DVD Corner

St. Elmo’s Fire 4K UHD Review

“St. Elmo’s Fire” is a quintessential Brat Pack movie. 

Written by Joel Schumacher and Carl Kurlander, 1985’s “St. Elmo’s Fire” is a coming-of-age story about 7 recent Georgetown graduate friends (Kirby, Wendy, Billy, Alec, Kevin, Jules and Leslie) as they attempt to navigate life after college. As much as this tight-knit group of friends want things to remain the same, they can’t. Billy becomes a reckless and irresponsible father/husband who can’t hold down a job, Wendy is in love with the married Billy and is trying to work as a social worker much to the chagrin of her wealthy family, Alec is working for a Republican Senator and cheats on his girlfriend Leslie, Leslie gets caught in a love triangle and is unsure of what to do about it, Kevin is a loner writer in love with Leslie, Kirby is a waiter/wannabe lawyer in love with a hospital intern, and Jules is a cocaine addicted banker who likes to live classy.

Directed by the late Joel Schumacher (best known for titles like “Batman Forever” and 2004’s “The Phantom Of The Opera”), “St. Elmo’s Fire” is one of the seminal Brat Pack films. It’s a coming-of-age drama that focuses on flawed and dysfunctional young people that learn life lessons the hard way. Some of the material of this very 80’s film has not aged well (more on that in a bit), but it remains a potent story about friendship, growth, and change. It was certainly a film of its time. Let’s be real though, the title song by John Parr is better than the actual movie. 

As mentioned above, there are elements of ‘Fire’ that don’t sit well. Kirby’s downright creepy stalker behavior towards Dale is unnerving and it’s odd that Dale doesn’t seem at all bothered by it. The so-called “friends” are constantly snooping about each other’s sexuality or sexual activity to an uncomfortable degree. Billy’s out of control behavior is shrugged off at times. Apparently a DUI car wreck is no big deal? Also, the writers seem to dwell a bit too much on making these characters tortured souls. It makes sense for these characters to go through a journey and to learn to become mature (and perhaps better friends), but it’s a bit too punishing at times. 

The cast featuring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Mare Winningham and Andie MacDowell is star studded to say the least. Everyone gets their moment to shine, but Rob Lowe’s Billy has the deepest character to work with here and, as a result, is able to give perhaps the film’s finest performance. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.40:1 2160p. How does it look? Fans can expect a respectably glossy new transfer.

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? An Atmos track for ‘Fire’ was unexpected, but the track certainly does not disappoint with its layered audio.

Extras:
* Theatrical trailer
* Commentary by director Joel Schumacher
* Digital copy
* 16 minutes of deleted scenes
* A music video for John Parr’s “Man In Motion.”
* Vintage making of featurette.
* Archival interview with Joel Schumacher who discusses different facets of “St. Elmo’s Fire” from the filmmaking to the storytelling.

July 4, 2025 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | 80's Movie, Brat Pack, Coming Of Age Movie, Demi Moore, Joel Schumacher, Rob Lowe, St. Elmo's Fire 4K UHD Review