Fuller House: The Complete First Season - DVD Review (Legacy)

Michael Scott

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Fuller House: The Complete First Season

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Movie: :3.5stars:
Video: :4stars:
Audio: :4stars:
Extras:
Final Score: :3.5stars:



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Movie


As always, This is another "Legacy" review. Meaning a review that was done by myself in the past, just not on this site and is being ported over as of now

The late 80s and 90s had the best sitcoms of all time, in my humble opinion. “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, “Family Matters”, “Step by Step”, “The Nanny”, and of course, “Full House”. No 80s kid growing up in the 90s missed any of those show, and I still have a weakness for watching the re-runs during the week on Cable TV to this day. They had that family oriented viewing that deviated from the classic “Leave to Beaver” era and delved into more adult situations without becoming raunchy or sleazy in the slightest. DVD has brought MOST of those shows to home video (we’re still impatiently waiting for “Step by Step” and “Family Matters” had to be finished with Warner’s MOD lineup), but in the last few years we’ve started seeing revivals of classic shows and movie concepts thanks to the new marketing of Netflix and Amazon originals. A few years ago I laughed at the idea of Netflix actually producing their own content (especially with the debacle that was “Hemlock Grove”), but somehow the DVD rental business turned media streaming giant has pulled off DOZENS of original content shows and movies with a never increasing appetite for more. Now combine that childhood love of “Full House” with Netflix’s leveraging power and we get a revival that is over 20 years in the making with “Fuller House”.

It’s been 20+ years since “Full House” signed off the air, and it’s been 20 years for DJ (Candice Cameron Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), Joey (David Coulier), Becky (Lori Loughlin), Jesse (John Stamos), Danny (Bog Saget) and the rest of the crew as well. The show opens up with a pilot episode giving honor to all the original cast members (excluding Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen who declined to the do the show. A fact that is lampooned with a wink and a nod to the audience in this episode) as the famous “full” house is about to get sold. Danny Tanner is moving off to star on his own morning show with Beck, while Joey is racking up the laughs in Vegas with his own comedy act. Jessie is making his own music and tagging along with Becky (finally got married of course) and the kids are now grownups. DJ is limping along after her fire fighter husband dies, leaving her with three kids. In an act of generosity Danny decides to NOT sell their childhood home and instead allows DJ to live there as long as she likes and is able to get back on her feet.

Well this has ALWAYS been a house that is packed to the gills with people, and DJ with her two kids isn’t going to cut it. DJ’s sister Stephanie is back from England and decides that it’s time she do her due diligence and help out DJ get back on her feet, and of course Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber, reprising her classic role as her first acting gig since the show ended) and her daughter Ramona (Soni Bringas) make for three semi-respectable adults living in a house full of kids (sound familiar?).
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I will be the first to tell you that I was NOT expecting good to come out of this revival at all, let alone a successful 2nd season and a 3rd on the way. Netflix has proven itself to get some competent stuff, but let’s face it. Nostalgia is usually nostalgia for a reason. I LOVE the original “Full House” series, but lightning rarely (if ever) strikes twice. Well, lightning hasn’t struck in the same place twice, but it has done a pretty good job of reviving a show that I thought was a train wreck of an idea. The show feels very similar in tone and feel to the original (mimicking the show’s premise in fact), but also rather different and updated. Created by the original show’s Jeff Franklin, “Fuller House” rolls with the punches and has fun teasing and lampooning certain parts of the cast and character’s past while adding in new themes and plot lines to push it forward. Much of the success comes from getting back nearly ALL the original cast to reprise their roles. Danny, Joey, Becky, and Jesse only make limited appearances, but they make the most out of them by at least making them recurring. However, DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy were always big hits back in the 90s and they work well together after 20 years of downtime.

My biggest fear was that the new kids were going to try and emulate the old “feel” too much and not have enough personality, and that is sadly true for the first few episodes. The growing pains where everyone finds their groove is a bit rough for about the first 3 or 4 episodes, but then they start growing on you a bit more. Kimmy Gibbler has always been a great side character, but I was REALLY worried about her jumping up to lead character in “Fuller House”, but ironically her subplots end up being the more entertaining of the season, especially her on again/off again romance with ex-husband Fernando (Juan Pablo Di Pace), and DJ’s romance with her new co-worker (played by John Brotherton) and old flame Steve Hale (Scott Weigner, also reprising his role from “Full House”) is one of the weaker elements.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video: :4stars:
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“Fuller House” comes out on 2 DVD-9 dual layer discs with 7 episodes on the first disc, and 6 on the subsequent one. The series has naturally gotten an upgrade to 1.78:1 framing, and the image looks quite solid for a sitcom. The old set pieces are used once again and the slightly cramped quarters of the 2 story house are used for a majority of the show, so the same honey colored warmth is present to the look and feel, along with impressive fine detailing. Everything is perfectly legible and clean at all times, with strong reds and blues, with a hint of amber coming through in facial tones. Black levels are strong, but never overly inky, and artifacting is nearly nonexistent for the Netflix original show.






Audio: :4stars:
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Same as the video, the 5.1 Dolby Digital audio track is more than capable of handling the Sitcom’s needs. Like most sitcoms, the track is decidedly front heavy with a majority of the heavy lifting being taken over by the center channel and the mains due to a dialog centric series. Vocals are crisp and clean, never out of balance with the laugh tracks and score, while allowing for some good pans across the mains with simple walks across the room etc. the surrounds aren't used a WHOLE lot, but they do come into play with the score and the before mentioned laugh tracks, and the LFE is much the same. It’s mostly used for background support with the music (ironically the heaviest amount of bass is in the beginning episode credits). The 5.1 mix isn’t a jaw dropper, but it handles everything the show throws at it with equal aplomb.









Extras:
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• nothing








Final Score: :3.5stars:


“Fuller House” doesn’t break any new ground, but it is a surprisingly cute show that grows on you the more you watch it. The first season is naturally the weakest of the two seasons out so far (season 2 matures quite a bit), but it is a fun little show that doesn’t overstay its welcome with too many episodes, and creates some fun new characters to harmonize with the plethora of a classic 90s characters that did such a great job reprising the same roles 20 years later. Warner’s 2 Disc DVD edition sports good audio and video, but sadly is bare as a cleanly eaten bone for special features. Definitely a fun watch.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Candice Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber
Created by: Jeff Franklin
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Mpeg2
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 359 Minutes
DVD Release Date: February 28th, 2017






Recommendation: Fun Watch

 
Last edited:

tripplej

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Thanks for the review. Enjoyed the original series.. Haven't seen this one yet.. Will check it out. :)
 

Todd Anderson

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Spent many useless hours frying my brain with the original series... :sad:. I guess I realized this had been released by Netflix... but not two seasons!
 

Michael Scott

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season 3 drops one week from today too ;)
 

Todd Anderson

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THREE seasons????
 

Michael Scott

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and I believe season 4 is contracted
 

tripplej

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Wow, they are doing well. :)
 

Michael Scott

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they seem to be getting good responses. it's a solid show.
 
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