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1941 - Collector's Edition

1941 - Collector's Edition

List Price: $12.98
Your Price: $9.09
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: 1941
Review: Steven Spielberg's overblown comedy is nethertheless a sporadically fun farce set during 1941. When viewed in comparison to other over-the-top comedies in the late 70s and early 80s (The Blues Brothers), it's one of the better ones, yet still dissapointingly glib considering the amount of talent on board. Dan Akroyd and John Belushi are the standout guys, making the whole messy carnage at least sometimes comic. And John William's score fits the film very well. But overall, the action is too loud, the comedy for the most part, is badly timed and goes too far. The main problem is the whole thing is based on the oh-so-wrong assumption that explosions and ferris wheels falling into the sea makes a good comedy. While it has it's moments, it's one of Spielberg's notable flubs. The extras are surprisingly good, with trailers, interviews with Steven Spielberg, Bob Gale, John Milius, Robert Zemeckis, John Williams, and and others, Steven Spielberg' behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes from the movie, storyboards and productions photographs and production notes.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Even Spielberg doesn;t like this movie.
Review: The incredible thing about 1941 was that it was made at all. This movie is so full of jokes and humor that fall as flat as pancakes and it's a wonder that it ever did get made in the first place. Movie audiences did not like it, Universal did not like it, and Steven has gone on record as saying it was among the low points of his movie career. Production problems really hampered this movie and it shows in the finshed version.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Yuks Galore!
Review: Just because the movie is not funny does not make it a bad comedy. It's full of screaming, crashing, and fighting, which more than makes up for the lack of jokes, gags, and humor. John Belushi was funny in Animal House so there you are. The video contains an ample supply of videotape and the packaging will look good with any home decor. If you are the type that buys this movie, you will watch it again and again and howl insanely with laughter! I laughed so hard I began to hemorrhage, and that was just from looking at the cover art! A masterpiece!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: 1941...It's A Mad,Mad,Mad War!
Review: This 1979 WWII comedy spectacle bombed when it first released but its not as bad as its reputation suggests. Steven Spielberg's direction in this movie can be compared to some of the type of direction of today's big budget films (i.e Armageddon). The movie is noteworthy for the fact that it boasts an all-star cast including Tishiro Mifune, Christopher Lee (as a German officer on board the Japanese sub as a guest), stars from SNL, Second City, and stars from tv sitcoms of the 1970's. Also, it's one of the few movies John Belushi did before his untimely death. There are a lot of people screaming, great special effects and stunts, and some outrageous characters. The plot is mainly about a Japanese submarine that is off course, arriving in the L.A. harbor, and causing hysteria among the L.A residences. With that, there are related subplots such as Belushi's Wild Bill Kelso flying an airplane to L.A. and Ned Beatty's Ward Douglas receiving an anti-aircraft gun from the army to be placed on his beachfront backyard. Some standout supporting performances from Bobby Di Cicco as Wally Stephens, an unlisted man whose only joy is to dance in his zoot suit, and Dianne Kay (from TV's EIGHT IS ENOUGH) as his girlfriend. These two (along with Robert Stack as General Stillwell) are the "calm in the hurricane" or the only sane people in this movie. The rest are all too cartoony and over the top. This is the type of movie to watch as background noise if you are doing other things like writing your bills, doing your homework, or surfing the net. You can look up occasionally to catch something for a chuckle or two.
Note: Back in 1979, Dan Ackroyed must have been embarassed by this movie. In movie ads and posters released after this film, his face is removed from the original movie poster and replaced with someone else's face.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It all depends on how you watch it.
Review: I don't care what people say, I love this film. Sure it isn't in the AFI100. It won't make the AFI 200 either. But I love it. The performances of Aykroyd, Belushi, Pickens, Beatty, and others are just soo funny. The movie has so many lines that are just stuck in my head. The problem in all these reviews is how you compare it to other films. Comedy films to be exact. People have different tastes about things. I hate all of Adam Sandler's movies but some people swear by him. I would rank 1941 as a hidden gem in the same class as Airplane, Blues Brothers, Fletch, and Volunteers.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A film that should die in infamy
Review: Steven Spielberg is a true american treasure. As a student of film, he has created many of the most loved pieces of cinema to date in several different genres. Broad comedy is not his strongsuit. And that is where 1941 suffers. Following a funny self-homage to JAWS, the sufficient storyline kicks in. But scattered throughout the story are comic elements that are below the adult sensibility required to be appreciative of the effort. Filled with brash, boisterous screaming, the film is as big and loud as it can be. It shook my subwoofer more than the T-Rex in JURASSIC PARK. I won't pretend that the film does not have some funny moments and much of the film is choreographed well, but, given the choice its the last (maybe second to last) Spielberg film to hit my television. I would give the film a 2 star rating but the great extras on the DVD and a sufficent widescreen transfer bring it up a notch.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A thirty million dollar clinker
Review: Every film maker, at some point, has a big flop in his time. Some of them have more, many more. Steven Spielberg is lucky to have had only two of them.

That said, however, "1941" is still not a very good film. This is the only film of Spielberg's (aside from the equally bloated HOOK) that I could do without in my video collection. It is loosely based on a wave of war hysteria that broke out in Los Angeles when a Japanese sub was spotted off the coast (an event that actually took place in February 1942; the story backdates it to a week after the Pearl Harbor attack).

Starting from a (presumably) hysterically funny screenplay by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale (who would later do BACK TO THE FUTURE), with help from right-wing gung-ho schlockmeister John Milius, Spielberg assembled a huge cast of stars: Dan Aykroyd, Ned Beatty, John Belushi, John Candy, Nancy Allen, Tim Matheson, Treat Williams, Robert Stack, Warren Oates, Slim Pickens, Lionel Stander, Dub Taylor, and many, many more. He also got a first-rate technical crew with him, which resulted in "1941" picking up three Oscar nominations. And there are certainly explosions, sight gags, jitterbug dances, facial mugging, and fight scenes by the score.

The problem, however, is that very little of it is actually FUNNY. Isn't that what comedy is supposed to be?! A lot of other reviewers here said that they laughed their heads off. I won't dissuade them from feeling that way, but all I can say is that I didn't. This wasn't an out-and-out laugh riot like AIRPLANE!; and if it was intended to be a political satire, it fell way short of the mark. There are laughs in it, but it never manages to be consistently funny from start to finish.

John Williams' unusually jaunty music score is the best thing about "1941". Other than that, however, this is a thirty million dollar clinker, one that thankfully Spielberg bounced back from.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lots of fun
Review: 1941... if I had a time machine I would love to see how it really was.

The movie is awesome; a lot of know talent and "legends" of our time. Absolutely funny from the moment it starts to the end.

As I understand, unfortunately this one was not very popular when it came out. I have invited friends and family to watch it and they have walked away laughing at all the silliness.

For a few good laughs, I highly recommend this one!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: LM's reveiw.
Review: I think the movie has mostly jokes 4 people over the age of 12! im over that age so im mature enough. 11 and under probobly wouldnt understand most of the jokes. But overall i thought the movie was funny, amusing, and historical! Well? sort of? Anyway i hope u enjoy this movie as much as i did!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: FUNNY!
Review: I just rented this movie the other day and loved it. It has tons of big name actors in it. Belushi, Akroyd, J. Candy, etc. It is a great movie with tons of laughs. Belushi portrays Wild Bill Kelso perfectly and the DVD is great. The only problem I had with this movie is that it goes on a little longer than it should have. Other than that it is a great movie for everyone in your home.


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