Splash: 20th Anniversary Edition

By: The Dweeb

DVD Features Video: 1.85:1 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Original Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah auditions Making a Splash Featurette Audio Commentary: Director Ron Howard, Producer Brian Grazer and Writers Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel Theatrical release:3/09/1984 DVD released on 3/23/2004 by Disney/Buena Vista Running time of 110 minutes Starring: John Candy, Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy Director: Ron Howard Plot:Alan Bauer nearly drowned as a child but has memories of being saved by a young mermaid. When he is jilted as an adult and loses his wallet in the surf, the young mermaid tries to return it. They are soulmates who have been meant for each other, but Madison fears how he will react when he finds out she is not human.

Arriving in time for it’s 20th Anniversary, Disney has released a special edition of this 80’s film favorite. Wow, has it been that long already? I remember seeing this one as a kid, and upon seeing it again, I still enjoy viewing it. I’ve probably seen this on television many times, but not all the way through. I forgot that this film is so heartwarming and cute, and I don’t typically go for this kind of movie. I’ll make an exception in this case.

Watching this film is like a time warp, all these familiar faces, but so much younger and thinner! Splash is a film of many firsts. The first release for Disney under the Touchstone label, one of Ron Howard’s first directorial efforts, and the start of some very long acting careers in Hollywood. This was when Tom Hanks was considered a comedian, before all his serious work like in Saving Private Ryan or Philadelphia. He is so much fun to watch, he is so full of energy and can be funny as hell. You can begin to see the seeds being planted of a great actor here. He’s got some wonderful lines with his role as Alan. "It just so happens I come from a very long line of married people." Splash is filled with quips like these, which brings a constant smile to your face when you watch. Originally they weren’t sure if a relatively unknown actor could carry the movie, I think he did just fine.

This is also an early film for Darryl Hannah. Fresh off her role in Blade Runner, she plays the Mermaid very well, although her acting skills in some scenes could use a little work. She may have been the weakest link for this cast, but you can’t get past the fact that she’s very easy on the eyes. Since then, I think her skills as an actress have improved as evidenced in her role in Kill Bill.

SCTV veteran comedians John Candy and Eugene "the eyebrows" Levy round out the rest of the cast filling in the cracks with their brand of comedic shtick. A nice compliment to Tom Hanks’s straight guy role. You gotta love John at his finest when he tries to pass himself as a Swedish researcher. Eugene’s Levy’s Walter Kornbluth character is also a hoot, although its a shame he  is relegated to a typical evil scientist role, that has been played over and over so many times before. We all know he is much more capable than that, as he showcased in his more recent roles.

There was a previous incarnation of Splash on DVD before they released this one. Without having seen it, I would guess that this is the same warmed over package with different menus and a couple of extras tacked on. The quality of the picture is lacking, as it is very grainy in certain scenes. I guess Disney figured this film didn’t deserve a newer cleaned up transfer. Aside from the commentary, there are only two other extras included. One is a lengthy interview with the film principles on the making of Splash, and how it came to be. The other is the original audition video of Hanks and Hannah. For a film like this, I’d say that’s just the right amount of extras.

On the whole, Splash Twentieth Anniversary Edition is a decent release. It’s what you would expect from a company like Disney, no surprises. If you are into the classic 80’s flicks I’d say go for it, the rest of you could probably watch it at least once.

Reviewer’s Opinion: RENT IT!!