It’s been awhile since we’ve done one of these here on Premium Hollywood (recently, they’ve been combined into my sometimes-weekly Blu-ray column), but with the DVD version of “17 Again” disappointing fans with, as Edwin Starr would say, absolutely nothing, it seemed like a good idea to break down just what exactly HD fanatics will be getting for the seven dollar upcharge.
“Zac Goes Back”
Your standard EPK-style production featurette, this 12-minute collection of interviews features the cast and crew talking about what it was like to work with one another on set. Along with explaining how Zac Efron became attached to the project to begin with, the interviews also expose Efron’s attempts at mimicking Matthew Perry’s various acting habits in order to properly portray him as a youngster.
“Going Back to 17”
Cut from the same set of interviews, this brief collection of footage asks the cast and crew about their own high school memories (complete with childhood photos), as well as whether or not they would accept the chance to experience it all over again. You can probably guess what the unanimous answer is.
“Way Cool Tell-All Trivia Track”
Certainly not as way cool as its title suggests, this pop-up track features trivia from the making of the film and general facts about the 80s. It’s probably the most interesting extra on the disc, but it’s only something that diehard fans will want to sit through the whole thing. Thankfully, the pop-ups aren’t at all distracting, so you can actually enjoy the movie while learning a few things along the way.
“Breakin’ Character Outtakes”
No surprise here, as Thomas Lennon steals the show with a series of funny adlibs and cast crack-ups – especially Zac Efron, who can’t seem to keep a straight face when working opposite the improv veteran.
“Zac’s Dance Flashback”
This isn’t so much a deleted scene as it is a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the actual sequence, but considering that the movie already featured an opening act where Efron’s character busted a move, it certainly makes sense that it was cut. If nothing else, however, it does serve as a nice bit of information on how both scenes were created.
“Additional Footage”
In addition to the aforementioned dance flashback, there are 12 more deleted scenes included in this collection of excised material, mostly for the better. There’s some great extended footage of Lennon’s date with Melora Hardin, but a lot of it is just stupid exposition that was already covered in other parts of the movie.
As you can probably see, while Warner Brothers has put together a decent collection of extras for the Blu-ray crowd, it’s nothing that is going to set the world on fire. Those that like special features will definitely consider it an incentive to pick up the film in its HD format, but for DVD owners who feel like they’re missing out, well, don’t. “17 Again” isn’t exactly the kind of movie that benefits from high-def, and though some kind of bonus material is always nice, don’t forget that it’s called bonus or special for a reason.
