The hip-hopping, gangsta rapper wannabe is thrown into the world of politics when he gets entangled in an evil Chancellor’s plot to overthrow the Prime Minister of Great Britain (Michael Gambon, the Harry Potter series.) But instead of bringing him down, Ali G is embraced by the nation as the voice of youth and “realness,” making the Prime Minister and his government more popular than ever.

Featuring Charles Dance (Game Of Thrones), Rhona Mitra (Doomsday), Martin Freeman (The Hobbit films), and Kellie Bright (EastEnders), Ali G Indahouse is another uproarious comedy from the genius that gave us Borat and Brüno.

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Video Quality

Ali G Indahouse debuts on Blu-Ray courtesy of Shout! Studios with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 that is a pretty decent step up in quality from the ancient DVD from 20 years ago. We would have loved a fresh master for this one, but the older master utilized is far from a disgrace. The transfer looks fairly clear and detailed when it comes to the outrageous outfits and elements of the production design such as the political offices. We did not spot any notable bits of age-related wear and tear.

Subtle specks of print damage occasionally show up, but it is not a massive issue. The picture is somewhat soft but does not seem to be plagued by heavy DNR. Its naturally filmic appearance stays intact for enhanced detail. Colors are one of the favorable aspects of the disc with natural hues saturating the screen, especially in the bright clothing. Black levels could stand to have more depth to help with detail, but we did not experience major crush or other artifacts. This is likely the end of the line in terms of this title on physical media, and we are satisfied with finally getting it in HD in some form.

Audio Quality

Shout! Studios brings us this Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that serves as a high point of the disc. With the appropriation of hip-hop culture at the forefront of the narrative, you can expect a pretty strong soundtrack. These tunes sound great as they bump out of the speakers and fill up the room. These moments engage the subwoofer to good effect, along with some exaggerated moments like a dream sequence with an assault of bullets. The environmental elements are defined consistently and given perfect placement throughout the speakers. Dialogue comes through clearly without being drowned out by the music or sound effects. This track does what it needs to do consistently. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Ali G (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Ricky C (Martin Freeman) provide a commentary track in character that does not shed much light on the production but does provide some amusing moments that fans of the film will want to check out.

Deleted Scenes and Outtakes: A 22-minute collection of unused footage from the film is presented in standard definition.

Behind-The-Scenes with Ali G: A 12-minute featurette in which Ali G guides you around the production and interacts with people on set in a manner similar to his TV series.

Learn to Talk Like Ali G: A two-minute piece in which Ali G teaches you how to speak like him.

Image Gallery: A collection of marketing materials, stills, and behind-the-scenes photos is provided.

Trailers: Three trailers totaling four-and-a-half minutes are provided.

Final Thoughts

Ali G Indahouse features a character popularized by Sacha Baron Cohen, but it takes a narrative approach rather than the successful real-world outings that would come with Bruno and the Borat films. This choice may have been misguided in the end, but it does provide a pretty funny, unbelievably juvenile feature that seemingly satirizes this absurd behavior while indulging in it all the same. To be frank, this material on its face is problematic in a million different ways, and it cannot all be saved under the guise of satire. Yet, if you are not sensitive to such puerile comedy, you may find yourself consistently chuckling at the absurdity of the whole endeavor. Newcomers will probably not get on board for this, but those with a soft spot for ridiculous early 2000s comedy will probably enjoy it. Shout! Studios has released a new Blu-Ray that sports a fine A/V presentation and a decent array of supplemental features. Recommended

Ali G Indahouse is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Shout! Studios has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.