Wayne's World

Wayne's World on Blu-ray? Schwing! Now, of course that doesn't mean the movie is any cooler—that would be, like, uh, impossible—but it sure does look great. And audio-wise, what may well be the greatest hard rock song ever written (“Wayne's World, Wayne's World, party time, excellent!”) never sounded better. This reissue of director Penelope Spheeris' 1992 film, based on characters created by Saturday Night Live alum Mike Myers (who also co-wrote the script), serves as a welcome reminder of the days when Myers was funny and appealing, as opposed to the smug, self-conscious schlub responsible for the likes of The Love Guru and The Cat in the Hat. Myers' Wayne Campbell and his dim but devoted sidekick Garth Algar (a winning performance by Dana Carvey) host a low-rent, public access cable TV show from the former's Aurora, IL basement—mostly just for jollies, although Wayne dreams of taking it to the big time. Success, in fact, seems imminent when the unctuous Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe) offers to buy the pair out for the princely sum of $5,000 each. But when Wayne gets a load of the smarmy announcer, fake set, and cheesy music—to say nothing of Kane's skeevy moves on the ultra-hot rock singer (Tia Carrere) whom Wayne covets—he's gotta make things right. Wayne's World still boasts considerable charm, as well as some indelible moments, including the classic bit with Wayne, Garth, and their pals head-banging in the car to the strains of Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Bonus features include an audio commentary by Spheeris and a vintage “making-of” featurette. On the whole, this is a most excellent Blu-ray debut and is worthy of recommendation. [Note: Schwing deux! Wayne's World 2 is also newly available on Blu-ray.] (S. Graham)