Review of Manic

Introduction

There are many ways to tell stories of teenage angst and all the problems that ensue in the normal course of growing up. You can think of Manic as a teenage One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and this will give a little idea of what to expect. In my time as a teenager though, John Hughes told fun stories with a teenage element with films like The Breakfast Club and to a lesser extent, Ferris Bueller`s Day Off. These take a less serious stance than the way Manic seems to position itself, but they still got to the point, entertained and when it was over, you could quite comfortably watch them time and again.

Manic attempts to show a raw side to the issues of misunderstood teenagers, especially of the kind that gets you locked up in a psychiatric unit. These alienated kids have a chance to understand, and perhaps redeem themselves.

Video

Presented with a 1.78:1 widescreen enhanced video transfer, Manic was shot entirely on DV so it has characteristics such as low light grain, there`s slight over exposure in places and some image blurring. It`s all handheld which is supposed to give it that `raw`, almost documentary look and feel, but it doesn`t quite succeed. It`s not bad however and doesn`t spoil the film in any way. Colours and detail are okay and there weren`t any visible defects in the transfer.

Audio

Nothing special in the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. The dialogue is clear from the centre channel, as is most of the sound in the film. There`s little use of the front stereo pair and you can forget about the rear speakers, as there`s no action there at all. It`s disappointing that the ambience is missing. What`s here though sounds okay.

Features

Easy to navigate static menus with just a couple of extras.

• Making of Manic (10:00) - A very brief behind the scenes look at the film. It`s standard fare as PR featurettes go and doesn`t reveal very much.

• Trailer (2:38) - This takes some of the more interesting parts of the movie and dresses it up better than it actually is.

• Metrodome Trailers.

Manic has clear English subtitles.

Conclusion

I mentioned earlier that you could think of Manic as a teen version of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. The only comparisons that you can make are the settings, period. The acting in Manic is competent, but the story has no power to it and doesn`t back up the actors with its superficial character exploration. There`s also a lack of direction from start to finish, which makes the film feel like a waste of time when you reach the end. I felt empty, perhaps like the characters, and disappointed too.

The film features common teenage problems with the usual suspects; violence, self-harm and drugs, being at the core of our disenchanted youth. The film is just lacking in vibe though and while I appreciate the concept, I feel it could have been made so much better. The impression of hopelessness, while clear, doesn`t add anything to the film and leaves nothing to ponder on or anything to discuss with anyone else. It`s tedious and forgettable.

Manic has a good performance from Don Cheadle, but that`s it. The video quality is okay and the sound could have been better. Extras are sparse and add little to the film; in fact the lack of extras on this disc is disappointing when compared to the region 1 DVD that has an audio commentary and other little things. If you`ve seen Manic and liked it, then perhaps you can check the region 1 disc out for the extras. Otherwise, Manic just doesn`t offer anything compelling enough to spend time with.