On HD-DVD: Blades of Glory

Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck

Starring Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler

Okay, a comedy with Will Ferrell and that guy from Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) and they are male ice skaters? Is this a recipe for disaster or a recipe for a lot of laughs? I grabbed my bowl of popcorn and put in Blades of Glory HD DVD, released by Paramount/Dreamworks in the DVD player and hit play, with a bit of trepidation.

The Movie

Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) are intense competitors in the men’s figure skating competition. Chazz fancies himself a sexy ladies man while Jimmy is bit of a mess, because of being raised by an insane millionaire that accepts nothing less than perfection and gold medals.

At a recent competition, Chazz and Jimmy tie for the coveted first place medal. This results in a brawl where the two receive lifetime bans from their beloved sport.

But, is it really the end of the road for these two? They discover a loophole in the laws that govern the ice skating world. Sure, they cannot compete in men’s figure skating because of the ban, but, they can enter pair figure skating. After trying half-heartedly to find female partners, the two decide to partner up and take on the ice skating world by storm.

But, if it wasn’t hard enough on two guys in spandex and rhinestones to make a go of it, there are two more skaters trying to throw a monkey wrench into their plans. Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler), a brother and sister team that are a bit uncomfortably close, have their eye on the prize as well. They will even use their innocent and naïve sister (Jenna Fischer) to spy and force her to use her feminine wiles to get ahead.

Will Chazz and Jimmy make it to the championship or are the dreams to two men in Technicolor spandex in opposition of the stars to the point of being doomed to failure?

Blades of Glory is surprisingly entertaining, thanks in a large part to Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler and Will Arnett. It has a lot of funny moments that caused some chuckles and some out right laughter.

I am not saying that Jon Heder doesn’t do well in his part, he is fine, it is just that the comic talent and timing of the more seasoned pros, such as Ferrell, Poehler and Arnett, outshine him throughout.

So, Blades of Glory is definitely worth checking out. Do you need to own it or do I feel that it is a film you will rewatch a ton a times? For me, no, but maybe for a rabid Will Ferrell or Jon Heder fan, you will wear out the disc.

So, definitely pick up Blades of Glory at your local rental spot or add it to your queue at Netflix. I will leave it up to you to decide if it is a must own for the home collection.

6.5/10

The Video

Blades of Glory: HD DVD is a spectacular widescreen transfer. The transfer is positively first rate with an amazing level of detail and vibrancy of color. The black levels are dazzling and the overall visual depth is something to behold.

9/10

The Audio

Blades of Glory: HD DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Plus 5.1. The dialogue is crystal clear and mixed well with the driving music utilized in the skating routines.

8/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features

Blades of Glory: HD DVD is packaged in the standard HD-DVD slim case with artwork appropriately over the top to represent the film well. 

Some nice bonus features await your perusal on this disc. Return to Glory: The Making of Blades of Glory is an entertaining making-of featurette that avoids to much of the expected talking heads and “here’s a clip” syndrome so many fall victim to.

A Gag Reel and Deleted Scenes are also available for your viewing entertainment. The bonus features don’t stop there: there is also Celebrities on Thin Ice, Arnett and Poehler: A Family Affair, Hector: Portrait of a Psychofan and The Super-Sexy Costumes of Skating.  While all of these have entertaining moments, the majority fall into the traditional promo stuff that you expect on these releases.

Rounding things out is Moviephone Unscripted with Will Ferrell, Jon Heder and Will Arnett that is surprisingly funny and a Bo Bice Blades of Glory music video.

All things considered, a nice collection of bonus features to accompany this release.

9/10  

Overall (Not an Average) 6/10

The Review

The Movie 6.5/10

The Video 9/10

The Audio 8/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 9/10

Overall (not an average) 7/10

-Suzie Lackey