Newly remastered from a new 4K scan of the original film elements, BACK TO THE BEACH is a fan-favorite cult classic that lovingly parodies the quintessential 60s “beach party” films. Frankie and Annette, having grown up and put aside their beach-partying lifestyle, visit their daughter in Southern California and discover there’s still some wild times left in them. Along for the fun in the California sun are a host of familiar faces: Connie Stevens, Dick Dale, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Don Adams, Bob Denver, Jerry Mathers, Barbara Billingsley, Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, and Pee-Wee Herman.

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Video Quality

Back To The Beach has been granted an unlikely 4K restoration via the Paramount Presents line for this dazzling new Blu-Ray disc. This is one title that has never been given much love, making it difficult to find even so much as a hi-res still from the film online previously, but this new transfer has eradicated pretty much every single spot of damage and debris. The lovely film grain present is natural and resolves well while allowing fine details to shine through. Elements of the inventive production design stand out with greater clarity than ever before, not to mention the memorable clothing.

Colors are immensely vibrant to capture the classic beach party aesthetic without being unnatural for the environment. The transfer affords several opportunities for them to pop off the screen with the aforementioned clothing. Facial features are likewise detailed with fine lines and pores detectable alongside natural skin tones. Black levels are deep and inky without any major blocking or compression artifacts. This is likely the best the film has ever looked even when compared to its theatrical run.

Audio Quality

Paramount Home Entertainment brings us this brand new Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that captures this experience without issue. One of the first things you will notice is the importance of the music to the narrative of the film. The catchy songs are given a lovely resonance within the mix as they fill up the surround channels. This is not an action-packed film in the traditional sense, but there are a lot of zany antics within this story which gives nuanced life to the rear speakers. The dialogue holds up nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely and given a dynamic placement throughout the speakers. This track will have you moving and shaking. There are optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles provided.

Special Features

Filmmaker Focus with Director Lyndall Hobbs: A nine-minute conversation with Hobbs who discusses her early career, being approached with the opportunity to make this film, the last-minute decision to turn it into a musical, the cameo her baby made in the film, working with Annette Funicello in the early stages of MS, the celebrity cameos in the film and more.

Final Thoughts

Back To The Beach is a really colorful and high-energy throwback to the classic beach pictures of yore. If you have a soft spot for the genre, you will have a great time with this one, but you do not have to be an expert to appreciate what a fun time this is. The film is jam-packed with cameos that an older crowd, or well-rounded younger viewer, will greatly appreciate. Paramount Home Entertainment has given this forgotten gem a brand new Blu-Ray with a top-notch A/V presentation and a brief new interview. If you like kitschy ‘80s films, be sure to seek this one out. Recommended

Paramount Presents Back To The Beach 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: 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.