Mallrats is interesting. I hate to say this is one of those films that drove me to becoming the film nerd I am. The first director’s I fell for were John Carpenter and George Romero, but then years later a friend’s Mom recommended to my Mother of all people to see Clerks, so she did.
She did not understand my Mother. My Mom made it about 5 minutes. A few years later, I rent Mallrats, and I feel like the film is sort of speaking to me. I’m not a mallrats, and the cast were definitely a few years older. BUT, I was a video game obsessed, comic book reading, monster film watching teenager, that was pretty much doing nothing with my existence, and as such, yes, this flick spoke to me.
I rented it a few more times over, and then took the financial plunge and bought the tape. Then I revisted Clerks, and then Chasing Amy, and then I spent a few years hooked in high school hooked on Kevin Smith’s early films, which eventually lead to other indie films like the early works of Richard Linklater (Slacker, may have lead me to moving to Austin) and Hal Hartley.
The film has a simple premise two college guys Brodie and TS both experience break ups in a single day. With nothing else to do, Brodie, who is a confirmed mallrat drags TS to the mall to recover, where they both begin to hatch a plan to get their ladies back. Hijinks ensue.
Mallrats is Kevin Smith’s 2nd film, after the success of Clerks, he was given a real budget to work with, and so basically took what he knew and expanded it. So instead of shouting a film in one store, he shot it in a giant mall, and you know what IT WORKS. It’s a big over the top ridiculous comedy, with ridiculous humor, and is the sort of film that a guy who spent his life reading comics and watching movies would make if a studio threw cash at him.
I haven’t owned an edition of Mallrats since the original DVD released (given to me as an Xmas present by my girlfriend, now wife in 2003). So now we get this insanely stacked SE with 3 cuts of the film all restored in HD. No one will accuse the film of being a visual feast, but everything here looks solid, with decent detail, and nicely reproduced and stable color. Audio is handled with HD audio mixed that come through clear and concise. Extras include featurettes, interviews, introductions, Q&A’s this thing is STACKED and is the definitive Mallrats. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.