Movies related to schools tend to lean toward the "inspirational educator" domain. For something different, we go to 1996's The Substitute.

Vietnam veteran Jonathan Shale (Tom Berenger) works as a mercenary. After a mission to Cuba goes bad, he returns home to Miami to regroup.

Teen gang members harass and eventually attack Shale's high school teacher girlfriend Jane Hetzko (Diane Venora). Shale takes a job as a substitute at this facility to deal with the situation.

I don’t think I ever saw Substitute back in the 90s. If I did, this viewing triggered no memories of that earlier screening.

Indeed, before I researched the movie, I assumed it came out in the late 1980s. Some of that might stem from its lead actor, I suppose.

That era represented Berenger’s peak in Hollywood. With hits like 1986’s Platoon and 1989’s Major League, Berenger became as big a star as he ever would.

Part of my false memory of Substitute connected to the presence of Berenger but some stemmed from its general tone. The movie brings a very “might makes right” tone that implies teens need to be brutalized to stay in line.

Actually, that doesn’t prove entirely true, as Shale manages to reach his students in less violent ways. After he talks about his youthful days in a gang as well as his time in Vietnam, the rowdiest class imaginable suddenly becomes attentive and invested.

No one says a good educator can’t connect to the most “checked out” students, but Shale does this in record time. The kids dig into what he tells them so abruptly that it makes no sense.

This also doesn’t change the overall narrative, as even after Shale wins over the hearts and minds of most of his students, the main gangsters remain opposed to him. That turns into the area where Substitute differs the most from its “inspirational educator” siblings.

Typically, the head hooligan – “Kings of Destruction” (KOD) leader Juan Lacas (Marc Anthony) – would become the teacher’s toughest case but eventually his biggest supporter. In this story, though, the animosity between the two remains through the end of the film.

This occurs because Substitute wants to dabble in “inspirational educator” just enough to try to ward off accusations of racism. A Shale who acts as nothing more than a violent enforcer seems completely fascist, so we get token glimpses of the character in “I really care about the kids” mode.

Don’t get fooled, as Substitute really revolves around the “might makes right” theme. This feels out of place in the high school setting, especially as the story gets into a clumsy theme of drug running and corruption.

Really, Substitute feels like a standard crime thriller plopped into the educational setting. This occurs as a gimmick, I think, one that gives the film an unusual twist.

I don’t feel this works, if just because I dislike the ugly view of teens and schools. Substitute provides a simplistic notion of how to work with difficult students and it also never connects the setting to the broader notion of criminal enterprises.

Berenger does fine as our lead, and I like Venora. She provides a tough enough role to turn Jane into a logical match for Shale.

Not much else about Substitute succeeds, though. It delivers a standard issue thriller plot with a modest twist that doesn’t allow it to differentiate itself from the crowd.

The Substitute appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though it showed some of its 1990s roots, the image nonetheless satisfied.

Overall delineation worked well. A few wider shots felt a little tentative, but the majority of the film came across as accurate and well-defined.

The movie lacked any signs of shimmering or jaggies, and it also didn’t come with edge haloes. Grain seemed natural and no print flaws manifested.

The film’s palette leaned toward a mix of greens and ambers to suit the Miami setting. These came across as well-rendered.

Blacks appeared deep and dense, and shadows appeared largely satisfactory. While not a visual showcase, the presentation worked fine.

Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack opened up in a positive manner. The movie came with enough action-related material to give us an appealing sense of place and involvement.

Music used all the channels in a broad way, and effects created a worthwhile use of the spectrum. The soundfield used the available speakers to embellish the story.

Audio quality also held up well, with speech that remained concise and natural. Music boasted impressive range and punch.

Effects appeared accurate and full as well, without distortion. Expect a strong soundtrack from Substitute.

Along with the movie’s trailer. the set includes three featurettes. Power Achieved Is Power Perceived goes for 16 minutes, 41 seconds and brings notes from director Robert Mandel.

The reel looks at research and attempts at realism, cast and performances, sets and locations, and the film's legacy. Though not an in-depth discussion, Mandel nonetheless provides some good observations.

Color Grade Is In Session spans seven minutes, seven seconds and involves Mandel as he discusses the color timing for the 4K scan. We get a few decent notes

Finally, Bullet Points runs four minutes, three seconds as it offers a “storyboard to film exploration” that shows the final film in the upper left corner and storyboards in the bottom right. It brings a short but mildly interesting comparison.

Despite its unusual high school setting, The Substitute adds up to little more than a mediocre action thriller. It comes with too few strengths to develop into an effective tale. The Blu-ray brings very good picture and audio as well as a handful of supplements. This winds up as a nice release for a dated and forgettable movie.

Note that this Blu-ray for The Substitute can only be purchased as part of a package that also comes with the movie's 4K UHD version.