There’s nothing wrong with going nowhere. It’s a privilege of youth.

FANDANGO: (fan-dang-go) 1. A lively Spanish dance. 2. The music for this. 3. A foolish act.

Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner and Judd Nelson star in this story about five young men about to graduate from college in the summer of 1971, who take one last, wild trip across West Texas before facing their lives as adults–which will include marriage, careers, and service in the war in Vietnam–in this heartfelt and adventurous coming-of-age story. Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld) made his feature film directorial debut with this fan favorite.

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

[youtube https://youtu.be/_Ii4uA0MNE8?t=968]

Video Quality

Fandango gets a stellar upgrade on Blu-Ray courtesy of Warner Archive with a new 2022 1080p master. The transfer provides natural film grain absent of any compression artifacts or other such digital anomalies. This disc also wonderfully represents the various settings from the barren desert sprawl that makes up much of the road trip to the filthy frat house where the magic begins. There are elements in the production design that are easily visible for the first time ever on home entertainment. There are some nice, earthy colors that make the film pop visually in an exciting way, including the neon lights of the Sonic Drive-In. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up deep black levels. Warner Archive has provided a lovely transfer for a film that has long gone unappreciated since its initial release.

Audio Quality

Warner Archive brings this new Blu-Ray to consumers with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that is just as worthy of praise as the video presentation. The heart and soul of the movie is the terrific soundtrack and original score from Alan Silvestri. Every tune brings a real warm and dynamic sound to the presentation which fills the room in an enveloping way. The dialogue primarily stays within the center channel, but makes its way to the surround speakers when necessary, such as in the ending ceremony. A climactic skydiving sequence creates some notable environmental effects that give the track a bit of a kick. This is a well-balanced track that gets the job done in a most admirable manner. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Fandango is far from an undisputed classic, but it is an incredibly entertaining road movie that gives the burgeoning ensemble rich material to tackle. The movie can strain credulity at points, but it injects enough sobering realism to keep things from getting too ridiculous. The male-centric narrative is a bit reductive in place, but for sheer entertainment value there is not much to fault here. Warner Archive has delivered this long-awaited Blu-Ray with the top-notch A/V presentation it deserves. Whether you are already a Kevin Costner devotee or simply open to a fun road trip film, this one is a solid addition to any collection. Recommended

Fandango can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.

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

Disclaimer: Warner Archive 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.