Purple Rain (HD DVD)

Warner | 114 minutes | 1984 | R | Directed by: Albert Magnoli |
HD DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

The Kid (Prince) has dreams of being a rock star, taking the stage and dazzling a massive audience with his performances. He has talent to be sure, but his problems at home often pose a threat to his musical career. His father is an abusive man with a short temper, who isn't beyond physical violence at a moment's notice. The fights heard from The Kid's room in the basement are loud and explosive, as his father beats down his mother. When this all bears down on him, The Kid has to escape to a safer, more sane place. Inside of his music is the only place he can hide, because he can let his performance speak for itself. So when he needs to release some pressure, he heads downtown and takes over the Minneapolis music scene. In fact, he and his band are one of the main attractions in the music scene, so his career has real potential. The crowds turn out in huge numbers to see The Kid perform his musical magic. He has burned some bridges, thanks to his temper and obsession over his music, but his musical genius keeps his band in place. He soon meets the potential woman of his dreams, but his bad attitude lands him in trouble and not long after, she moves into the arms of his rival, Morris Day. Can The Kid manage to put his life back together and make it big, or has he let his chance slip through his fingers?

Purple Rain isn't so much a motion picture, instead is plays like an extended music video with a passable storyline. As a cinematic 80s rock musical, Purple Rain is solid and is a time capsule of the time period. Prince is at the pinnacle of his fame here, before he renamed himself after a symbol and turned to sexually graphic material. In Purple Rain, he performs to the best of his abilities and even shines at times. He doesn't have to act much though, most of his screen time is spent on stage in his own musical element. This was a wise choice however, as it allows to him to showcase his talents, but doesn't detract from the movie itself. So for rock musical fans, Purple Rain is a passable movie in all respects. But as a standard motion picture, Purple Rain is laughable and stands as an example of why most musicians should stick to music. Prince is a poor actor and struggles with even basic lines and situations here, especially his sex scenes. That adds up some to decent camp value, but if taken at face value, Purple Rain is a joke. The plot is paper thin, the performances are lackluster, and the polish isn't that impressive. But the music is good and in truth, that is the main draw here, with Prince and his "rival" Morris Day involved. Warner's HD-DVD has all the extras from before, plus an improved transfer, so an upgrade is a natural choice for fans.

Purple Rain is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This movie has always looked overly dark and that trend continues here, but its hard to blame this transfer. At times, the visuals fall into an abyss of sorts, sometimes with a glimmer of detail, others in total darkness. This has been true of the film in every incarnation however, so at least with the increased resolution, what little detail can be seen, is seen. But most of the scenes look quite good here, with good detail presence and a bright, crisp overall presence, so fans should be pleased. As I said, the darker scenes are troublesome, but on the whole this is a nice improvement and I think fans will be satisfied.

I had high hopes in this department, as I figured the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 would spice up the audio, but sadly, this isn't much of an improvement. I suppose most of the blame lies with the source, as you can only do so much, but still, I was let down. I did notice a minor amount of increased presence over the Dolby Digital 5.1 option from the standard release, but not the kind of leap we've come to expect. Even so, I think this is as good as the material can sound and so I don't want to be overly harsh. The music sounds great, as expected and dialogue is clear at all times. Not a revelation, but a solid soundtrack nonetheless. This disc also includes a Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 option, as well as subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.

All of the supplements from the standard Special Edition have returned, so fans can ditch the old version without even a moment of hesitation. A commentary track is first, with director Albert Magnoli, producer Robert Cavallo, and cinematographer Donald E. Thorin. This proves to be a decent session, but I wasn't that impressed. Even with three participants, there was a lot of silence and not a lot of real insight was offered. A trio of featurettes is next, one that looks at the club where Prince got his start, another on the film's cultural influence, and a half hour behind the scenes piece. As Prince is absent from the featurettes, none provide a close to comprehensive perspective. This disc also includes the original broadcast of MTV's premiere party, as well as eight of Prince's most popular music videos.