Office Space appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Given its subject matter, I didn’t expect a lot of dynamic visuals, and this ended up as an accurate representation of the source.
This meant generally good but not great definition. Occasional shots came across as a bit soft and the movie never produced terrific delineation, but it usually seemed reasonably sharp. No issues with shimmering or jagged edges occurred, and haloes remained minimal. No print flaws popped up and grain seemed natural.
As expected, the film displayed low-key colors. This was a drab palette with very few lively tones. The colors didn’t impress but they seemed accurate for what the film intended to do. Blacks tended to be reasonably dense, and shadows showed fairly good delineation. This ended up as a more than acceptable image.
To my surprise, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Office Space had a little kick to it. Make no mistake: much of the mix remained restrained. The office setting didn’t offer a lot of opportunity for slam-bang action, and the track usually reflected a sense of light ambience.
However, the audio managed to become involving on occasion. A few musical numbers filled the spectrum well, and some of the showier sequences like Peter's dreams opened up matters nicely. The surrounds added enough to make them useful.
No issues with audio quality emerged. Speech was consistently natural and crisp, and I noticed no signs of edginess. Music demonstrated pretty good dynamics. Some of the rap tunes used the subwoofer well, and the tracks were always nicely represented. Effects tended to be subdued, but the louder bits scored. Again, those usually popped up in dreams, and they boasted deep bass. This was a perfectly satisfying mix for this movie.
How did the Blu-ray compare with the 2005 Special Edition release? Audio was a little peppier, but visuals showed the more obvious improvements, as the Blu-ray seemed significantly cleaner and tighter than the DVD. It offered a clear step up in quality.
The 2005 DVD’s extras repeat here and we also get some new materials. Out of the Office: An Office Space Retrospective with Mike Judge runs 27 minutes and three seconds and features interviews with writer/director Mike Judge and actors Gary Cole, Ajay Naidu, Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston (from 1999), David Herman, and Stephen Root. The show looks at the origins of the movie and the “Milton” shorts that inspired it, cast, characters and performances, Judge’s work, various scene specifics and the movie’s legacy.
As a documentary, “Retrospective” proves less than complete but still remains entertaining. It focuses mostly on the actors and their work, and in that realm, it gives us some nice notes. The show is consistently informative and enjoyable – it just doesn’t cover all the bases. It works for what it is, though, and I think it’s got more than enough good content to make it worthwhile.
In addition to the film’s trailer, we get eight Deleted Scenes. With a total running time of five minutes, 47 seconds, most of them serve as minor additions and don’t give us anything related to the story. There’s some amusement in them, though, and we learn about Lumbergh’s fate as well as a potential downside to Peter’s new career at the end. The scenes are definitely fun to see, minor as they are.
The remaining extras are new to the Blu-ray. A text commentary called Post-It Pandemonium/The Apathy of Man shows facts about notable inventions – and failures – over the millennia. I expected info about the film here, but none appears. The factoids can be fun but they’re not especially useful; the track would work better if it focused on production notes.
Three games also appear. We get two entries under Executive Games: “Grab the Stapler/Printer Beat-Down” and “Whack-a-Drone”. When activated, these pop up as the movie runs and force you to perform various actions along the way. Maybe someone finds fun from them, but I’m not that person. They also disable any ability to use chapter search or other methods to advance/rewind the film, which turns them into an even bigger nuisance.
We can also play Jump to Conclusions 2.0. Taken from an idea from the movie’s “Smykowski” character, this requires you to press “enter” and the screen shows a random “conclusion”. It’s a complete waste of time.
Inconsistent but mostly entertaining, Office Space works best when it doesn’t bother to emphasize plot. It provides a funny and incisive look at the workplace and succeeds in its low-key way. The Blu-ray offers generally good picture and audio but provides mediocre bonus materials. It’s too bad we don’t get a stronger set of supplements, but this is still a solid presentation of an amusing film.
To rate this film, visit the Special Edition review of OFFICE SPACE