Search - Brat Pack Collection (The Breakfast Club/ Sixteen Candles/ Weird Science) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 3/26/2024...

Sixteen Candles - A John Hughes classic! Lots of young stars that you know! A must watch!

Where are the extras?

daria_m | Houston, Texas United States | 08/28/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don't get me wrong: I'm grateful to see that these three great 80's flicks directed by teen movie director extraordinare John Hughes have FINALLY been remastered in Dolby 5.1 and DTS. And the sound is great...I watched "Weird Science" and could really tell the difference. But why couldn't there by any special features on these discs? All we get is the original trailer and some rental suggestions. Why couldn't Hughes offer commentary on these movies? After all, he provided a really interesting one for "Ferris Bueller's Day Off. There MUST be some great stories behind the making of these movies; why won't he tell them? Also, I know there was an E! True Hollywood Story featuring the journey behind "Sixteen Candles." Why couldn't that be included? Why not have cast biographies and filmographies at least? That's easy enough!Since I adore all three films and the sound remastering is incredible, I will rate this set four stars. But not adding any special features to really separate this new box set from the lackluster original DVD versions....what a shame!"

The best these 3 movies have looked in a long time!

William | Australia | 09/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here is some great news! The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, & Weird Science have just been re-released on DVD in remastered style after very disappointing DVD transfers in the late 90's.The Renunion collection allows purchasers the chance to buy all three DVD's in a package deal. It makes sense to do this because it is cheaper than buying them separately. In fact, you practically get one for free! A friend of mine bought the package as soon as it was released. I think it will sell out, so hop to it!Each title has been remastered although they are not perfect. Still, considering the age of these films, they look very pleasing.All three are now 16:9 enhanced which is a blessing, no more large black bars top and bottom which plagued the 1998 DVD of "Breakfast Club" (for example).Even better news for purists, is that the original soundtracks have been reinstated into the films. This is denoted on each separate cover, and is an important factor. for too long we have had to put up with altered soundtracks. Sixteen Candles soundtrack was butchered so bad that the film lost its spark. Well no more with this release.The DVD's boast a DTS soundtrack for each movie. Sorry, but it's nothing to write home about! In the case of "Breakfast Club", the opening song "Don't you forget about me" still sounds very lame and mono as it did on the previous DVD release! The same applies for portions of "sixteen Candles". DTS can be a bit of a gimmick as demonstrated by all three DVD's. Don't be fooled in this regard. Extras? Sorry to report that Universal have decided not to include extras on any on any of the dics (except for trailers). This is a shame because this is what DVD's are all about. I can only assume that this is because DTS soundtracks take up considerable disc space. What I would have liked is some deleted scenes or alternate scenes which do exist. For example, the TV version of "breakfast Club" is different to the DVD version, it contains several different scenes. Overall, there was approximately 4 hours of footage taken from Breakfast Club so to get some of this as an added special feature would have been nice Universal!!! There are also alternate scenes out there for "Sixteen Candles" but you dont get to see them on this DVD.Despite these let-downs, you must order this package deal because it's the best the films have looked in a long time. Plus the original soundtracks have been reinstated. Another reason is that they will go out of stock for sure. I've been watching my friends copy, and mine is on the way!!! Cannot wait."

Mostly Great Collection

belvis | renton, washington | 01/30/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I think we should all just pretend that John Hughes died tragically in 1990, shortly after working on the brilliant "Uncle Buck." He was not at all involved in such films as "Baby's Day Out" or "Home Alone 3." He did, however, make several great movies in the 1980s, including "Sixteen Candles," "The Breakfast Club," and "Weird Science," the films enclosed in this lovely collection.



A lot of people have been very critical of the inclusion of "Weird Science" in this collection, but I am not one of them. It's true that this is not really a Brat Pack movie, but it is a John Hughes '80s film, and it is great. It's also the third movie he directed. "The Breakfast Club" is the second. "Sixteen Candles" is the first. So, basically, this collection gives us the first three classics that John Hughes brought us, so I don't see the problem.



"Sixteen Candles" (1984): This will always be my favorite of the John Hughes movies. It's a bonafide classic of the '80s with wonderful performances from Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. This is my favorite because it's really funny (Long Duk Dong especially, and Anthony Michael Hall's team of geeks) but also sorta touching. Anyone can identify with Samantha Baker's sadness, and how she doesn't really know why she's sad, just that she is sad. That's really quite touching, in my opinion. There are some great scenes, like the one between Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall in the shop room, or when Molly Ringwald and her dad (Paul Dooley, recently on "Desperate Housewives") have a nice conversation at night in the living room. It's scenes like this that make the movie truly great, more so than other teen movies.



"The Breakfast Club" (1985): While not my favorite of the John Hughes films, this is also a classic and quite possibly the most famous of his work. I'm a sophomore in high school, and I still hear people talking about this one all the time, which proves just how enduring and timeless the work of John Hughes really is. This movie is a wonderful ensemble with great work from Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, and especially Judd Nelson. Also, Paul Gleason is the perfect jackass. Great '80s fun with plenty of touching moments and a wonderful ending.



"Weird Science" (1985): This is just plain wacky fun. It's different in style from the other two films in this collection, but I love it just as much. It's crazy and wild and out of control and it's just great. Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan-Mitchell Smith make the perfect geeks, and Kelly LeBrock is so wonderfully sexy. A noteable part of this movie is the incredible Oingo Boingo theme song, "Weird Science," which is just about the coolest song ever.



So, what about this set? It should be noted that the three disks in this collection are the same three disks from the previously released "High School Reunion Collection," and even come with an ad for that collection. The quality is great. The movies are all remastered in anamorphic widescreen and look beautiful. The cool thing is that "Sixteen Candles" and "Weird Science" come with their original theatrical soundtracks and not the changed VHS soundtracks, which is really nice.



The thing that makes this collection distictive is definately the gorgeous binder package. Looking at the above picture is not the same as really seeing it. This is just a beautiful piece of art. It really is a binder, with clasps and everything, and the movies enclosed in little slips on the clasps. It's truly lovely and looks very noteable on the shelf.



This set also comes with an extra CD featuring eight great '80s songs, including "True" (Spandau Ballet), "If You Leave" (Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark), "Weird Science" (Oingo Boingo), "Oh Yeah" (Yello)," and "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (Simple Minds). This set is definately worth buying for this CD. I listen to it all the time. I love these songs, so much, and each one is good, although my favorite is by far "If You Leave," followed closely by "Weird Science." Trust me, if you get this set, you'll find yourself listening to this CD all the time. It's just great.



So, the only thing that this set lacks is special features. I for one was very dissapointed to see that none of the deleted scenes from the TV versions of the film made it here. All three have some footage that can only be seen on TV, but Universal was not generous enough to bestow it upon us, which is a shame. Basically, there's nothing here in the way of special features, except for trailers on "The Breakfast Club" and "Weird Science." So, if you're into special feautres, you'll be severely dissapointed.



However, aside from that, this set is great. All three movies are '80s classics, and they're presented with their original soundtracks, in a lovely special case, with a wonderful music disk. How can you say no? Recommended."