Thunderstruck (Rock Music Comedy)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B     Extras: B-     Film: B-

 

 

Darren Ashton’s 2004 film Thunderstruck falls into that category of films that would be nearly a waste of time if it weren’t for a decent soundtrack to carry you through.  This became a common trend through the 1990’s with films like Singles, Empire Records, Dazed and Confused, and Detroit Rock City.  The film is problematic, but is a decent sit-through for AC/DC fans.  The storyline follows a group of 5 boys who have made a pact to bury their friend next to the grave of Bon Scott.  12 years have passed and they come together to fulfill their promise. 

 

Now the real disappointment here is that the film has a lot going for it, such as great acting, good directing, great soundtrack, yet the plot is unoriginal and becomes tired before it even gets going.  It’s almost a nostalgic type of thing and I would even go to the point in stating that the films storyline would be better suited as a part of a larger storyline.  The best way to classify this is that it either would work much better as a short film or much better as a longer movie with this particular part only taking about 15 minutes and is only a sliver of the overarching theme. 

 

Despite it’s flaws Anchor Bay believes they have a winner on their hands and give the film fairly good attention.  The 2.35 X 1 anamorphic transfer has a slightly dated look, but is overall pretty good for a film that borders on special interest.  Not only that, but the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is one of the better Dolby mixes in recent memory, yet lacks the emphasis that would have been improved upon with DTS sound.  The fact that Anchor Bay did NOT do DTS for a film that involves this much music is a crime.  This is especially true since Anchor Bay does DTS on a lot of other obscure films. 

 

Extras are relatively high for this film as well, which is an added bonus for those AC/DC fans out there, who will most likely connect to this film.  First we have the audio commentary by the director and producer (Jodi Matterson), which is a bit more concentrated on how the film was developed and such, while the ‘making of’ extra is a bit more interesting in the technical areas, but not thorough enough.  Deleted scenes and a theatrical trailer round off this release and make for a nice stack of bonus material. 

 

While I doubt this film will make too many waves it’s bound to appeal to a certain group of people and Anchor Bay makes it’s accessibility on DVD a more engulfing experience.

 

 

-   Nate Goss