Caffeinated Clint
By Clint Morris
Disney’s modern-day answer to the “Benji” franchise continues with the meekly entertaining “Spooky Buddies”.
This time, the pooches team with a ghost (a friendly one, much like Casper – of course) and new friends Pip, Zelda, Rodney and Skip to stop an evil-doer named Warwick the Warlock from destroying the world. And yes, the unfussy 2-and-a-half-year old hiding inside me was eager to see what happened next.
Whereas most of the ”Bud” and ”Buddies” movies – dating way back to the original ”Air Bud”, which was actually quite a good movie – have played out on the sports field or some sort of far-reaching canvas (like the North pole), ”Spooky Buddies” takes place primarily in a haunted house; the change of locale is the only fresh thing about it though.
Rent the kids the first “Air Bud”, I guarantee they’ll even find it more value than this one.
DVD/Blu-ray Combo Details and Extras :
Not surprising, being that it’s essentially come straight from a warm DVC, “Spooky Buddies” looks and sounds a treat on Blu-ray; thing is, there’s such a thing as looking too good, in that too much detail can expose a film’s otherwise unseen flaws. In this case, it’s the dodgy special effects and cheap stunts that are exposed in all their glory thanks to a sharp-looking print that doesn’t do the low-budget production any favours.
The special features include – and these are extras aimed squarely at the anklebiters, obviously – a music video (‘Monster Mash’), a couple of featurettes (including a preview of the next ‘Buddies’ movie which, sadly, isn’t “F*ck Buddies”) and a behind-the-scenes tour hosted by a dog (No, Lindsay Lohan hasn’t sunk this low; a real K-9 hosts this bit).
Set comes complete with a Blu-ray and DVD. Great barkin’ value, right!?
