If you’re searching for an irresistibly fun cult classic with an out-of-this-world cast, you’ve found it! Now available for the first time on Blu-ray™, Earth Girls Are Easy follows the misadventures of three furry aliens — played by Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans — whose spaceship crash-lands into a pool owned by Valerie, a valley-girl manicurist (Oscar® winner* Geena Davis). Befriended by Valerie and given human makeovers, the extraterrestrial trio embarks on a wild weekend filled with partying, police pursuits, and, yes, interplanetary love.
For thoughts on Earth Girls Are Easy, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Earth Girls Are Easy finally makes its Blu-Ray debut with a 1080p transfer that is overall a passable affair but is far from a knockout. While I have no specific details about the transfer, this appears to be derived from a dated master that has not had a huge amount of work done to it. Colors are a lovely aspect of the presentation with most moments making an impression in vividness and depth. The black levels could use some work, but they are passable in their depth. There are some specks of print damage present in the transfer that did not get cleaned up during the digital restoration.
From scene to scene the film can look either incredibly clear and detailed or a bit soft and lacking fine detail. The feature struggles the most when it comes to optical or matte shots, which is not uncommon for this time period. The transfer is naturally filmic with only a small bit of processing and some decent detail in the landscapes, production design and texture of the alien fur. This is the best that the film has ever looked on home entertainment, but a new 2K or 4K scan could have improved this greatly.
Audio Quality
Lionsgate Home Entertainment brings us this new Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that accurately and admirably reproduces the film sonically. The movie is a pseudo-musical with many great numbers filled with catchy music that always holds up with a top notch fidelity. The dialogue holds up without issue, coming though clearly without being overwhelmed by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are distinguished well from the hustle and bustle of the salon to some of the more otherworldly sounds. This track accomplishes what it sets out to do. Optional English, English (SDH) and Spanish subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Actress and Co-writer Julie Brown delivers an incredibly fun commentary track moderated by Mike Perez in which she discusses the creation of the film, the influence of director Julien Temple, her irritation over getting passed over for the leading role, how the casting came about, the ways in which the powers that be compromised the film, and so much more in this deliciously dishy track. Brown has a great affection for this film, but she is not afraid to throw a little shade here and there, and she even offhandedly mentions sleeping with a crew member. This is a blast!
- The Musical Man – An Interview with Director Julien Temple: A new 20-minute interview with the director in which he discusses his appreciation for this new release, the circumstances surrounding him coming on board for this film, the inspirations he brought to this story, the casting of the characters and more. memories of the performers and more.
- Candy Time! – An Interview with Actress and Co-Writer Julie Brown: A new 20-minute interview with Brown in which she discusses how the film compares to her script, her belief that musicals would “come back”, her history with songwriting, the inspiration behind the narrative, the release of the film and more.
- Views Of The Valley – Interviews with Director of Photography Oliver Stapleton and Production Designer Dennis Gassner: A new 18-minute interview with these two crafts people in which they discuss the tone of the film, the unfavorable shooting conditions on set, how they went about bringing this world to life, how they were able to execute certain scenes on an aesthetic level and more.
- Aliens In L.A. – An Interview With Special Make-Up Supervisor Robert Clark: A new 12-minute interview with Clark in which he discusses the evolution of special effects in the ‘80s, how he came to this project, how they practically created the look of the aliens, working with his crew to blend the costumes and more.
- Deleted Scenes & Outtakes: An eight-minute collection of unused moments including Valerie venting about Ted, the crew going on a burger run, alternate takes of certain scenes and more.
- Earth Girls Karaoke!: An 11-minute featurette which turns the musical sequences into a karaoke opportunity with the lyrics on screen.
- BTS Footage: An eight-minute collection of tongue-in-cheek interviews from the set and fly-on-the-wall footage from shooting a couple of sequences.
- Vintage Interview with Actor Charles Rocket: A seven-minute archival featurette in which Rocket discusses landing the role of Ted, what he thinks about his character, his memories of working with this director and co-stars and more.
- Vintage Premiere Night Promo: A four-minute look at the film’s premiere featuring interviews with Julie Brown, Julien Temple, the cast and more from the red carpet.
- Theatrical Trailers: A nearly four-minute collection of trailers are provided here.
- TV Spots: A two-minute collection of TV Spots is provided here.
- Radio Spots: A minute-long collection of radio spots is provided here.
- Galleries: A Still Gallery (7:33) and Storyboard Gallery (6:26) is included here.
Final Thoughts
Earth Girls Are Easy is admittedly cheesy and ridiculous, but that is what it intends to be from the outset. From the first moment you see these brightly colored aliens juxtaposed with the memorable title, you know you are in for an interesting, fun journey. The cast appear to be fully invested in bringing this vision to life as they deliver hilarious performances. Not all of the humor lands perfectly, but there is a confidence in vision that you cannot help but admire from beginning to end. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a new Blu-Ray through their Vestron Video Collector’s Series featuring a decent A/V presentation and a nice array of special features. If you are a fan of the film, this is a pleasing package at a good price. Recommended
Earth Girls Are Easy is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.