Year One (Blu-ray)

A whole host of comedy alumni join forces for an epic tale of side-splitting proportions with Year One. So, why isn’t the film very funny?

Zed (Black), a lazy, incompetent prehistoric warrior, is banished from his village after he is caught eating the forbidden fruit. Together with his equally downtrodden fellow warrior, Oh (Cera), the two outcasts are forced to wander the uncharted world in search of new civilisation, which sees Zed and Oh journey through biblical times and encounter all manner of weird and wonderful characters, from Cain and Abel, to Sodom and beyond.

With Harold Ramis directing, Judd Apatow producing, Jack Black and Michael Cera starring and a long list of supreme comedy talent supporting (from Paul Rudd and David Cross to Hank Azaria and Oliver Platt), great things were expected of this prehistoric buddy comedy. Unfortunately, the laugh-free zone that Ramis and co have entered only makes for a frustrating and hugely disappointing experience.

Black, a natural born entertainer and king of improvisation, does his utmost to keep things lively and entertaining, and bless him, he just about manages to keep you onboard until the credits roll. But, it’s a hell of a lot of weight to be carrying on the funny man’s shoulders, and with barely any support from the script, the effort seems futile. Cera’s innocent shtick is endearing for a while but soon becomes tiresome, and no matter how many recognisable faces are shoe-horned into the movie, without funny material they’re pretty much useless. What exactly went wrong with the abysmal, meandering, uninspired script is a mystery, though whatever the cause, Year One’s purposeless plot and tired jokes merely come across like second-rate Mel Brooks.

Contrasting with the abysmal feature itself is the stunningly gorgeous presentation in high definition. Boasting all the razzle-dazzle you’d expect from a grade-A blockbuster, Year One boasts excellent detail and clean, striking visuals throughout. The colours are vivid and vibrant, picture grain is almost impossible to spot, and while the contrast is a little off during the odd night-time scene, the picture quality is generally impressive.

The audio understandably puts the dialogue at the forefront, but while this is crystal clear, the music score and sound effects don’t receive the best surround sound treatment.
  
The Blu-ray is jam-packed with extras, including an entertaining commentary from Ramis and the two leads, and a few interactive goodies, including a ‘Cinechat’ feature, which allows you to chat with other people who are watching the film at the same time, and the ‘Movie IQ’ feature, which provides trivia pop-ups when activated and when you’re hooked up to Blu-ray Live.

The ‘Cutting Room’ feature is a nifty appendage that allows you to edit the movie with a basic editing suite, plus there’s also the usual selection of deleted scenes, outtakes and bloopers to indulge in.

Overall Verdict: Terrible movie, but the Blu-ray package is impressive.

Special Features:
‘Cinechat’ Interactive Feature
‘Cutting Room’ Editing Feature
‘Movie IQ’ Database
Audio Commentary With Director Harold Ramis And Actors Jack Black And Michael Cera
Alternate Ending
Deleted Scenes
Extended And Alternate Scenes
Line-O-Rama
Gag Reel
‘Year One: The Journey Begins’ Featurette
‘Sodom’s Got ‘Em!’ Commercial
‘Leeroy Jenkins: The Gates Of Sodom’ Featurette
Trailers

Reviewer: Lee Griffiths