The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
84
Studio and Year: Sony Pictures - 2009
MPAA Rating: PG
Feature running time: 91 Minutes
Genre: Comedy
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English/French Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Portuguese/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Starring: Kevin James, Jayma Mays, Keir O'Donnell, bobby Cannavale, Stephen Rannazzisi, Shirley Knight
Directed by: Steve Carr
Music by: Waddy Wachtel
Written by: Kevin James & Nick Bakay
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: May 19, 2009
"Don't mess with his mall"
Film Synopsis:
With a heart that won't quit, a stomach that won't stop gurgling and a self-sworn oath to protect his turf, he's Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Mild-mannered Paul Blart (Kevin James, "The King of Queens") has always had huge dreams of becoming a State Trooper. Until then, he patrols the local mall as a security guard. With his closely cropped moustache, personal transporter and gung-ho attitude, only Blart seems to take his job seriously. All that changes when a team of thugs raids the mall, and takes hostages. Untrained, unarmed and a super-size target, Blart has to become a real cop to save the day.
My Take:
Paul Blart is an overweight, big hearted, single father who lives with his mother and works in the local shopping mall as a security officer. He is pretty shy around the ladies and seems to have a hard time making friends. He takes his job very seriously but unfortunately gets little respect due to his ineptness. His dream is to become a New Jersey State Trooper however he can't pass the physical agility test due to his hypoglycemic low blood sugar condition which causes him to pass out as if suffering from narcolepsy. Paul's mother and daughter try to sign him up for an online dating site to meet someone but unfortunately for Paul there are no matches for him. At work Paul is put in charge of training a new security officer named Veck Sims (Keir O'Donnell). Veck is a little squirrelly and seems like a perfect fit with the other security officers employed at the mall. One day while on patrol Paul notices an attractive young woman who sells wigs/hair at a kiosk in the middle of the mall. In his attempt to do stealthy glide by and on his segway and check her out he drives right into the back end of a mall displayed minivan. A few days later he gets up the courage and welcomes her to the mall. Her name is Amy, (Jayma Mays) she seems nice, and for some reason appears to find Paul charming. Paul is smitten with Amy and the two agree to meet at the employee Christmas party. Paul Blart doesn't drink alcohol and there is a very good reason why. He has a couple at the party and things don't go smoothly as Paul embarrasses himself (to say the least). Paul still likes Amy is tries to put the incident behind him and figure out a way to approach her afterward. In the meantime a small group of thugs enter the mall. They begin placing trip alarms as the entrances and strategically positioning themselves in the vicinity of one of the banks. Its near closing time on payday and some of the mall employees, including Amy, enter the bank to cash their paychecks. The thugs fire off a handgun causing a panic that begins to clear the mall. Paul has decided to stop off in his favorite video arcade and play Rock Band. He is so engrossed in the game he doesn't notice what is going on outside the arcade in the common area. The thugs rid the mall of all civilians and security personnel, save one. You guessed it! Paul Blart's presence has gone unnoticed as the thugs unveil their plans to steal credit card information from the stores within the mall. What they hadn't counted on was the determination of the one guy that no one believes capable of saving the day. Or is he?
I liked Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Is it top flight cinema? No. It's a silly film that is written with a specific characterization in mind which is based upon Kevin James' physical/droll comedic style which I personally find funny. I am a fan and have been since I watched the very first episode of King of Queens. The plot is thin, the gags are standard fare, and there is very little originality. I guess it's not always about coming up with new concepts and original storylines. Sometimes even though we know how things are going to turn out we still find ourselves caught up in the moment. That is when it comes down to enjoying the performances by the cast or one or two witty lines that provide a decent chuckle. Kevin James is a big, agile, teddy bear of a guy who has a penchant for physical comedy as well as coming off as an affable oaf who you can't help but root for. For me that is a big part of what made Paul Blart fun to watch. The other thing was watching the members of the cast engage in the Free Running/Parkour. If you have never seen anyone do this than that alone may be reason to see this film.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for some violence, mild/crude suggestive humor and language.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Audio: 82
Video: 86
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 28 mbps and lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel audio that has an average bitrate of 1.5 mbps.
