The Faculty (2012)

Most people would think that the above combination would fail, but not at the hand of Kevin Williamson, writer of this wonderful science-fiction film brought to life by talented actors and from the director of "From Dusk Till Dawn." Opening with an intense scene in which the school principal is attacked and overtaken by two alien staff, the film only gets better, introducing us to the seperate lives of each of the students who will come together to stop the faculty, as well as the student body, from taking over the entire town. As more people become converted, the small band of "refugees" begin to discover their own clues, ultimately deducing that the queen alien must be eliminated if they are to save the town. Some might think the plot and material to be juvenile, yet it has a certain intelligence and thinking factor behind its young and fresh cast. Also, the film blends with its story many of the elements used in movies of the same genre from the fifties and sixties, which makes it even better for some reason. Let's just be blunt: everything in this movie works.

This review is specifically about the technical aspects of the DVD, not the movie itself.

This DVD (ASIN B004P7CN7W, UPC 0-96009-75089-3) is the 2011 Echo Bridge Home Entertainment release of The Faculty, and it differs quite a bit from the 1999 Dimension release of the movie (ASIN 6305428220, UPC 7-17951-0022-8-0).

Video:

Echo Bridge = Anamorphic 16:9 widescreen, so it will take up the entire screen of your widescreen TV.

Dimension = Letterboxed widescreen in 4:3 format, so your widescreen TV will show a small picture with big black bars on all four sides.

Both releases are Region 1 NTSC (even though the Echo Bridge release does not specify this on the back sleeve).

Audio:

Echo Bridge = The movie is Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kbps). The menu has music in Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kbps).

Dimension = The movie is Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kbps). The menu does not have sound.

Both releases have one audio track only (English).

Subtitles and closed captioning:

Echo Bridge = No subtitles. No closed captioning.

Dimension = English subtitles available and closed captioning available.

Bonus features:

Echo Bridge = No bonus features.

Dimension = "Bonus features" are the theatrical trailer and film recommendations.

Other thoughts:

The chapter stops are in different places.

No, I did not make a mistake listing the audio details. This Echo Bridge release really does have Dolby Digital 5.1 in the menu, but only Dolby Digital 2.0 in the movie.

The only reason I gave this Echo Bridge release two stars instead of one is because it's anamorphic widescreen, so it takes up the full TV screen without having to zoom.

I can't understand why Echo Bridge would decide to release this with only 2-channel audio, no subtitles, and no closed captioning. For those reasons, I would recommend that people get the original (Dimension) release instead of this Echo Bridge release. However, if you only care about the video, and don't care about the audio or lack of subtitles, then you'll probably be happy with this Echo Bridge release.

Buy The Faculty (2012) Now

During a time when the cinematic bowels of horror ruptured and teen movies seemed to flood the market and become a dime a dozen, I opted to skip this film because of some very bad experiences that still didn't set very well with me. Like many of the people I knew, there were lingering doubts plaguing me as to whether a mainstreamed cast of this nature could actually approach the terrible in a convincing way and if a theme that echoed "aliens kidnapped my baby while at high school" could actually find a way to be new and diverse. After a time, however, I opted to buy it on an impulse, liking something I had seen about the making of the beast that all the trouble stems from in this tale. After countless rewatches, I have to say that this isn't what I first stereotyped it to be and, although it isn't original, is very appealing.

We begin in the confines of our little Ohio-based school system, introduced to the living representations of all our modern stereotypes of what students can be. From there we see the basic interactions and the bullying the drug-use and subsequent salesmanship, and the athletics as our gaze is focused through one "geek" (Elijah Woods). Thinking his life is difficult enough already, he finds himself shocked when, looking around on the football field, he discovers the dehydrated remains of what appears to be a new species. Odder still, is its ability to come to life when introduced to water. This leads down even more bizarre pathways for him, and he finds himself and this band of miscreants we spent time watching early becoming stars when thrust into the gears of what seems to be an alien invasion.

While the script was nothing new, the actors more made up for this by providing seamless performances that were sometimes dry and sometimes surprisingly funny. On top of this, the effects on this were, in a word, delightful, giving the watcher something to keep an eye out for. From the beast with rows of teeth that would make any dentist smile and sing songs of happiness to the aquarium-based lifeforms, the DVD version of this had a quality that was simply superb. Add all of this together and you get one thing; a movie that is enjoyably delectable.

Read Best Reviews of The Faculty (2012) Here

I love this movie, it is smart, gripping, a little predicatable but a really good movie.This is one of my fav movies,I mean you got Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Usher,Clea Duvall and all others, just get this movie,you will enjoy it.

Want The Faculty (2012) Discount?

First of all, Robert Rodriguez has an innate gift of turning everything he touches into solid gold. The guy is incapable of making a lame film. Even El Mariachi was charming! And Spy Kids 3D? If you can name another director today who could have made a 3D movie that fun I dare you. So, needless to say, when he teams up with modern day horror's #1 writer on a movie about aliens and high school kids the movie is going to be sweet!

The entire cast here is tremendous. Long before he was a lamo heart-throb, Josh Hartnett shined as Zeke, the stoner drug-peddlar who didn't like high school but wasn't as much of a druggie as he seemed. Elijah Wood plays a hero of epicly smaller proportion than the one that made him most famous (Frodo) but he still shines. And in Trivial Pursuit 20 years from now, the game winning question should definitely ask, "What movie teamed upcoming R&B megastar Usher with the hottest latina actress of her generation, Salma Hayek?" I'll tell you, the Faculty did baby! This movie is so good it'll give you permanent chills.

Plus, it ends with the music of Oasis which is so damn sweeet it's inexplicable!

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