Back to the Beach - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Back to the Beach



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Does anyone remember all those beach movies of the 1960s (and some into the early 70s)? Back then Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello were all OVER the screen in those cheesy little 60s flicks. Beach Boys music, surfing all day long, and your typical over the top romances included to boot. Well, in the late 1980s the powers that be decided that it would be fun to bring back Frankie and Annette to do a little satirical stab at the cheesy goofiness of the 60s, having them reprise their roles as themselves in Back to the Beach, but adding in the rebellion of the 1980s and trying to wink and nod at the camera viciously. It was an interesting flick that I vaguely remember from my childhood, but it was also a bit problematic with it’s over the top nature and never really hit the audience market like Paramount had hoped 35 years ago. Luckily it’s come out as the 34th of Paramount’s Paramount Presents 4K remastered films, and gets a nice little upgrade into the world of hi-def.

Frankie and Annette were the big cheese back in the 1960s. Frankie was a teen idol with women falling over themselves to get to him (also a big time surfer nicknamed “The Big Kahuna”) and Annette was a Mouseketeer who influenced girls and boys everywhere in her youth. Now Frankie and Annette are married and have two kids of their own, but have some of the modern problems of 1980s parents. Frankie runs a car dealership and has worked himself to the bone for his family (while simultaneously ignoring them due to over work) and Annette is the stylish and stunning mother who has slightly messed up her kids. Their son Bobby is walking around with Switchblades trying to emulate 80s punks, and their daughter Sandy (a baby Lori Laughlin before Full House) is hooking up with her boyfriend.

To make things a bit better, Frankie decides to surprise the family with a Maui vacation, where they can get back to the beach and back to their old selves. However, things don’t exactly go as planned, with Annette and Frankie getting in a big fight and splitting up, Bobby joins a surf gang, and Lori wants to get married to her boyfriend. All of this sends the idelic family into a tail spin, with Frankie trying to figure out how he can get his family back, and possibly surf in the giant surf competition that’s coming up.

Back to the Beach is intentionally hammy and a bit on the nose. The film very heavily (and very obviously) parades around the idea of making light of those 1960s surf/beach movies and grounding it in the harsh excesses of the 1980s world. However, that is also it’s biggest downside too. The movie tries to skate the line between over the top Brady Bunch dialog and actions, with the heavier cynical side of the 1980s tearing all of that down. A move which may seem brilliant at first, but ends up being a bit goofy, leaving the audience out in the cold. Something which was seen at the box office 35 years ago.

I’m not sure how well the film has aged with audiences, but I found the movie rather amusing, but heavily flawed. I wanted to like it a bit more than I did, but even as a child of the 80s who grew up watching 1960s Beach movies, it just didn’t hit home. It almost feels like the Brady Bunch sequel in that it had all the elements to make a good movie, but nostalgia and original casts alone just can’t recreate the magic.




Rating:

Rated PG by the MPAA




Video:

Whatever you think of the film, the 4K remaster for the flick looks jaw dropping. It’s got a very natural layer of film grain without being overly heavy and in your face, and colors just literally pop off the screen. The opening shots with Frankie selling used cars shows vehicles of all shades and Bobby’s red jeans literally “pop” with some serious depth. When they get to the beach it’s even more sumptuous. Bright shiny sunny days with tons of details everyone and impeccably colored bathing suits. Even darker shots such as night time luau’s showcase some incredible detailing in the shadows. I did notice a few flickers of banding during a few campfire scenes, but overall this is a great transfer.









Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is really solid too. It’s not going to be super flashy, but it really has a nice front sound stage, with tons of music and decent panning effects during the chaotic beach sequences. The dialog is good, but can be a bit boxy at times, and the surrounds really aren’t SUPER intensive. Bass is nice and punchy, but mostly relegated to the musical numbers (and the rumbling of the storm at the end of the movie), but overall this is a very solid sound mix.












Extras:

• Filmmaker Focus with Director Lyndall Hobbs

Final Score: ​

Back to the Beach is a 4th wall breaking, audience in on the gag sort of deconstruction of the 1960s surf/beach movies that is not entirely perfect. It is definitely fun and goofy, but also doesn’t have a whole lot of replayability, even for someone who grew up when those sort of movies were fun. That being said, Paramount’s new 4K remaster for the film is absolutely gorgeous, and the audio track is no slouch either. The only major complaint I can think of for the package is simply that ONE lone extra is a bit weak for the premier line of Paramount 4K mastered titles. But hey, if you grew up with the 1960s flicks, it certainly can be a walk down memory lane.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Lori Loughlin, Tommy Hinkley, Demian Slade, Connie Stevens
Directed by: Lyndall Hobbs
Written by: James Komack, Bill Norton, Bruce Kirschbaum
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG
Runtime: 93 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: August 9th, 2022

Recommendation: Cheesy Watch