Rock Star is a film that you'll watch, remove from your player, and then forget about by morning. Its story is mildly fun but fluffy; its characters claim to have emotions, but we're not particularly privy to them; and its ending will leave you yawning and reaching for the remote.

Chris Cole (Mark Wahlberg) is the lead singer of Blood Pollution, a "tribute band" that specializes in note-for-note covers of the popular heavy-metal band Steel Dragon. But because Chris is an insufferable ass about his unswaying loyalty to the Steel Dragon sound, his fellow rockers send him packing. Luckily, the next day, Steel Dragon invites Chris to become the front man for the very band that Chris idolizes. (The movie is loosely based on the true story of Judas Priest, which asked a cover-band singer to sing for them.) Chris and his devoted girlfriend Emily (Jennifer Aniston) fly to Hollywood, and so begins Chris's dream come true. It's a rags-to-riches fable that plays to the teen fantasies of many a pimple-speckled fan. And I'll admit, Rock Star's early scenes have a contagious energy, as Chris assimilates with his new bandmates and sings disbelievingly to arena crowds. But something at Rock Star's heart soon begins gnawing at your consciousness.

It's easy to pinpoint: Rock Star lacks soul. It wants to convey the atmosphere and culture of the heavy-metal scene but is crippled from the start by its tendency to play it safe. The result is a movie that feels hollow—a shell that contains all the right hairdos and outfits but pays little attention to the nasty and more fascinating innards. We get snippets of wild parties and discreet drug use but it all feels sanitized for your enjoyment. We see the rockers jumping and screaming in their heavy leather, but we don't see the sweat and the puke. We see the emptiness of the new life that Chris is living, but we can't see into his heart. Comparisons with Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous are inevitable—and appropriate. Now there's a movie about music that has soul.

In all fairness, the music in Rock Star has a nice, full energy. I've never been a rabid fan of heavy metal, but hearing it through Chris's ears, and out of his mouth, I could appreciate its appeal.

Wahlberg is fine as Chris, doing his best playing an out-and-out jerk in the first half of the flick and later portraying glassy-eyed wonder with infectious glee. I particularly enjoyed the moment when he can't contain his wide, toothy grin while taking promotional band photos. Aniston, however, looks bewildered and out of place.

Warner presents Rock Star in its original 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio. The image is clean and not problematic at all. Blacks are deep, and colors are accurate. This is a very nice transfer with detail reaching into backgrounds.

Rock Star depends on its audio presentation, and the DVD comes through. The disc's impressive Dolby Digital 5.1 mix provides a rich, enveloping soundtrack, particularly during the concert scenes, in which the crowd seems to press in all around you. Bass is deep, and the treble-rich screaming vocals avoid any crackling.

First up is an audio commentary by director Stephen Herek, who provides a lively anecdotal narration. There are some lengthy silences during the track, but for the most part, he has fun gossip to share about his cast and crew, as well as technical details about the filming. This is not an incredibly illuminating commentary, but fun nonetheless.

Next is a fluffy 4-minute promotional featurette called Backstage Pass. This piece includes film clips and mini interviews with the actors. Video quality is above average.

You also get a fullscreen Everclear music video and an anamorphic-widescreen trailer for the film. Cast biographies round out the special features.

Rock Star is a forgettable flick. Rent it if you must, but if it were my cash, I'd go with Almost Famous.