Scary Movie 3.5 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The image had its strengths but also could be pretty mediocre.
Sharpness was decent to good. Some shots came across as a little loose, but much of the movie seemed acceptably distinctive and accurate. I saw no problems with jagged edges or shimmering, but some light edge enhancement cropped up at times. Occasional specks popped up along the way; these weren’t heavy, but they appeared more frequently than I’d like.
The colors worked fine. They lacked any runniness or bleeding and seemed positive across the board. The various hues were tight and bold. Black levels appeared nicely dense and deep, while low-light shots offered good clarity and definition. Despite the occasional mushiness, this was a generally positive presentation.
While much of Scary Movie 3.5’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix sounded great, it lacked the scope to earn a high grade. The soundfield remained quite limited through most of the movie. Elements remained mostly anchored in the front speakers. Music managed to get decent reinforcement from the rear, and an occasional effect cropped up back there, but not more than on a few minor occasions.
Otherwise, however, the fronts heavily dominated. They offered good localization and movement, though. The forward speakers presented a fairly natural soundfield, but it still wasn’t terribly involving.
At least audio quality seemed terrific. Dialogue always sounded natural and distinctive, and I noticed no issues connected to edginess or intelligibility. Effects sounded accurate and life-like. Music fared quite well. From the score to the rap or pop/rock songs, these all seemed vivid and lively, with clear highs and nice bass. Across the board, low-end response was firm and rich. Overall, Scary lost points due to its lack of ambition, but it sounded good enough to earn a “B”.
How did the picture and sound quality of the Blu-ray compare with those of the original Scary Movie 3.5 DVD? Audio was a bit bolder and more dynamic, while visuals showed great definition. Though this wasn’t a great image, it worked better than the DVD.
Most of the Scary Movie 3.5 DVD’s extras repeat here. We open with an audio commentary from director David Zucker, producer Robert K. Weiss, and writers Craig Mazin and Pat Proft. All four men sit together for this running, screen-specific chat. Although it presents a rollicking and wisecracking tone, it doesn’t offer a great deal of information.
The majority of the notes deal with alterations made to originally scripted or shot footage. We hear a lot about deleted scenes as well as changes made for ratings concerns. Though the participants gleefully tell us when things didn’t work, the commentary still suffers from an excess of praise for the flick; they happily relate how terrific they feel much of it is. The guys remain glib and impudent enough to make the track generally entertaining, but it doesn’t provide a great look at the movie.
Note that this release includes a different commentary than the one found on the original theatrical cut DVD. If you compare the remarks above to what I said about that disc's commentary, you'll notice they're identical. Even though this is a different discussion, it works in an extremely similar way. It has the same participants as well as the same mix of good and bad elements. I guess it makes sense that a second chat with the same guys would turn out the same way, but it will come as a disappointment for those who hope to hear fresh information.
Up next we find 14 deleted and extended scenes and a separate Alternate Ending. These fill a total of 35 minutes and 51 seconds. The bulk of the material comes from the alternate ending; this takes a whopping 15 minutes, 28 seconds alone! Unsurprisingly, it offers the biggest component here, as it gets into elements related to The Hulk and the Matrix sequels. The various clips seem to have mostly been omitted for time, as they come across as neither better nor worse than the material in the final flick.
All of these scenes can be viewed with or without commentary from the four guys who chatted during the main film. They present the same flippant tone, but it works less well here. Much of the time they tell us little about the scenes or why they cut them. Instead, they mostly just complain about the clips and tell us they’re terrible. Granted, we already learn a lot of this during the main commentary, but this nonetheless comes across as a pretty pointless track since it doesn’t have much information in it.
Note that this package includes six deleted scenes that don’t appear on the original theatrical disc. These add nine minutes and 6 seconds of footage. Apparently we lose one short clip from the prior release, since it presented 10 cut sequences. Unfortunately, I don’t remember that set well enough to figure out what got left out here, but I’d not be surprised to learn that it was something reincorporated in the extended version of the film.
None of the new pieces seem terribly interesting, though one with some hot girls in a baby oil spill is… stimulating. The commentary is slightly more informative for the new clips, though I think it was recorded at the same time as the rest of the package. At least the guys tell us a few tidbits about why those pieces were cut.
Making Scary Movie 3 runs 23 minutes and 21 seconds. We find the normal collection of movie snippets, shots from the set, and interviews. We hear from producer Bob Weiss, director David Zucker, actors Jenny McCarthy, Anna Faris, Kevin Hart, Eddie Griffin, Simon Rex, Queen Latifah, Jianna Ballard, Fat Joe, DL Hughley, Ja Rule, Master P, Redman, Method Man, Macy Gray, Charlie Sheen, and Leslie Nielsen. They chat about production values, constant changes to the script, the cast and their work on the film, Zucker’s style, and the film’s humor. The cast subjects heavily dominate the program, as we hear some minor notes about their development but mostly get comments about how wonderful they all were. Some of the material from the set seems intriguing, but the show mainly seems fluffy and insubstantial.
Next we get another program called Making Scary Movie 3... FOR REAL. It lasts four minutes, 53 seconds as it goes over some general things in a nutty way. It uses the same format as the prior program and includes comments from Zucker plus actors Regina Hall, Anna Faris, Bob Weiss, Darrell Hammond, Simon Rex, DL Hughley, Camryn Manheim, and Anthony Anderson. Mostly we see nuttiness from the set and comedic asides from the participants. It doesn’t tell us much, but some of the shots from the set offer a bit of fun.
In the Outtakes and Bloopers area we see three minutes, 59 seconds of footage. Mostly this offered the usual collection of goofs and wackiness. However, some minor deleted scenes pop up as well, which makes the set more interesting than normal.
We take a look Behind the Scenes of the Alternate Ending in the next segment. This four-minute and eight-second piece examines “Hulk vs. Aliens”. It uses the standard format and we get remarks from Zucker, Weiss, visual effects supervisor Stuart Robertson, makeup effects creators Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis. They discuss the look of the aliens as well as the costumes, visual effects, and execution of the elements. It’s a pretty tight little examination of the subjects.
The disc opens with ads for Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2, and the Scream trilogy. These reappear in the disc’s trailers area, but no ads for Scary 3 show up here.
Despite the arrival of a new creative team behind Scary Movie 3, don’t expect superior results. The movie tames things a little but remains generally crude and unfunny. The unrated Scary Movie 3 tosses out a few more explicit bits cut from the theatrical edition, but it doesn't add laughs. The Blu-ray provides erratic but generally good picture along with pretty positive audio and a nice set of supplements. This is a decent release for a fairly lame flick.
To rate this film, visit the original review of SCARY MOVIE 3