In the spirit of nostalgia, Paramount Pictures has re-released several of its 1980s era movies as special editions. Along with each DVD comes a CD with four 80s songs. But is it the best bang for your buck?
If you already own the films mentioned below, probably not. The only differences between the older DVD versions and these “special editions” is the DVD box cover and the CD. Oh, and the CD has the same songs no matter what movie you get.
Plus, none of these I Love the 80s editions have any new special features. It’s quite disappointing.
Let’s start with a classic Eddie Murphy film: Coming to America. It’s back when Murphy made good movies and wasn’t always making bad choices in material. While the movie is a must-see, there are no special features in sight. And no, the original theatrical trailer does NOT count as a special feature.
Along the same lines, Cheech & Chong Still Smokin is pot humor at it’s finest. But do we get audio commentary by Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong? No. Do we get a retrospective documentary about their careers as a comedy duo? Nope. But hey, ya get the theatrical trailer. Woo-hoo!
Flashdance provides even less than these two. There’s no theatrical trailer. If you own this classic movie about a female welder with dreams of becoming a dancer, you don’t need to buy this version.
Finally, Top Secret! is by far one of the worst movies from Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker, but has the most special features. This movie, which was Val Kilmer’s first film role, contains audio commentary, deleted scenes, storyboards, and, yes, the theatrical trailer. Even with all these features, I cannot bare to recommend this film in all good conscience. Please, please, see Airplane! or The Naked Gun trilogy instead.
What about the CD? It contains the following songs:
Lips Like Sugar by Echo & The Bunnymen
Chains of Love by Erasure
Need You Tonight by INXS
Take on Me by a-ha
If you’re a big 80s fan, you probably already have these songs. Plus, there’s no way to justify buying a movie you already own in order to get four old songs. I’m sorry, but this is why i-Tunes exists.
So, if you own previous DVD versions of these movies, you’re fine. If you don’t, but still want to own them, go for it. But with nothing amazing and new on any of these DVDs, the whole thing looks like another marketing gimmick to make more money.