This is an excellent video presentation that offers quality that is consistent with newer released films on Blu-ray Disc. Detail is abundant as images are cleanly resolved with excellent visual acuity and three dimensional depth. It lacks the definitive sharpness and resolute definition of the best that I have seen from the format but it still offers pristine imagery. that I have seen Colors are vividly reproduced with deeply saturated hues and vibrant primaries. Fleshtones have lifelike tonality and warm, descriptive complexional variety. A slight boost to contrast gives the video a dynamic quality that made colors pop without washing away white/gray detail. Black levels and shadow detail are strong which enhances depth during sequences containing mixed content and dim/uneven light. I didn't notice any artificial sharpening or video artifacts related to compression/bit starvation.
The Dolby TrueHD audio quality delivered a very good sound mix that occasionally engaged the entire system and delivered tonally descriptive voices through the center channel and seamless soundstage pans across the front three channels. The surrounds were fairly busy and generated both atmospheric ambience and directional cues that enhanced the onscreen action. At times this created room filling surround sound that was notable for a comedy. Bass response was such that it appropriately supplemented the recorded elements but didn't achieve the depths required to energize the room.
Bonus Features:
Final Thoughts:
Paul Blart: Mall Cop isn't classic film comedy but it does offer a few decent laughs that provide a bit of escapism that looks at the world as seen through the eyes of a genuinely honest, affable and rather inept guy that is played perfectly by the very funny and talented Kevin James. Sony's high definition presentation looks great on Blu-ray Disc. The bonus features are more fluff than substance but taken as a whole provide an above average look behind the scenes with plenty of input from James and the rest of the cast/crew. If like me you're a fan then feel free to pick this one up. Otherwise I would recommend a rental.
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS20 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen
Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Marantz DV7001 Universal Disc Player
Denon AVR 5308CI THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
Philips TSU9400 Pro Series Touch Panel Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Furman SPR-20i Stable Power Regulator
Wireworld, VizionWare, Audioquest, Best Deal Cables - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
84
Studio and Year: Sony Pictures - 2009
MPAA Rating: PG
Feature running time: 91 Minutes
Genre: Comedy
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English/French Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Portuguese/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Starring: Kevin James, Jayma Mays, Keir O'Donnell, bobby Cannavale, Stephen Rannazzisi, Shirley Knight
Directed by: Steve Carr
Music by: Waddy Wachtel
Written by: Kevin James & Nick Bakay
Region Code: A,B,C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: May 19, 2009
"Don't mess with his mall"
Film Synopsis:
With a heart that won't quit, a stomach that won't stop gurgling and a self-sworn oath to protect his turf, he's Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Mild-mannered Paul Blart (Kevin James, "The King of Queens") has always had huge dreams of becoming a State Trooper. Until then, he patrols the local mall as a security guard. With his closely cropped moustache, personal transporter and gung-ho attitude, only Blart seems to take his job seriously. All that changes when a team of thugs raids the mall, and takes hostages. Untrained, unarmed and a super-size target, Blart has to become a real cop to save the day.
My Take:
Paul Blart is an overweight, big hearted, single father who lives with his mother and works in the local shopping mall as a security officer. He is pretty shy around the ladies and seems to have a hard time making friends. He takes his job very seriously but unfortunately gets little respect due to his ineptness. His dream is to become a New Jersey State Trooper however he can't pass the physical agility test due to his hypoglycemic low blood sugar condition which causes him to pass out as if suffering from narcolepsy. Paul's mother and daughter try to sign him up for an online dating site to meet someone but unfortunately for Paul there are no matches for him. At work Paul is put in charge of training a new security officer named Veck Sims (Keir O'Donnell). Veck is a little squirrelly and seems like a perfect fit with the other security officers employed at the mall. One day while on patrol Paul notices an attractive young woman who sells wigs/hair at a kiosk in the middle of the mall. In his attempt to do stealthy glide by and on his segway and check her out he drives right into the back end of a mall displayed minivan. A few days later he gets up the courage and welcomes her to the mall. Her name is Amy, (Jayma Mays) she seems nice, and for some reason appears to find Paul charming. Paul is smitten with Amy and the two agree to meet at the employee Christmas party. Paul Blart doesn't drink alcohol and there is a very good reason why. He has a couple at the party and things don't go smoothly as Paul embarrasses himself (to say the least). Paul still likes Amy is tries to put the incident behind him and figure out a way to approach her afterward. In the meantime a small group of thugs enter the mall. They begin placing trip alarms as the entrances and strategically positioning themselves in the vicinity of one of the banks. Its near closing time on payday and some of the mall employees, including Amy, enter the bank to cash their paychecks. The thugs fire off a handgun causing a panic that begins to clear the mall. Paul has decided to stop off in his favorite video arcade and play Rock Band. He is so engrossed in the game he doesn't notice what is going on outside the arcade in the common area. The thugs rid the mall of all civilians and security personnel, save one. You guessed it! Paul Blart's presence has gone unnoticed as the thugs unveil their plans to steal credit card information from the stores within the mall. What they hadn't counted on was the determination of the one guy that no one believes capable of saving the day. Or is he?
