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Flashdance Blu-ray Review

“Flashdance” is flawed, but entertaining.

In 1983’s “Flashdance,” the story revolves around the self-sufficient 18 year old Alex who is a welder by day and an exotic dancer by night. Alex desperately wants to attend a prestigious dance academy, but doesn’t feel like she would fit in as she lacks experience. While she tries to figure things out, she begins to fall for her boss Nick who changes her world. Elsewhere in the film, there are stories about her friends Jeanie (a wannabe ice skater) and Richie (a cook and wannabe comedian).

Director Adrian Lyne’s “Flashdance” is quite the outlier among cinematic hits. It’s a sexy R rated romantic drama musical dance movie. To say this movie would never be made today is an understatement as it would be deemed far too risky. Back in the 80s, however, the Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer produced movie defied the odds and became a smash hit. Of course, a lot of that was due to the sex appeal and the now iconic soundtrack featuring earworms like “Maniac,” “Lady, Lady, Lady,” and “Flashdance…What A Feeling.” It’s not a stretch to say that the music is more memorable than the film itself. 

From a story perspective, “Flashdance” is nothing special. It’s a pretty average drama that includes an eye rolling romance and stories about going after your dreams. The script by Tom Hedley and Joe Eszterhas contains far too many side stories, montages, and subplots in my book. While we do get to learn about Alex’s inner circle, did we need to learn about Richie and Jeanie’s life story and have a plot involving a seedy rival club owner? If anything, these elements clutter up the movie and detract from Alex’s story. In fact, it takes far too long for Alex’s story to actually advance. Honestly, I would say “Flashdance” is a movie of moments. The songs, the elaborate stage dances, the inspiring climactic audition. Those are the moments that stick with you.

Obviously, Jennifer Beals is another reason the movie works as well as it does. It’s amazing this is her first starring role as she has such a screen presence whether she’s dancing or bonding with Nick.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? “Flashdance” has been remastered from a 4K film transfer  and the result is a nice upgrade.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? A quality track that really comes to life when the music is blasting. 

Extras:
* “Flashdance” theatrical trailer
* “Releasing The Flashdance Phenomenon”- A retrospective extra featuring interviews, discussions about the project and its release and reception.
* “The Look Of Flashdance”- A featurette about the visual style.
* “Filmmaker Focus”- Director Adrian Lyne talks about making “Flashdance”

May 10, 2020 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | 80s Movie, Dancing Movie, Flashdance Blu-ray Review, Flashdance Movie, Flashdance Soundtrack, Jennifer Beals, Maniac Song, Paramount Presents, What A Feeling Song