DVD Reviews

The Hangover (Extreme Edition) – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Oct 16, 2010, 14:26 GMT

$From Old School director Todd Phillips comes a comedy about a bachelor party gone very, very wrong. Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) drives to Las Vegas with his best buddies Phil and Stu (Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms) and his future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis), for a blow-out bachelor party they vow they\'ll never forget. But when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning with pounding$

From Old School director Todd Phillips comes a comedy about a bachelor party gone very, very wrong. Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) drives to Las Vegas with his best buddies Phil and Stu (Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms) and his future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis), for a blow-out bachelor party they vow they\'ll never forget. But when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning with pounding ...more

I’ve taken the inspiration of Warner Brothers and recycled most of my review of the first Blu-ray release.

That’s basically what they’ve done with this “Extreme Edition.”

They do add some new material (I guess I have to as well) but it’s all to remind you of the good times so that you’ll go see Hangover 2. Hope you can remember the good times…

Doug (Justin Bartha) is about to get married. His buddies Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms) want to take him to Vegas for one last blowout. Paul’s soon to be brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis) also tags along as the group sets out in Paul’s soon to be father-in-law’s (Jeffrey Tambor) sweet Mercedes.

They begin partying, but the next morning finds Doug missing, Stu missing a tooth, a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, and none of them able to remember what the hell went on the night before.

Needless to say they begin panicking over Doug missing and possibly missing the wedding. There’s already been one drunken wedding as Stu is now married to a stripper named Jade (Heather Graham), they’re in possession of a stolen police car, the Mercedes is missing, and some thugs are looking for Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong).

Now they have to discover what lunacy they engaged in the night before and get Doug back to Los Angeles and the chapel on time.

The Hangover was a massive box office smash that had many rolling in the aisles with laughter. The film was certainly a crowd pleaser and featured many funny moments and performances.

So much so that a sequel is coming up and when that’s happening it behooves whatever studio (its Warner Brothers this time but they all do it) is doing it to put out a new edition of the first film.

This release is basically what they released the first time. It does drop some of the content (a digital copy) but they have given you a little more (see below). Should owners of the original upgrade? That really depends on if you want to and have the disposable income to do so.

Technically if you have the first one, you have the movie and a digital copy. This version just adds some swag in the oversized box and you can read up on that below. If that tickles your fancy then buy away.

Otherwise, the film is certainly a funny one that is sure to make you forget whatever wickedness you committed in Vegas, that is if you can remember it in the first place.

The Hangover is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.40:1). The movie is presented in two cuts, the theatrical cut (101 minutes) and an unrated cut (108 minutes). Special features are presented in high definition and include an interactive “Map of Destruction” of the Vegas locations seen in the film.

You also get a picture-in-picture commentary with director Todd Phillips, Cooper, Helms, and Galifianakis. The 8 minute “Madness of Ken Jeong” has alternate takes and deleted scenes with Mr. Chow. The 1 minute “Action Mash-up” is a montage of the film’s action scenes.

The 1 minute “Three Best Friends Song” is a full version of the song sang in the film. The 1 minute “Dan Band!” has the wedding band’s full rendition of “Fame.” There’s also an 8 minute gag reel and a gallery of more pictures from the missing digital camera.

The disc is also BD-Live enhanced. This edition dumps the digital copy in favor of a soundtrack sampler CD with five tunes on it and a hardcover 30-page photo album with more found pics from that forgotten night of debauchery.

This new “Extreme Edition” may not be that extreme after all. Sure you do get some new stuff, but if you’re a fan then you already own the disc that you’d get with this release. I’m going to recycle the four star rating, but caveat emptor unless you just want to get that soundtrack sampler and photo album.