Better Off Dead - 40th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Better Off Dead, a favorite 1980s teen comedy, is not an entirely well-made movie. It often feels somewhat unfocused, choppy, and randomly slapped together. Some characters can be a bit uninteresting and seem to lack motivation, while first-time director Savage Steve Holland delivers a very workmanlike pace. I can admit the movie has issues worth considering for first-time viewers, and part of my enjoyment is very likely due to nostalgia. But like the script's main character, the film's various drawbacks are compensated with a charming and wittily amusing personality. It's a quirky, offbeat look at the pressures of being a teenager in love.

Holland seems to be a fan of this particular subject, given his career in Hollywood centering almost exclusively on topics that interest most teens. Whether it's the big screen or the small screen, live-action or animated, the writer and director of many Nickelodeon programs loves to make the lives of modern kids appear more exciting than they really are. In Better Off Dead, he succeeds more often than not in a story about being dumped by the person of our dreams. Even worse, to be later replaced by the most popular kid in school, the rich, athletic captain of the ski team. It's an easy, by-the-numbers formula where Holland only has to input his own eccentric twist to make it worth watching.

In making this the perfect star vehicle for John Cusack, Holland is able to establish the ideal tone that attracts young viewers without having to throw in any of the gratuitous raunchiness popular in most comedies of the mid-80s. Cusack's portrayal of Lane is a wonderful blend of a miserably heartbroken kid who secretly harbors a wildly imaginative goofball. He carries the entire picture's spirit and energy on his shoulders, and the movie's enduring popularity is pretty much all because of his making the character easily relatable. Along with The Sure Thing, which was released the same year, Cusack demonstrated he was destined for stardom as a leading man.

After being dumped by Beth (Amanda Wyss), Lane retreats to his own little world with thoughts of ending it all. From other students being better prepared for Math class to his dreaming of creating a Frankenstein burger, the oddball comedy is often from his point of view as he struggles to find new meaning in his life. A good chunk of the jokes comes from these seemingly tangential daydreams where audiences are left clueless as to what is imagined and what is real. Holland's best work comes from such funny sequences and other screwball gags, like the paperboy demanding his two dollars. It's in these moments that he's able to capture the hysterical awkwardness of adolescence and make it work as a clever spoof of other teen movies.

His parents (Kim Darby & David Ogden Stiers), one too intent on learning how to cook and the other trying too hard to relate, don't seem to give him enough space while his little brother (Demian Slade) is ignored to success. His best friend (Curtis Armstrong) tries to lend an encouraging hand, although in his own bizarre, rather morbid way. But it's the lovely French exchange student (Diane Franklin) from across the street who finally shows Lane how to move on and rediscover love. Better Off Dead may not be perfect, but with an absurd sense of humor on teen angst, it's a fun and memorable 80s comedy that continues to deliver the laughs.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Paramount Home Entertainment brings Savage Steve Holland's Better Off Dead to 4K Ultra HD as a two-disc special edition with a digital copy, granting users access to the Dolby Vision HDR version with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio. Inside the standard black keepcase with glossy slipcover, the dual-layered UHD66 disc sits comfortably on a panel opposite Region A locked, BD25 copy. At startup, viewers are taken to the main menu with music and a static image of the cover art.

Reportedly coming from a new restoration and remaster of the original 35mm camera negatives, the UHD edition of the favorite 80s comedy is the indisputable winner. 

The HEVC H.265 encode is a massive improvement over its BD predecessor, boasting more discrete, sharper definition all around, from the stitching and quality of the fabrics to finer details in many of the daylight exterior shots. In spite of a few softer moments, which are forgiven due to the photographic style of the period, the native 4K transfer shows better resolution overall with a more refined grain structure, maintaining a lovely film-like quality. The Dolby Vision HDR presentation also showcases a spot-on contrast and brightness balance, delivering crisp, radiant specular highlights and true, inky blacks with excellent visibility in the darkest shadows, providing the 1.85:1 image with appreciable depth. Primaries appear fuller and accurately rendered while secondary hues are vibrant and energetic without looking unnaturally boosted. Skin tones also appear natural and revealing with a healthy, lifelike peachy-rose tint in all the faces. 

The movie has never looked better as it does on 4K UHD. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 90/100)

On the audio side, the teen classic appears to have dropped the original stereo version for this UHD edition and only offer, what appears, to be the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 remix. Understandably, this might cause some fans to hesitate on a purchase. 

However, back and forth comparisons reveal that the original sound design might also have been cleaned up and remastered for this 40th anniversary edition. And it's actually quite good, all things considered. In either case, the lossless mix displays a great deal of warmth and strong fidelity, exhibiting clean, sharp midrange during the loudest moments. And it also arrives with crystal clear dialogue and an excellent sense of presence, as background activity fluidly moves across the entire soundstage. Several atmospherics employ the surrounds effectively without seeming forced or artificial, creating a welcomed soundscape that doesn't ruin the original front-heavy presentation but surprisingly enhances it. At times, it can feel somewhat narrow and limited, but when the music and song selections kick in, imaging noticeably widens and is satisfyingly immersive. Meanwhile, a healthy, adequate low-end supplies some oomph and punch to the few bits of action, despite the lack of the original stereo option. (Audio Rating: 84/100)

The only available bonus on this UHD edition is a vintage theatrical preview. Nothing else that'd even count as an extra. 

Despite some rough patches, which are relatively minor, Better Off Dead delivers a funny, offbeat look at love during adolescence. With a likeable and memorable performance by a very young John Cusack, the 80s teen comedy remains a cult favorite of the decade, full of clever, witty gags. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the film races the 4K Ultra HD slopes with an outstanding Dolby Vision HDR presentation and excellent DTS-HD MA soundtrack, but Paramount sadly offers nothing in the bonus collection. The overall package is an impressive Recommended upgrade for devoted fans.

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