• Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
• Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
• Region: A (Region-Locked)
  
• Rating: PG
• Run Time: 92 Mins.
• Discs: 2 (1 x Blu-ray + 1 x DVD +Digital Copy)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
• Blu-ray Release Date: July 17th, 2012
• List Price: $39.99

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Overall
[Rating:2.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:2/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

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The Film

[Rating:2/5]

The Three Stooges tells the story of the infamous trio of Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos, Larry (Sean Hayes), and Curly (Will Sasso). Serving as more of a modern take, this latest tale founds the three dimwits on a mission to save their childhood home from foreclosure. Aiming to raise money by any means possible, the three will now have to use their combined intelligence (which I’m sure isn’t THAT high) in hopes of rising enough money. What results is a film that certainly SHOULD be funny; however, is really far from that outside of a few laugh-out-loud moments.

Being a fan of the original Three Stooges series, I had extremely high hopes when (a few years back) it was announced that the likes of Edward Norton, Jim Carrey and numerous others were set to star as the trio. Well, obviously that never came to light and instead other stars were chosen. Scripts and actors went, budgets skyrocketed and studios worried. Me? Well, I still had high hopes for this one being the fan I was. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t ever connect with the actors the Farrelly Brothers ultimately decided on. The real problem with this film is not necessarily the direction, as I caught glimpses of earlier Farrelly Brother films in a few scenes. Nor was it the length as I felt the 92 minute running time was perfect. No, the big issue lies in that none of the jokes were really funny. Instead of the charm and wit the series had, this new version lacks everything that made The Three Stooges famous. No real laugh-out-loud moments (outside of 2-3), instead endless toilet humor and mundane, dry, boring humor. I’m all for gross-out scenes, but they need to have a clever twist to them (like Borat). Chalk this one up as a true disappointment.

Video Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

Shot using 2 different Arricam cameras with Cooke 4 Lenses , this 1:85:1 framed, AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer is fairly solid throughout. Colors are accurate for the most part, but do tend to lean toward the oversaturated realm a bit more than I would have liked. Likewise, contrast levels can suffer as flesh tones/facial close ups do result in our characters look way too tanned (almost like something out of a Miami beach scene). Grain levels are intact, with no real instance of DNR or any other scrubbing tools no videophile likes. The film’s print is also in fine condition, as I didn’t notice any noise, scratches or any issues. While some may like what Fox has done here, I found the overly pumped colors to be distracting, thus resulting in a somewhat decent effort from Fox.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4/5]

Arriving with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, this mix fares better than the aforementioned video transfer. With this being a comedy, dialogue reproduction is key. Luckily, dialogue is spot on throughout with no instance of drop out. Akin to the original series, every ‘bonk’, ‘bump’, and ‘thud’ are present here, something which fans of the series will definitely appreciate. Atmosphere can be impressive at times, as background action like that of dialogue or a car passing by do help to create a sense of an active sound field. The score by John Debney does mix well with the old school effects, also adding in a bit of low-end here and there. All in all, this is a good effort from Fox.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:2/5]

The included supplements are presented in High Definition:

• Deleted/Extended Scenes – Here we’re presented with 9:29 worth of trimmed scenes, here shown in their entirety.
• What’s the Big Idea? A History of The Three Stooges – Running 10:39, this is an interview with the Farrelly Bros as they speak on what prompted them to make this film.
• Knuckleheads: Behind the Scenes of The Three Stooges – This is a 5:11 behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, mixed in with film footage.
• Did You Hear That? The Three Stooges Sound Effects – A 4:11 feature on the mixing of modern sound effects with the old school Stooge sounds.
• Poifect! Casting The Three Stooges – At 9:12 in length, this features the main Three Stooges speaking on how they got their respective roles.
• The Three Stooges Mash-up – 3:10 worth of laughs.
• Original Screen Test – 4:06 worth of original screen tests.
• DVD – A DVD of the film is included on a separate disc.
• Digital Copy – A Digital Copy is included, playable in iTunes and other Media Options.

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:2.5/5]

I had high hopes for this version of The Three Stooges. Unfortunately, the 2012 version lacks any of the charm, or wit the original series had. Faring better is Fox’s Blu-ray for the film with a decent video transfer, good audio and a series of features. I do suppose if you’re a fan of this remake, it’d be best for you to add this to your collection. Otherwise, fire up the oldies once more.

Additional Screen Captures

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Purchase The Three Stooges on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Pack at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]

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