MovieFreak.com - Popeye DVD Review

"Maybe you swabs can pool your intelligensk and sees that I'm axking you for an apologeky." – Popeye

The legendary, beloved anvil-armed sailor of the seven seas comes magically to life in this delightful musical, starring Robin Williams as Popeye, who meets all challenges with the unshakable philosophy, "I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam." Shelley Duvall is Popeye’s devoted long-limbed sweetie, Olive Oyl, one of the familiar and loveable characters who joins Popeye in his adventures in the harbor town of Sweethaven.

Robert Altman’s Popeye is essentially a musical version of the famous cartoon/comic strip by E.C. Segar. Well, little did I know that I would be watching a musical. On the other hand, I didn’t know South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut turned out to be a musical version of the Comedy Central cartoon either. There is no comparison between these two films, except that both include some really good moments and song lyrics.

Produced by Robert Evans and written by Jules Feiffer, Popeye is a pretty straight-forward film. Structurally, Popeye works well, even though it moves a little too slow. Story wise, it’s a little thin but fills two hours of entertainment in a decent, fashionable way. The film takes place in the harbor town of Sweethaven, a place where anything you do or say is subject to taxation—some of the reasons are simply hilarious—although nothing much else is going on. This changes when Popeye arrives in town and starts to shake up the place. He brushes off the tax collector, fights off a gang of bar regulars, angers Brutus (Paul L. Smith), woos the talkative and love-of-the-town Olive Oyl, cares for the little baby Swee’Pea, and, most important of all, searches for his long-lost father (Ray Walston)—all the while he remains true to himself, "I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam."

Aside from the story, Popeye carries some interesting production value. Sweethaven is essentially one huge set, an amazing feat accomplished by the production designer Wolf Kroeger, while the set decorations by Jack Stephens look great. In terms of the creative process, Robert Altman’s direction is interesting, but that’s all really. The real charm comes in the form of Robert Williams, a seemingly perfect choice to play the Sailor man with the spinach can. He’s got the pipe, the accent, and the demeanor of Popeye down very well. There’s also some fine chemistry between him and Shelley Duvall, who is also the perfect choice for Olive Oyl; she’s got the looks, the voice, and the charm, too.

Another creative talent is Harry Nillson, who wrote the music and lyrics. There are many songs in the film and each one is fun to listen to and watch play out on screen. So here is a list of all the songs for reference. "Sweethaven Anthem" by the townspeople, "Blow Me Down" by Popeye, "He’s Large" by Olive, "I’m Mean" by Bluto, "I Yam What I yam" by Popeye, "He Needs Me" by Olive, "Sailin'" by Popeye and Olive, "It’s Not Easy Being Me" by Poopdeck Pappy, and the film’s famous (non-Nillson) song "Popeye the Sailor Man," written by Sam Lerner.

Overall, Popeye offers very decent, somewhat mild entertainment value. It’s not a film for everyone, simply because it’s mostly a musical, and it moves kind of slow. However, that should not deter anyone from giving this flick a try and enjoy the creativity of the song lyrics. Robin Williams is reason alone to watch the film on a Saturday afternoon or whenever.

Paramount presents Popeye in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Considering the film’s age, the print looks very nice in this transfer. Grain and dirt are hardly present, except in a few instances. I didn’t notice any scratches or lines either. The colors are very nice here, but the detail is not exactly flourishing. Dark tones and black levels are pretty good, although there are really only two scenes at night. Overall, this presentation looks real good for its age. It’s certainly a nice upgrade and gives Popeye the quality it most certainly deserves.

Paramount presents Popeye in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The transfer is fairly decent and gives the film a nice, loud voice. Dialog scenes are clear and easy to understand. (By the way, it’s nice to have subtitles available; it make it easiers to understands Popeye’s hiklarious akkcent). Sound effects and musical numbers come across nicely through the front speakers. The rear speakers tend to give off some little noise, but overall the surround usage is limited. This audio presentation is very decent. Popeye is also available in English Dolby Surround.

There are no special features, not even the film’s Theatrical Trailer. You can select to view the film with optional English subtitles. The DVD’s menus are not animated. The 113-minute feature is organized into twelve chapters.

Popeye is essentially a musical, but the songs are enjoyable, as is Robin Williams who is near perfect as the sailor man. Paramount offers some remarkable video and audio presentations considering the age of this film. There are no special features on this disc, which is understandable, but nevertheless a bit disappointing. As a result, Popeye makes a fair rental recommendation for the average viewer. For fans of the character, cartoon, and/or comic strip, the DVD is an easy rental recommendation.

THE MOVIE	7
THE VIDEO	7
THE AUDIO	7
THE EXTRAS	0
OVERALL (not an average)	5.5