‘Clifford’ Blu-Ray Review – Martin Short Playing A Demon Child Is A Comedic Fever Dream

Get ready for mischief, mayhem and madness with this outrageous comedy starring the truly hysterical Martin Short (Three Amigos, Innerspace) with Charles Grodin (Midnight Run, The Heartbreak Kid), Mary Steenburgen (Melvin and Howard, Time After Time) and Dabney Coleman (9 to 5, WarGames). Clifford is crammed with enough laugh-out-loud moments and brilliantly subtle, sophisticated humor to spoil you for good! Smart, hyperactive and dangerous ten-year-old Clifford (Short) has a lifelong dream: to visit the Dinosaur World theme park. Happily, his uncle Martin (Grodin) has agreed to take him. But when Martin suddenly reneges on his promise, Clifford hatches a devious plan to get even and teach his uncle that all work and no play makes Clifford a very bad boy! Written by William Porter (Back to School) and Steven Kampmann (The Couch Trip); and directed by Paul Flaherty (writer on SCTV, The Tracey Ullman Show, Muppets Tonight + director of Who’s Harry Crumb?, 18 Again!).

For thoughts on Clifford, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/IP45412VNOc?t=2529]

Video Quality

Clifford comes to Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer derived from a high definition master that is mostly pleasing with only slight marks against it. This transfer retains the natural film grain of the presentation which provides a greater level of detail. This film was captured with an intentionally soft look which allows many items to lose their crisp borders. Nevertheless, clarity and detail is readily apparent with skin tones that look natural, perhaps slightly on the warmer side of the spectrum. 

Colors appear well saturated with some of the vibrant hues in the production design and clothing leaping off the screen. Instances of print damage rarely cause a problem with only the occasional specks and marks visible. Subtle facial features are noticeable in closeup such as the makeup Short wears as an older Clifford. Black levels are admirable in their depth with only some of the shadowy scenes lacking some precise detail and looking a touch milky. This new presentation from Scorpion Releasing presents the film in the most positive light it will probably ever receive. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that holds up without fail. Dialogue is well defined and does not get lost among the more troublesome antics of the young scamp. Environmental sounds such as car sounds and the general murmuring in the boardroom are rendered cleanly alongside everything else. The music used in the film provides a playful atmosphere for this story that maintains excellent fidelity. There are no moments where it overwhelms competing sounds, instead allowing elements to work together in harmony. You never get a sense that this one is suffering from age-related anomalies such as distortion, drop-outs or the like. Scorpion Releasing has given this film a very strong audio presentation. This release includes English SDH subtitles. 

Special Features

• Trailers: The two-and-a-half minute trailer for Clifford is provided here. There are also trailers provided for The Heavenly Kid, California Dreaming, Fraternity Vacation, Record City and Grunt: The Wrestling Movie.

Final Thoughts

Clifford is a silly premise that mostly works thanks to the committed performance from Martin Short. Through some kind of black magic, Short actually makes you forget that he is a grown man playing a young boy. This titular child is a true nightmare for adults, but he does provide some chuckles in between some moments where you want to wring his neck. The supporting cast are pretty solid additions to the experience, especially the unparalleled Mary Steenburgen. These types of comedies have mostly fallen out of favor, but it is good for what it is trying to accomplish. Scorpion Releasing and Ronin Flix have released a new Blu-Ray with a good A/V presentation but not too much in terms of special features. If you have an established affection for the film, this release should satisfy. Recommended 

Clifford 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: Scorpion Releasing and Ronin Flix have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.