1982: The Greatest Geek Year Ever! (Collector’s Edition): Blu-Ray Review
Last year, the four-part docuseries 1982: The Greatest Geek Year Ever! aired on The CW. While I never got around to watching it, I truly believe that for science fiction/fantasy, 1982 was truly the best year for film. This week, the folks at MVD are releasing the docuseries in its’ original unedited 164-minute feature length form on Blu-ray, as part of their MVD Rewind Collection. Written by Mark A. Altman and directed by Roger Lay Jr., 1982: TGGYE is very entertaining watch for those of us who grew up in the 80’s. I was 9 years old during that year, so of course, this one feels like it was made just for me.
Sure, it’s really a matter of opinion when it comes to what the greatest year for geek culture cinema is. Different people of different age groups will give you a variety of answers. However, there is no denying the impact that 1982 had on the world when it came to entertainment. When it came to science fiction, we had E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Road Warrior, plus box office disappointments that went on to become some of the biggest cult classics ever, like Blade Runner, John Carpenter’s The Thing & Tron. Stallone gave us Rocky III and First Blood. We got horror classics like Creepshow, Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3-D and Poltergeist. We also saw the godfather of the buddy action-comedy formula, 48 Hours. For fantasy, we got Conan the Barbarian, The Beastmaster and Jim Henson’s bomb-turned classic, The Dark Crystal. We also got a couple of massive high-school comedies in Porky’s and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. While mentioned in the 1982: TGGYE as a failure, I will always stand behind Grease 2, which has gone on to find an audience that truly appreciates it.
1982: TGGYE features a long list of interviews with Ron Howard, Paul Schrader, John Sayles, Amy Heckerling, Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Sean Young, Joanna Cassidy, Keith David, Cameron Crowe, Michael Deeley, Lisa Henson, Dean Devlin, Bruce Campbell, Dee Wallace, Felicia Day, Susan Seidelman, Roger Corman, Barry Bostwick, Marc Singer, Bryan Fuller, Leonard Maltin, Mike Medavoy and more. Even if you don’t agree with 1982 being called the greatest geek year, if you love the films discussed, you are going to most likely find the documentary entertaining. For me, 1982, really shaped my love for cinema.
Bonus Materials:
- High Definition (1080p) presentation of the feature length, unedited main feature in 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
- Audio: English LPCM 5.1 Surround
- Optional English Subtitles
- Audio commentary with Director/Producer Roger Lay, Jr. and Writer/Producer Mark A. Altman
- Audio commentary with Producers Scott Mantz, Thomas P. Vitale & Writer/Producer Mark A. Altman
- Deleted / Extended Scenes (HD, 40:49)
- The Fans Speak: Fans Favorite Films Featurette (HD, 16:51)
- 2022 San Diego Comic-Con Panel (HD, 28:19)
- Trailer
By: Marc Ferman