Paul Blart: Mall Cop
What?
Fans of US sitcom King of Queens will know that Kevin James is a funny man with the potential to to go on to much bigger and better things. If he continues to choose films such as 'I Pronounce You Chuck and Larry' (co starring Adam Sandler) and the Sandler produced, 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop' however, his movie career could well be over before it begun.
As a simple premise, 'Mall Cop could have been workable, especially with James on board. Once you factor in a script that is low on laughs and a storyline that is as predictable as it is bad, there was always going to have a problem. I wasn't expecting a bucket load of laugh out loud moments, I was pretty realistic, there was always a good chance that the trailer featured the majority of the big laughs. And that is what we have here unfortunately, an hour an half featuring a handful of chuckles. There are moments that are smile worthy, there are even moments that induce an average sized guffaw but these are few and far between and sadly sandwiched between over done sentiment, obvious plot turns and annoying characters. This is the epitome of a poor, lazy comedy. Not one aspect of the film shines through. I still have high hopes for James none the less, even in this mess, he featured in the odd scene that reminded me ever so slightly of John Candy, and lets be honest, if he can come anywhere near that man, he'll have a great future. Fingers crossed the next film will not involve Adam Sandler in any way. Oh, wait.....
Optics:
Laziness has obviously rubbed off on the guys actually overseeing the transfer. The image is bland, lacking sharpness and any kind of pop at all. For a brand new release this is a disappointing transfer in almost every respect. Contrast is off, detail average and colours bland. I've certainly seen worse, 'Mall Cop is passable, but far from impressive.
Sonics:
The Dolby TrueHD track is clear and weighty thanks to some decent LFE but is never called upon to be anything other than middle of the road. The odd comedy track shines a little brighter than others but this isn't one. I've got no real complaints, everything sounds fine, including the dialogue sadly.
Extras:
A reasonably entertaining commentary featuring James lightens the mood somewhat but I felt a little let down that the star and co-writer didn't confess or apologise for the quality of the film. Surprisingly some ten featurettes are also included as well as a selection of deleted scenes.
Well?
Kevin James fans will scrape together a small amount of enjoyment out of this but non fans should stay clear. Go to the mall instead, you'll probably laugh more.
Tom Day
Fans of US sitcom King of Queens will know that Kevin James is a funny man with the potential to to go on to much bigger and better things. If he continues to choose films such as 'I Pronounce You Chuck and Larry' (co starring Adam Sandler) and the Sandler produced, 'Paul Blart: Mall Cop' however, his movie career could well be over before it begun.
As a simple premise, 'Mall Cop could have been workable, especially with James on board. Once you factor in a script that is low on laughs and a storyline that is as predictable as it is bad, there was always going to have a problem. I wasn't expecting a bucket load of laugh out loud moments, I was pretty realistic, there was always a good chance that the trailer featured the majority of the big laughs. And that is what we have here unfortunately, an hour an half featuring a handful of chuckles. There are moments that are smile worthy, there are even moments that induce an average sized guffaw but these are few and far between and sadly sandwiched between over done sentiment, obvious plot turns and annoying characters. This is the epitome of a poor, lazy comedy. Not one aspect of the film shines through. I still have high hopes for James none the less, even in this mess, he featured in the odd scene that reminded me ever so slightly of John Candy, and lets be honest, if he can come anywhere near that man, he'll have a great future. Fingers crossed the next film will not involve Adam Sandler in any way. Oh, wait.....
Optics:
Laziness has obviously rubbed off on the guys actually overseeing the transfer. The image is bland, lacking sharpness and any kind of pop at all. For a brand new release this is a disappointing transfer in almost every respect. Contrast is off, detail average and colours bland. I've certainly seen worse, 'Mall Cop is passable, but far from impressive.
Sonics:
The Dolby TrueHD track is clear and weighty thanks to some decent LFE but is never called upon to be anything other than middle of the road. The odd comedy track shines a little brighter than others but this isn't one. I've got no real complaints, everything sounds fine, including the dialogue sadly.
Extras:
A reasonably entertaining commentary featuring James lightens the mood somewhat but I felt a little let down that the star and co-writer didn't confess or apologise for the quality of the film. Surprisingly some ten featurettes are also included as well as a selection of deleted scenes.
Well?
Kevin James fans will scrape together a small amount of enjoyment out of this but non fans should stay clear. Go to the mall instead, you'll probably laugh more.
Tom Day
Director:
Steve Carr
Starring:
Kevin James
Keir O'Donnell
Jayma Mays
Raini Rodriguez
Best line:
"Is he crying?"
Tagline:
"Safety never takes a holiday."
Description:
Sony Pictures
UK
Region free
Rated PG
1Hr 30 Mins
1.85:1
MPEG4
Dolby TrueHD 5.1
(English)
Subtitles: English, Hindi
Deleted scenes
10 featurettes
Audio commentary with Kevin James and producer Todd Garner
Ratings: (Out of 10)
Film 3.0
Optics 6.0
Sonics 7.0
Extras 5.0
Overall 4.0
