The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

Some have referred to “THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS” as one of the most honest “coming-of-age” films ever made.  While it’s quite entertaining, even hilarious at times, it falls short of deserving that kind of accolade.  It is a solid attempt, however, at telling a multi-layered story of four kids “coming-to-terms” with the realities of life, made all the more harder with their desire to escape its harshness through the world of comic books. 

Francis and Tim are two young Catholic school students sharing a love for comics and a hate for Sister Assumpta, the well-meaning, one legged nun running their class.  Together, they create a comicbook titled, “THE ATOMIC TRINITY”, as an outlet for their repressed feelings. In it, they become superheroes battling the evil “Nunzilla”.

The film does deal realistically with the pangs of adolescent uncertainty, sexual awakenings, and the realities that come with recognizing some of the most heartfelt notions we’ve all had about some people are just plain wrong.

The careful blending of animation, along with the often funny situations involving the main characters, help to create a film that works on most levels, save one.  The main prank the kids put together, making up a large part of the film, just doesn’t ever seem believable, diminishing much of the film’s honest style and approach. 

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has preserved the film’s correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio with 16:9 enhancement, and it looks wonderful! The colors are solid, and while not overly vibrant, they offer a realistic tone and enhance the film’s overall clarity.  The contrast is also impressive, offering excellent detail during the film’s darker night sequences.  The comic book scenes are incredible, with rich colors and even greater detail. Fleshtones appear natural in every instance. 

The film is presented with both Dolby Digital 5.1 and an English Dolby 2.0 mix.  This isn’t an aggressive soundmix, with most of the film being dialogue-driven, however the surrounds come into play effectively during key sequences as well as with ambient effects.  

COLUMBIA TRISTAR is offering a lot of supplements with this release. An audio commentary with the film’s director, Peter Care and the film’s screenwriter Jeff Stockwell, is included. Most of their discussion involves the film’s adaptation process and Stockwell is more entertaining and offers more insight than Care. 

Another feature offers the comic sequences running together with commentary from the creator, Todd(Spawn)McFarlane. it’s quite entertaining and interesting.  

There are a few minutes worth of deleted scenes, but none of them added to the film’s structure and they’re only of marginal quality.

A “Sundance Anatomy of a Scene” feature is included. And, it’s terrific! It’s hard to imagine better understanding of the filmmaking process than what these “ANATOMY OF A SCENE” from SUNDANCE, included on some dvds, add to the process.

There’s a brief featurette, with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, and it’s fairly interesting.

The theatrical trailer, in full-frame as well as tv spots are included.