St. Elmo's Fire (Blu-ray)

That stalwart of 80s ‘Brat Pack’ tack returns in all its high definition glory. That’s right, Emilio’s bright red bow-tie and braces, Demi Moore’s terrible hair and Rob Lowe’s sweaty sax solo are all presented here in all their 1080p glory!
 
Joel Schumacher’s tale of college grads on the brink of adulthood remains a definitive Brat Pack effort despite its many flaws, which include a flimsy script and a roster of mostly unlikeable yuppies (where’s Patrick Bateman when you need him?). But still, the 30-something crowd will still get a tingle down their spine when the theme tune kicks in, and they’ll no doubt appreciate the efforts of Sony with this Blu-ray edition of the movie.

While it’s not exactly The Matrix, the film’s visuals aren’t bad at all. The garish shades of clothing and curious interior design colour choices (including Demi’s pink chic apartment) will practically blind you with their bright brilliance. There isn’t much detail on the close-ups of faces, and the film’s soft focus style often hinders the picture’s sharpness. However, with a dirt-free transfer and a nice clean image from start to finish, St. Elmo’s Fire enjoys a surprisingly effective Blu-ray upgrade.

Audio-wise, the music score tends to get in the way and fight for dominance throughout, with the selection of sax-driven pop tunes often muffling the dialogue. During the quieter moments though, the dialogue is perfectly audible.

No Blu-ray exclusives on the special features, which is a shame, though a BD-Live option allows access to a few hi-def trailers.

Overall Verdict: A beloved Brat Pack ‘classic’ enjoys some impressive hi-def TLC.

Special Features:
Audio Commentary With Director Joel Schumacher
‘Joel Schumacher Remembers St. Elmo’s Fire’ Featurette
Original ‘Making Of’ Featurette
‘Man In Motion’ John Parr Music Video
Deleted Scenes
BD-Live

Reviewer: Lee Griffiths