Extract – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

Mike Judge might be gifted with the powers of the slow burn, a term I’m sure studios will not savor, but it’s his thing, fortunately or maybe unfortunately. Beavis and Butthead became a cult property for MTV, a slow burn into mainstream knowledge of acceptance, and Office Space dealt with a quick theatrical push, only to slow burn itself into the hearts of everyone who caught it on DVD, and Idiocracy slowly burnt its way into Comedy Central and through the Internet because the studio had no idea what the hell to do with it.

See the pattern?

Financially, that’s a gift that studios don’t want a film maker to have. I’m sure, Mike Judge would appreciate it if his films would make a couple extra bucks too, so he can continue making films of his choosing. Could you imagine him being a “studio guy?” When it comes to Extract he might just get the best of both worlds. It has a great cast: Jason Bateman, Kristin Wiig, J.K. Simmons, Clifton Collins, Jr., and a barely recognizable Ben Affleck, all of which should pique the interest levels of few more people than Office Space did. With that on paper, it should give the studio some marketing ideas, and possibly turn a profit. On the other hand, it’s another slow burn comedy. I feel with repeated viewings, much like Office Space, Extract will again capture people with its oddball charm and humor.

Extract is funny, but not Judd Apatow funny. The jokes are clever, although not as satirical as they were in Office Space. Judge returns to that blue-collar, working-for-the-man theme, much like most of his projects, and while commenting on some interesting heartland work ethics and attitudes, he’s a bit more interested in following Joel (Bateman’s character), who made one wrong decision that seems to get magnified while everything else spirals downward. I suppose Joel is a one-dimensional good guy, but Bateman is really shining here, giving him some pathos next to the laughs.

The film captures an odd tone at times, and it’s not really a laugh-a-minute, but I found myself liking these characters better by the end. I think it could be Judge’s best work in writing characters, mind you, rather than laughs, which still belongs to Office Space. That film will cast a shadow over his career, as all films he does will be compared to it, and it’s unfair to compare these two films. Office Space is more of a parody of office mentality and lingo, while Extract is still very observational, especially in the factory scenes, it feels more like King of the Hill, but less about the workforce, and more about a character arc. Mila Kunis is great, but she’s assigned so little to do, which is the film’s only shame.

I don’t know if Mike Judge will ever have a huge opening weekend film, but his gift of slow burn means that despite dollars or lack there of, his films will be seen, talked about, and passed along to someone else, because of people telling you, you have to see this. Judge, the master of the slow burn. It won’t have the same impact as Office Space, but let me start it off right here, by saying: “Have you ever seen a movie called Extract? No? Well, it has a stoner Ben Affleck, Mila Kunis is smoking hot in it, and man, you just gotta see it…”

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: The audio strong point is the handling of the dialogue, and for a comedy, that’s what we want. So there’s little rear speaker activity and bass. Judge’s films aren’t an audiophile’s dream, so with certain reservations, this DTS audio track is decent for what it needs to do. The picture, unfortunately, is sketchy. Skin tones are a little too orange, textures are sometimes clear, sometimes not, and some odd source damage, makes for a disappointing high def appearance. Fans might want to save money and go get the DVD.

Mike Judge’s Secret Recipe: In HD, this is an eleven minute behind-the-scenes featurette, and for fans of the film and Judge, we get a decent look at the film’s creation.

These next two are Blu-ray exclusives.

Extended Scenes: In SD, here’s some extended scenes from the Bateman/Affleck sequences. They’re okay, nothing too great.

Deleted Scene: A barely 40 second deletion, that isn’t anything of note.

Conclusion:Extract will take its time to find the non-Judge audience, and as for the Blu-ray, I can’t help but be disappointed by the effort here.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: