The Movie

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins ...

... and ends! Now this is what I call confidence: back in 1985, when Orion released the first of what they hoped to become a franchise of pictures based on the series of Destroyer novels by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir, the studio had the chutzpah to pronounce that the adventure was only just beginning. I mean, imagine if Dr. No had been entitled James Bond: Future Savior of MGM, or if Rocky had started off as Rocky I: The Descent into Mediocrity Ensues! Unfortunately, Remo never really had a chance to gel into a franchise; the film grossed a measly $14 million in the fall of 1985, thus prematurely ending the adventure with only one film.

For those of you who are not "in the know", Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins traces the origins of Remo Williams, an ex-cop who was secretly recruited by a covert operation known as CURE. Responsible only to the president of the United States, CURE's initiative is to investigate and terminate those who would purport to destroy the American way of life, those with wealth and power who live outside of the law. Remo is trained by Chiun, an elderly Korean master of the art of Shinanju, whose martial arts supremacy allows him to dodge bullets, walk on water, and kill with a tap of his fingertips. Remo's target in this movie is George Grove, a defense contractor and weapons manufacturer whose products are poorly-constructed monstrosities which tend to kill their users. He is also receiving federal funds to produce "Star Wars"-style SDI satellites which, quite frankly, don't work.

In other words, Remo is going after somebody wasting millions of dollars in taxpayer money. Now this is a superhero we need!

In all honesty, the main plot is also the least interesting storyline in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. It's much more fun watching Remo's tutelage under Chiun, whose politically-incorrect witticisms and scurrilous banter are the some of the film's most enjoyable elements. As Chiun, stage and screen star Joel Grey (who is about as Asian as Ving Rhames) is a total hoot, creating a character who is equal parts caustic and endearing. As the title character, Fred Ward is an unlikely but effective action star. However, the character of Remo always remains something of a mystery to the audience. He is involuntarily recruited by a secret organization, given plastic surgery and new fingerprints to alter his appearance, and forced into service against his will, but through it all Remo seems to go through with it with an aire of affability. He responds to Chiun's training, castigation, and challenges with bravado, yet we never seem to really know the character. Ward is a likable and charismatic actor, and his light-hearted approach to the character is a welcome change from many grim-n-gritty action hero types. But Remo is a set-piece rather than a fully-developed character.

The film works for the most part, although it never escalates past B-movie territory. The main problem is that the film never seems to coalesce into a fully-realized movie. The overall storyline involving George Grove as the master villain takes a back-seat until the film's final act. Up until that point, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins has coasted on the breezy interaction between Chiun and Remo, as well as the sheer coolness of Remo's training sessions and a nifty chase/battle scene atop of the Statue of Liberty. The "final confrontation", in comparison with the rest of the film, is rather limp, bland, and anti-climactic, tacked on as if to give the story some sense of closure. What the movie needed was some sort of "final battle" between Remo and a like-minded opponent, something grand and kinetic that was the logical culmination of many of the film's themes.

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins is a thoroughly cheesy 80's leftover, but it has enough charm to make it a decent little throwback to an era of action filmmaking that didn't rely on overblown set pieces and lame CGI special effects. The movie has attracted a bit of a cult following over the past 18 years, which would almost make the film's release on DVD a cause for celebration.

Almost.

Here's where things get ugly:

MGM has released Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins in a thoroughly butchered pan-and-scan video transfer. This is simply unacceptable on too many levels. In a time where DVD is making it possible for all films -- not just box-office bonanzas and criticial/artistic classics -- to be preserved and presented in the finest possible format, MGM has decided to throw a weak, rehashed transfer onto the disc and get it out the door to pad their catalog library. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins may not be a surefire hot seller guaranteed to pad MGM's home video bottom lines, but those who would be interested in buying this movie are the same people who are incensed that this release has been butchered. There has been a steady clamorfor this film's release for years, but MGM has decided to ignore the faithful in favor of simply moving the product out the door without care or consideration. Even a non-anamorphic widescreen transfer would have been more acceptable. As it stands, Remo deserves better. The fans deserve better. Shame on you, MGM.

The DVD

Video:
As previously mentioned, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins is presented in a butchered pan-and-scan transfer with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Even getting past that abomination, the transfer is still problematic. While most of the color levels are reasonable and image detail is acceptable, edge-enhancement is all over the chart. There is simply too much haloing and light-ringing that, given the "blown-up" nature of the transfer, is even more apparent. Grain structure is also overbearing, going beyond an agreeable "film-like" appearance that is rendered by acceptable levels of grain. Shadow detail is poor and black levels are weak, giving low-lit scenes a blandness and unappealing brownness. The overall transfer is weak and dated, indicative of the little thought and love that went into this disc.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio presentation is slightly more acceptable than the video, but the audio is far from impressive. I can appreciate that Dolby Digital 5.1 remixes for weak catalog sellers cannot always be expected, but I would have liked to see one for Remo. Nonetheless, the 2.0 audio is acceptable, with decent fidelity and some occasional separation and spatiality to the front soundstage. Dialog is clear and well-delivered. Surround and LFE activity is extremely weak; this is a front stage presentation only. This is an average audio production that neither impresses nor disappoints. It's there, it does the job, but nothing more.

Extras:
The only extra is the film's Theatrical Trailer , which is also pan-and-scanned and in fairly poor condition.

Final Thoughts

There's not much more to be said, is there? The presentation is unimpressive, the extras are non-existent, and MGM's decision to throw this DVD out with a limp pan-and-scan transfer completely obliterates any possible reason why any fan would be interested in this disc. Granted, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins isn't a high-roller in MGM's catalog, but there is no reason why any DVD from any company should be released without a transfer in its Original Aspect Ratio. I urge all Remo fans to order the widescreen Region 2 DVD of this film to send a message that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated. As it stands, unless you are a huge fan of the film and must have it in any form, avoid Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins at all costs. This DVD is an extreme disappointment.