Weird Science - John Hughes takes on the problems of adolescents with absurd, charming comedy

Gary and Wyatt are two unpopular teenagers who have a hard time finding a girlfriend. They keep an eye on their classmates Deb and Hilly, but those have already flirted with the two idiots Ian and Max. After watching Frankenstein, the two get an idea. On Wyatt's computer, they create a dream woman who makes the leap from the virtual to the real world. They give her the name Lisa and have no idea that she will cause quite a bit of chaos. For example, Gary gets completely drunk during a bar visit, a house party gets out of control when a gang of rockers shows up and Wyatt's hated brother Chet is turned into a turd.

After Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, director John Hughes deals with the worries and needs of adolescents again in Weird Science. In his first two films, serious scenes alternate with humorous moments, and in Weird Science, said weirdness reigns supreme. The film is a wild genre mix with horror/sci-fi influences and at times wonderfully absurd moments, be it when Chet is turned into a giant turd, a nuclear missile bursts out of the ground or a group of post-apocalyptic rockers show up at the party. The soundtrack has been carefully chosen once again and with Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith there are two likeable leading actors. A clever move was to cast the model Kelly LeBrock as Lisa, who not only turns the heads of the boys but also of the audience. Bill Paxton as asshole brother Chet and Vernon Wells, who repeats his role from Mad Max II, are two amusing side notes. Weird Science may not be John Hughes' best movie, but because of its easy-going style and unpredictability it is a lot of fun.

Arrow Video's Blu-ray features three different versions of Weird Science

There are three different versions of the film on the UK Blu-ray by Arrow Video. One is the well-known theatrical version, the others are the extended edition and the US TV version. For the TV version, a few too spicy moments were removed and swear words were exchanged in various dialogues. This even goes so far that the name of God was not allowed to be used as an exclamation or in combination with a curse. Probably due to licensing problems, the music in the TV version was exchanged in two places.

Affected is the scene in the department store as "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Van Halen and the last scene in which the "Rocky" theme song is heard. In the TV version you hear the title song "Weird Science" by Oingo Boingo instead. To compensate for the cuts, two scenes were integrated into the film. Right at the beginning, you can see Gary and Wyatt watching the movie Frankenstein while they are preparing ready meals. In a later scene, several nerd friends of Wyatt and Gary appear. They talk to Lisa at the door and are finally let in for the party. Exactly these two scenes were re-integrated into the extended edition, so that you get the longest possible cut of the movie. Granted, the two new scenes don't contribute much to the movie and are actually more likely to be seen as filler material. There is even a little movie flaw. The scenes from Frankenstein are in black and white in the extended edition, while the boys later watch the movie in color. Still, it's nice that you get the chance to see them integrated into the movie.

Apart from the three versions, the Blu-ray also contains extensive bonus material from interviews and even a cut comparison between the theatrical and TV version. The picture quality is much better than the old Blu-ray from Universal. Fans of the film can therefore grab it without hesitation.

The theatrical version was compared to the extended edition.

Runtimes:

Theatrical version: 94:00 min.
TV version: 94:06 min.
Extended edition: 96:36 min.

[00:03:48][00:03:46]

Wyatt and Gary watch the beginning of Frankenstein with Boris Karloff. Neither of them finds the film particularly frightening.

Wyatt: "You know, this isn't very scary, Gary. I Spit on Your Grave is scary. This is, um... It's very mild. It's timid, you know. The old stuff is more funny than scary. I believe the word is camp. It's campy."
Gary: "You ever see Dawn of the Dead? Dawn of the Dead scared me. It really scared me. I slept with my parents for a week, OK? I had to call my grandmother in the night to discuss my childhood with her for three hours. I was really petrified."

They continue watching the film on a smaller screen in the kitchen while they prepare popcorn.

Gary: "That would've been so much cooler if Dr. Frankenstein had made a girl. Don't burn the butter, alright? Ticks me off. I mean... I personally would've made a girl, you know."
Wyatt: "They did make a girl, "The Bride of Frankenstein. I think it was released in 35."
Gary: "It was 34, alright? She was a scag, Wyatt, she had, like, electric hair."
Wyatt: "If they made her beautiful, she wouldn't go out with the monster."
Gary: "That's a good point.

Ext: 1:37 min.


[00:46:00][00:47:35]

A group of Gary and Wyatt's friends come to the party on red scooters. They all wear red helmets with lights on them. Lisa welcomes them at the door. They are all amazed and eventually invited to the party.

Lisa: "Hi."
Man: "Did we see you at the mall today?"
Lisa: "Yes."
Man: "Oh, yeah! It's alright.. Um... What are you doing here?"
Lisa: "I'm living here now. I'm Wyatt and Gary's girlfriend."
Man: "No! Ah! Ok... We're Wyatt's friends. Er... can we come to the party or should be just bail?"
People from the party: "Bail!"
Lisa: "No, no, come in, come on."
Man: "Really? Oh, thank you."
Lisa: "Gary and Wyatt are around here someplace."

Ext: 1:01 min.