Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell reprised their roles from the wildly popular sketch on Nickelodeon’s groundbreaking “All That” for this big screen romp directed by Brian Robbins (Varsity Blues). Capturing the high energy and hilarious antics of two teenagers trying to save the burger joint where they work, GOOD BURGER was the first big screen adaptation based on characters from the Nickelodeon universe. The film was originally released on July 25, 1997 and features a fantastic ensemble cast, including Abe Vigoda, Sinbad, Shar Jackson, Linda Cardellini, and George Clinton.

When Mondo Burger’s high-tech hamburger haven opens across the street from the tiny Good Burger diner, Ed (Mitchell) and Dexter (Thompson) find themselves in an uproarious battle with big business.

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

[youtube https://youtu.be/ElLVJUALgHE?t=50]

Video Quality

Good Burger comes to Blu-Ray from Paramount Home Entertainment with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1 that is the same disc that was released last year in non-SteelBook form. The disc is perfectly solid as it utilizes an older master that is in great shape with only a handful of imperfections. This transfer has natural film grain that mostly resolves well, but there are instances where it appears to be unstable and a bit clumpy. The picture can also run a bit soft in a handful of shots, but colors are natural and never lack in depth. Black levels are surprisingly deep with fine detail present in shadow. The presentation impresses throughout most of the runtime with image stability and delineation being generally strong. Instances of outright print damage are few and far between, and overall clarity and detail is well defined. The film thankfully does not present with much in the way of unnatural digital tinkering. While a new scan would likely improve the film, this transfer is a win in our book.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray provides a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that is more powerful than you might expect. The classic dialogue comes through clearly and never falls victim to any digital anomalies. Rear speakers get some immersive activity with ambient sounds such as the chatter of students and customers along with the sounds of ringing bells and more. The low-end support adds a bit of texture to certain moments, but it is not going to bring your house down. The activity focuses heavily on the front channels with the surround channels making the world feel more three dimensional. Music is used purposefully throughout these presentations, but it never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. We have no complaints about the state of the audio. This disc provides optional English, English SDH and French subtitles.

Special Features

The main reason for this new release is to get the film in a sleek new SteelBook that is quite fetching in person. The light blue SteelBook features front artwork with Ed and Dexter standing back to back with a burger-car at the bottom, and the rear features the two characters looking down with a milkshake splash background. The interior sports a still photo of the two holding up a Good Burger sack with ingredients all around them in the air. Video of the SteelBook can be found at the top of this review.

Original “Good Burger” Sketch From All That (1994): The original four-minute sketch that started it all is provided here which finds many customers not getting what they wanted.

Final Thoughts

Good Burger is a film with a lot of nostalgic feeling wrapped around it for audiences of a certain age. Many may have a hazy memory of the movie itself, but specifics are in short supply. Evaluating it again after all of these years is a mixed bag of an experience, as the fondness for these characters come flowing back while simultaneously admitting to yourself that the movie is not so great. The performances never lack for passion and some of the goofy humor holds up, but a lot of it is just dumb. Even still, the film has enough going for it to provide a good time if you are looking to check out for a couple of hours and giggle at sophomoric humor. Paramount Home Entertainment uses their recent Blu-Ray in a pleasing new SteelBook packaging with a great A/V presentation and not too much in the special features department. If you are a fan of the film, this is a worthy addition to your collection Recommended

Good Burger is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, Steelbook and Digital.

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

Disclaimer: Paramount 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.