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Cool World
Paramount // PG-13 // November 11, 2003
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
THE MOVIE
Perhaps the biggest problem with Ralph Bakshi's Cool World is that it tries too hard to remain within the PG-13 rating, instead of just going all out and giving us an adults-only movie. As a result of trying to hold the reigns back a bit, Cool World isn't "adult" enough for the grown-ups – yet it is far too mature for children.
Another problem may have been that Cool World was released too soon after Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - a film that perfectly integrated the real world with the cartoon one. Here, however, humans and cartoons (or "noids" and "doodles" as they are called in the movie) never look like they are occupying the same universe, which takes away from some of the "reality" of watching the film.
The plot of the movie is kind of an interesting one…although Bakshi is never quite able to pull it off. Beginning in 1945, we see soldier Frank Harris (played by Brad Pitt back before he was well-known) returning from the war, only to lose his mother in a freak motorcycle accident. Frank is sucked through (thanks to a toon on the other side) into "Cool World" – a place we find out almost 50 years later (1992) was created by artist Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne) – although the movie really never tackles the issue of how the world could have existed before Deebs created it.
Deebs is in prison for killing his ex-wife's lover, but as the movie opens, he is released. But Deebs is occasionally being sucked into "Cool World" by his favorite creation, Holli Would (the voice…and later in the film, the body…of Kim Basinger), a sexy blonde cartoon who may be based on (but is far sexier!) than Jessica Rabbit.
We also discover that Harris has continued to live in "Cool World" all these years, and has become a detective there. When he gets word that Deebs has crossed over to their side, he worries that Holli will try to have sex with Deebs in an attempt to become a living person – something that is forbidden by "Cool World" law. If Robert Zemeckis' "Toon Town" was zany, "Cool World" is what it would look like if all the inhabitants were on acid – it's a warped, twisted, very adult version of cartoon land that sadly, isn't very funny or interesting at all.
THE DVD
Video:
The video does show a slight bit of age, with some noticeable grain and some (although not much) dirt showing up on the print here and there. The picture is anamorphic, and presented in the 1.85:1 format.
Audio:
Viewers are given the option of listening to the film in a 5.1 Dolby track or a 2.0 Dolby one. There's also a 2.0 French track for those who want to hear Holli speak "the language of love"! As far as the 5.1 track goes, I found it to be very nicely done…in fact, it's probably the best thing about the entire DVD.
Extras:
Other than a chapter selection, there are no extras on this disc. Zero! Not even the trailer for the movie. I specifically remember a special airing at the time of the film's release about the making of the movie, so it's a shame it wasn't added here – if only to try and see the original intent of the filmmakers.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Even die-hard Bakshi fans are going to be hard-pressed to come up with a reason why they would want to own this disc. Skip it.
Perhaps the biggest problem with Ralph Bakshi's Cool World is that it tries too hard to remain within the PG-13 rating, instead of just going all out and giving us an adults-only movie. As a result of trying to hold the reigns back a bit, Cool World isn't "adult" enough for the grown-ups – yet it is far too mature for children.
Another problem may have been that Cool World was released too soon after Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - a film that perfectly integrated the real world with the cartoon one. Here, however, humans and cartoons (or "noids" and "doodles" as they are called in the movie) never look like they are occupying the same universe, which takes away from some of the "reality" of watching the film.
The plot of the movie is kind of an interesting one…although Bakshi is never quite able to pull it off. Beginning in 1945, we see soldier Frank Harris (played by Brad Pitt back before he was well-known) returning from the war, only to lose his mother in a freak motorcycle accident. Frank is sucked through (thanks to a toon on the other side) into "Cool World" – a place we find out almost 50 years later (1992) was created by artist Jack Deebs (Gabriel Byrne) – although the movie really never tackles the issue of how the world could have existed before Deebs created it.
Deebs is in prison for killing his ex-wife's lover, but as the movie opens, he is released. But Deebs is occasionally being sucked into "Cool World" by his favorite creation, Holli Would (the voice…and later in the film, the body…of Kim Basinger), a sexy blonde cartoon who may be based on (but is far sexier!) than Jessica Rabbit.
We also discover that Harris has continued to live in "Cool World" all these years, and has become a detective there. When he gets word that Deebs has crossed over to their side, he worries that Holli will try to have sex with Deebs in an attempt to become a living person – something that is forbidden by "Cool World" law. If Robert Zemeckis' "Toon Town" was zany, "Cool World" is what it would look like if all the inhabitants were on acid – it's a warped, twisted, very adult version of cartoon land that sadly, isn't very funny or interesting at all.
THE DVD
Video:
The video does show a slight bit of age, with some noticeable grain and some (although not much) dirt showing up on the print here and there. The picture is anamorphic, and presented in the 1.85:1 format.
Audio:
Viewers are given the option of listening to the film in a 5.1 Dolby track or a 2.0 Dolby one. There's also a 2.0 French track for those who want to hear Holli speak "the language of love"! As far as the 5.1 track goes, I found it to be very nicely done…in fact, it's probably the best thing about the entire DVD.
Extras:
Other than a chapter selection, there are no extras on this disc. Zero! Not even the trailer for the movie. I specifically remember a special airing at the time of the film's release about the making of the movie, so it's a shame it wasn't added here – if only to try and see the original intent of the filmmakers.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Even die-hard Bakshi fans are going to be hard-pressed to come up with a reason why they would want to own this disc. Skip it.
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