This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

The country hits cloud nine when obsessed scientist Chris Cooper (Kevin McDonald) invents Gleemonex, a happiness drug. Soon everybody is taking the little orange pill. But Cooper gets a heavy dose of the blues when he discovers that early test subjects have slipped into comas. Can Cooper stop the people’s happy habit–before it’s too late?

For thoughts on Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/_GZkJ0C44NA?t=3920]

Video Quality

Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy comes to Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer that is a step up in quality from DVD, but it does appear to be sourced from a master created around that era. Without a fresh master, the transfer struggles a bit when it comes to softness as fine detail ebbs and flows depending on the environment and lighting. There are certain outfits and bits of production design that make an impression, but some appear to be less acutely defined. The transfer does not appear to have been completely scrubbed of its filmic quality, but there are signs of processing and some grain leans more towards noise. Black levels could use a bit more depth and detail, but crush is not a notable issue. There are no major specks of print damage present in the transfer. We are pleased to have this one in HD, but it would have been nice to take the extra step of remastering it.

Audio Quality

Paramount Home Entertainment brings us this Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that holds up better than the video portion of things. There is very little in the way of age-related wear to the audio track as this material stands tall with fine fidelity. Dialogue holds up very nicely, coming though crisp and clear without being overwhelmed by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are distinguished nicely and given the appropriate placement throughout the speakers.

From the opening moments, the various locations and characters we visit allow for nuanced life to the rear speakers. The movie features some tunes which sound great within the mix, especially the metal band that makes a sharp left turn. The film features a few active sequences that allow the low end to make itself known, but nothing too flashy ever puts it to the test. This is a track that represents this film exactly as you wish it to. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc.

Final Thoughts

Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy is a pretty amusing way to bring together this comedic troupe and let them indulge in some of their outrageous antics. The film is nearing 30 years of age, and with this distance some of the jokes have aged poorly. Even still, there is a lot that remains timeless as you delight in their wonderfully weird sensibilities. The film is a slight bit inconsistent, but if you are a fan of the group you should have a fun time with it. Paramount Home Entertainment has finally released this one on Blu-Ray with a passable A/V presentation and no special features at all. Newcomers probably won’t get the appeal of this humor, but established fans should have fun revisiting. Recommended

Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

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

Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures 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.