The Movie
This was physically one of the most difficult reviews I've ever had to write, simply because I was laughing so loudly and so frequently, I could barely see the keyboard. As Paul Blart: Mall Cop, star Kevin James' penchant for both broad physical comedy and subtle, often wordless expression is given a perfect vessel. Relatively late into the movie, the good-hearted loser finds himself at the center of a thinly-veiled Die-Hard-in-a-shopping-mall scenario, when a bunch of extreme sports dudes take over on Black Friday, but long before then, high-grade hilarity ensues. Long live Kevin James (I hope), whose limber acrobatics and pratfalls belie his stocky physique.
Need a second and admittedly different take on the film? See Mark Grady's review of the theatrical release of Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
The Picture
Shot on HD video, Paul Blart's look is exceptionally clean, with no grain and virtually no compression artifacts, even in challenging backgrounds. There is that faintly unnatural video edge however, and mild digital streaking on movement through the 1.85:1 frame. Blacks are relatively murky, with shoppers' clothing, the guards' clip-on ties and their shoulder microphones often appearing as vague dark shapes with no real detail. Fog in the Rainforest Cafe sequence is a little iffy, but other than that, no complaints.
The Sound
Sonically, this is pretty standard fare, with most scenes driven predominantly by dialogue, perhaps embellished by the whirring of Paul's Segway. Even a fight scene is adorned with just the usual thuds and cracks. Pop songs are sometimes mixed into the high-resolution 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundstage with a pleasing fidelity. There are a couple of well-rendered gunshots, and eventually a full, convincing bit when Paul and a perp come crashing through an enormous skylight. No issues, but not really maximum exploitation of your home theater either.
The Extras
The commentary from Kevin James and producer Todd Garner is as lighthearted as we might expect. Next up are eleven quick featurettes exploring the production in a semi-serious style, totaling 50 minutes and presented in high-bitrate MPEG-2. Ditto the ten funny-but-expendable deleted scenes running 12-and-a-half minutes. The disc is BD-Live-enabled, including the "cinechat" feature which allows connected friends to share onscreen messages while watching the movie. Disc Two carries another one of those great, versatile Sony Digital Copies that will work on the PC, the PlayStation Portable/PlayStation 3 and a video iPod. I could definitely see myself checking this one out again for a few reliable chuckles during a tedious commute, so thanks, Sony!
Final Thoughts
Not nearly as silly as you might have been led to believe, Paul Blart: Mall Cop doesn't surprise but it certainly does entertain. Picture and sound are sufficiently strong, and the extras make this a fine Blu-ray package.
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Product Details
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