The Flintstones
Universal / 1994 / 87 Mins / Rated G

This Review is sponsored by 
Columbia/Tri-Star Home Video


MOVIE

We have all seen the Flintstones so we know all the characters and what they are about. Basically Barney (Rick Moranis) and Betty (Rosie O'Donnell) have adopted a new baby named Bam Bam. Meanwhile, a scheming executive of Slate & Company, Cliff Vandercave (Kyle MacLachlan) has come up with the idea of ripping off the company and to do this he needs a fall guy for the scheme.

Vanderclave comes up with the idea of a vice presidential position and invents a test to see who becomes the VP, Fred does badly in the test but Barney changes the names on the test to let Fred become VP. Now that Fred has been promoted to a vice presidential position as the lackey scapegoat for a crooked executive things begin to go from bad to worse, he loses his friends and realizes that he needs to make things right or he will end up in the clink.

While not the best movie ever made, The Flintstones is a movie that is very true to the original cartoon series and is a fun enjoyable watch for people of all ages, especially the kids. 

VIDEO
I would consider picture quality of The Flintstones to only be above average. The picture isn't as sharp as other Universal releases and is sadly quite soft for a majority of the movie. 

There were no MPEG artifacts were present in the movie, but the original film print does have the slightest bit of grain at times but this is the fault of the original film master not the transfer itself.

The Flintstones is framed at 1:85:1 and is 16:9 enhanced.

This is an RSDL disc. The layer change occurs at 59:04.

AUDIO

Sound in The Flintstones is more acceptable than the video transfer. The Flintstones is encoded in Dolby Digital 5.1 in several languages including, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. There is also a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack for Polish & Czech languages.

Sound in The Flintstones is fine indeed with great use of the 5.1 sound system. The surround speakers are used effectively with excellent sound steering created. The .1 channel also gets a good use throughout as well.

The dialog was easy to hear throughout the movie.

On top of that there is also a commentary track in Dolby Digital 1.0

EXTRAS
This is a Universal collectors edition disc and is loaded with lots of neato features.

Feature: Here we go again, yet another official making of documentary that clocks in at around 40 minutes and is a great little watch on how they converted a movie to a cartoon.

Opening Sequence Comparison: This is a great little extra showing how they converted the original cartoon opening to the movie. While only running about a minute it does show how true it is to the original cartoon.

Audio Commentary: Director. This is a feature length commentary by director Brian Levant. It is an interesting commentary and he tries to impart some of the creative process to the listener although he does sound like he is lost for words at times.

Teaser & Theatrical Trailers: Included are the original theatrical & teaser trailers. Both trailers are in 4:3 format and feature Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. While not overly entertaining they sell the movie quite well to the kiddies.

The other extras contain the following:

Production Photos
Production Sketches
Production Notes
Cast & Crew Notes

Overall a meaty package of extras.

FINAL THOUGHTS
The Flintstones is a fun family movie on a great DVD. While the video quality is only average, the sound and extras more than make up for it in the long run and it is a damn sight better than some of the Warner releases of late.

16:9 ENHANCEMENT DISC RATING

VIDEO:
AUDIO:
EXTRAS:

PLOT:
OVERALL:

REVIEW EQUIPMENT

Display: 48" Sony RPTV.
DVD Player:
Panasonic A350 Player using S-Video Cables.
Receiver:
Pioneer VSX-D508 Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
Speakers:
Accusound speaker system.

Copyright © 2000 by [Roger Ward].
Revised: 25 May 2000 14:25:15 +1100 .

DVD INFORMATION
Region Coding: Region 4
No of Discs: 1
OFLC Rating G
Running Time: 87 Mins
Case Type: Keep Case
Release Date: 7/12/1999
Catalog Number: DU30365
List Price: $34.95
Distributor: Columbia/Tri-Star
DISC SPECIFICATIONS
Disc Format: PAL
Disc Type: Label Only
Disc Format: SS-RSDL
Chapters: 47
Macrovision: Yes
Manufacturer: WAMO
VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS
Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Film Format: 35mm
SOUND SPECIFICATIONS
Dolby Digital:

5.1 Surround
2.0 Surround

DTS: None
PCM Stereo: None
Other: None
Languages:






English
French
German
Italian
Spanish
Polish
Czech
Subtitles: Yes
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary: Yes
Theatrical Trailer: Yes
Teaser Trailer: Yes
TV Spots: None
Dolby Trailer: None
Documentary: Yes
Cast & Crew Bios: Yes
Deleted Scenes: None
Music Videos: None
DVD Rom Content: None
Collectable Booklet: None
Scene Access: Yes
Animated Menus: None
Production Notes: Yes
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INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE INFO
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