depth and power. The less than dazzling soundfield made this a minor disappointment, but it was still good enough for a “B”.
How did the Blu-ray compare to the DVD version? The lossless audio sounded a little more robust, while visuals were better defined and more vivid. Though this wasn’t an impressive release, it definitely topped the DVD.
That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the Blu-ray came from the old DVD transfer. It felt dated so it wouldn’t shock me to learn that Universal just recycled the image from the 2000 DVD.
When we shift to extras, we open with an audio commentary from director Kinka Usher. He offers a running, screen-specific look at the source and story/characters, Usher’s approach to the comic book genre, cast and performances, sets, costumes and production design, music, editing and cut scenes, effects, and related domains.
Usher delivers a wholly listenable commentary but not one that soars. While he does get into a good array of subjects, the track simply lacks a lot of energy. That makes it worthwhile but less than scintillating.
Spotlight on Location runs 17 minutes, 40 seconds and includes notes from Usher, producer Lloyd Levin, production designer Kirk Petrocelli, costume designer Marilyn Vance, and actors Ben Stiller, Geoffrey Rush, Paul Reubens, William H. Macy, Claire Forlani, Janeane Garofalo, Hank Azaria, Kel Mitchell, Greg Kinnear, and Tom Waits.
“Spotlight” looks at story and characters, cast and performances, Usher’s impact on the shoot, costume and production design. We get a few useful notes – and some funny asides from the actors – but this remains largely a promo piece.
In addition to the film’s trailer, 10 Deleted Scenes fill a total of 19 minutes, 40 seconds. Most of these encompass extra character beats such as extra info about the heroes’ personal lives.
We also see a little more depth to the team interactions, and another uses Luis Guzman as a “red herring” character as the Men look for the Sphinx. Many of the clips offer pretty good material – it’s clear they got cut solely for time, as the movie already runs pretty long for its genre.
As a spoof of superhero flicks, Mystery Men offers passable entertainment. Parts of it amuse but it runs too long and loses energy as it goes. The Blu-ray provides mediocre picture along with mostly good audio and a mix of decent bonus materials. Though often fun, Mystery Men doesn’t quite live up to its potential, and this Blu-ray seems less than exciting as well.
To rate this film visit the DVD review.