I liked Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Is it top flight cinema? No. It's a silly film that is written with a specific characterization in mind which is based upon Kevin James' physical/droll comedic style which I personally find funny. I am a fan and have been since I watched the very first episode of King of Queens. The plot is thin, the gags are standard fare, and there is very little originality. I guess it's not always about coming up with new concepts and original storylines. Sometimes even though we know how things are going to turn out we still find ourselves caught up in the moment. That is when it comes down to enjoying the performances by the cast or one or two witty lines that provide a decent chuckle. Kevin James is a big, agile, teddy bear of a guy who has a penchant for physical comedy as well as coming off as an affable oaf who you can't help but root for. For me that is a big part of what made Paul Blart fun to watch. The other thing was watching the members of the cast engage in the Free Running/Parkour. If you have never seen anyone do this than that alone may be reason to see this film.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for some violence, mild/crude suggestive humor and language.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Audio: 82
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 86
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Paul Blart: Mall Cop comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 28 mbps and lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel audio that has an average bitrate of 1.5 mbps.
This is an excellent video presentation that offers quality that is consistent with newer released films on Blu-ray Disc. Detail is abundant as images are cleanly resolved with excellent visual acuity and three dimensional depth. It lacks the definitive sharpness and resolute definition of the best that I have seen from the format but it still offers pristine imagery. that I have seen Colors are vividly reproduced with deeply saturated hues and vibrant primaries. Fleshtones have lifelike tonality and warm, descriptive complexional variety. A slight boost to contrast gives the video a dynamic quality that made colors pop without washing away white/gray detail. Black levels and shadow detail are strong which enhances depth during sequences containing mixed content and dim/uneven light. I didn't notice any artificial sharpening or video artifacts related to compression/bit starvation.
The Dolby TrueHD audio quality delivered a very good sound mix that occasionally engaged the entire system and delivered tonally descriptive voices through the center channel and seamless soundstage pans across the front three channels. The surrounds were fairly busy and generated both atmospheric ambience and directional cues that enhanced the onscreen action. At times this created room filling surround sound that was notable for a comedy. Bass response was such that it appropriately supplemented the recorded elements but didn't achieve the depths required to energize the room.
Bonus Features:
- Featurettes:(HD)
- Kevin James: Not your average Mall Cop - 5 minutes
- Action sports junkies - 6 minutes
- Stunts - 10 minutes
- The Mall - 4 minutes
- On set with Mike Rooftop Escamilla - 5 minutes
- Fun on the set - 6 minutes
- Mike versus Mall Cop
- Mall Cop response - 2 minutes
- Free Running & Parkour - 3 minutes
- Thoughts with Kevin James - 2 minutes
- Sugar - 2 minute short featuring Free Running shot to music which includes the cast
- (HD) 10 deleted scenes
- Commentary with Kevin James & Producer Todd Garner
- Blu-ray Disc Exclusive Cinechat: Send on-screen instant messages to friends while you watch the movie at the same time
- BD-Live enabled
- Digital Copy Bonus Disc - A standard definition version of the film that can be downloaded from a compatible PC to a portable media playback device
Final Thoughts:
Paul Blart: Mall Cop isn't classic film comedy but it does offer a few decent laughs that provide a bit of escapism that looks at the world as seen through the eyes of a genuinely honest, affable and rather inept guy that is played perfectly by the very funny and talented Kevin James. Sony's high definition presentation looks great on Blu-ray Disc. The bonus features are more fluff than substance but taken as a whole provide an above average look behind the scenes with plenty of input from James and the rest of the cast/crew. If like me you're a fan then feel free to pick this one up. Otherwise I would recommend a rental.
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS20 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen
Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Marantz DV7001 Universal Disc Player
Denon AVR 5308CI THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
Philips TSU9400 Pro Series Touch Panel Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Furman SPR-20i Stable Power Regulator
Wireworld, VizionWare, Audioquest, Best Deal Cables - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package