‘The Stoned Age’ Blu-Ray Review – Throwback Comedy Is In Search Of One Epic Night

Making its debut on Blu-ray, The Stöned Age follows Hubbs and Joe, in pursuit of partying and girls in Torrance, California, one Saturday night. When they hear about an epic rager going on near the beach, Hubbs and Joe head over, setting in motion a comedic adventure of rad proportions. Hubbs gets the girl! The cops show up! An ex-con loses his temper! And…Joe’s mind gets blown in the gnarliest way imaginable. Featuring a killer lineup of iconic ’70s rock bands.

For thoughts on The Stoned Age, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

The Stoned Age finally makes its Blu-Ray debut with a 1080p transfer that is in line with what we have come to expect from the Vestron line, which is not necessarily a ringing endorsement. Nevertheless, it has been missing in action in good quality for years, so this will prove to be an upgrade from any previous presentation. There are no details provided about the origins of the transfer, but this appears to be derived from either an underwhelming source or a dated master that has not had a substantial amount of work done to it. The Vestron line is no stranger to using older masters on Blu-Ray, but consumers may balk at the additional cost that comes from being part of the Lionsgate Limited imprint as opposed to the budget releases from the years prior to the launch of the online storefront. We appreciate having this in HD in some form, but fans should keep expectations in check. 

This is far from the crispest transfer we have ever seen, but there is some fine detail in the natural environments, production design, and texture of the costumes. The transfer has thankfully not been DNR’d to death and retains its organic filmic qualities with only intermittent instances of inconsistent or clumpy grain. There are fleeting specks of print damage present in the transfer that did not get cleaned up, but debris is not a major issue. Colors are a bit dull outside of small bursts of saturation in some of the lighting elements. For the most part, the color timing feels a bit anemic. Black levels are not as robust as they could be, but they are acceptable in their depth. Highlights avoid serious instances of blooming. We wish the Vestron line would give every title a new 4K restoration, but it will satisfy those who want an acceptable HD transfer. 

Audio Quality

Lionsgate Home Entertainment brings us this new Blu-Ray with the original lossy theatrical Dolby Digital 2.0 mix that is about on par with the video side of things. The track is not unpleasant in any major way, but it is a bit perplexing that the only audio track on the disc is not presented in a lossless presentation. That being said, the dialogue holds up without any hiccups, coming through confidently without being overshadowed by the music or sound effects. The track accurately reproduces the soundscape of the various locales. The environmental effects are decently delineated, from the shenanigans at the party to the ambiance of the open world. The music mostly holds up with fine fidelity. This track gets the job done, but a lossless track could have potentially refined things a bit more. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

• Back to The Stoned Age: A new 23-minute making-of featurette in which the cast and creative team reflect on the development and production of the film, the qualities of the characters, the atmosphere on set, the difficulties faced during filming, the film’s legacy, and more. This is very well produced and well worth a watch. 

• Tales from The Blue Torpedo – The Stoned Age Reunion: A nearly 26-minute new roundtable reunion featuring director/co-writer James Melkonian, co-writer Rich Wilkes, and stars Bradford Tatum and Michael Kopelow, in which they discuss the dated aspects of the film, what inspired the narrative, the tone of the film, disagreements with the studio, unused scenes, memorable moments on set, and more.  

• Extended Scenes: A nearly three-minute look at a scene that didn’t make the final cut. 

• Legacy Special Features

• • Audio Commentary: Director/co-writer James Melkonian and co-writer Rich Wilkes

Final Thoughts

The Stoned Age is a prime example of a mid-90s comedy, for better and most certainly for worse. James Melkonian and Rich Wilkes captured the sensibilities of the era they were depicting in the film, yet the thinking of this era in filmmaking kept them from critiquing while accurately reproducing. The team seemingly doubled down on most of the toxic traits of the era with rampant misogyny and homophobia permeating the runtime. We love the hangout aspect of the journey, and we don’t mind “lowest common denominator” humor, but this film mostly failed to catch fire outside of a few decent gags. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a new Blu-Ray through their Vestron Video Collector’s Series featuring a passable A/V presentation and a terrific array of special features. If you are a fan of the film, you will be pleased to finally get this upgraded to HD. 

The Stoned Age is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray exclusively through Lionsgate Limited.

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.