The Faculty

50's sci-fi meets 90's pop generation.
Most people would think that the above combination would fail, but not at the hand of Kevin Williamson, writer of this wonderful science-fiction film brought to life by talented actors and from the director of "From Dusk Till Dawn." Opening with an intense scene in which the school principal is attacked and overtaken by two alien staff, the film only gets better, introducing us to the seperate lives of each of the students who will come together to stop the faculty, as well as the student body, from taking over the entire town. As more people become converted, the small band of "refugees" begin to discover their own clues, ultimately deducing that the queen alien must be eliminated if they are to save the town. Some might think the plot and material to be juvenile, yet it has a certain intelligence and thinking factor behind its young and fresh cast. Also, the film blends with its story many of the elements used in movies of the same genre from the...

Get the original (Dimension) release instead
This review is specifically about the technical aspects of the DVD, not the movie itself.

This DVD (ASIN B004P7CN7W, UPC 0-96009-75089-3) is the 2011 Echo Bridge Home Entertainment release of The Faculty, and it differs quite a bit from the 1999 Dimension release of the movie (ASIN 6305428220, UPC 7-17951-0022-8-0).

Video:
Echo Bridge = Anamorphic 16:9 widescreen, so it will take up the entire screen of your widescreen TV.
Dimension = Letterboxed widescreen in 4:3 format, so your widescreen TV will show a small picture with big black bars on all four sides.
Both releases are Region 1 NTSC (even though the Echo Bridge release does not specify this on the back sleeve).

Audio:
Echo Bridge = The movie is Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kbps). The menu has music in Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kbps).
Dimension = The movie is Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kbps). The menu does not have sound.
Both releases have one audio track only (English)...

The best horror movie ever, fantastic cast and storyline
I first saw "The Faculty" on a plane ride to London and was immediately hooked. I ended up watching it three times just on the plane ride. I thought each of the cast members gave an outstanding performance, and had a great chemistry. I saw some actors that I was already a fan of (Jon Stewart, Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Usher Raymond), and found plenty of new favorites (Shawn Hatosy, Clea DuVall, especially, as well as Jordana Brewster, Laura Harris, and the entire cast). I loved the unraveling of the plot, and how it wasn't based on science fiction only, it also dealt with the average confused teenager. The friendships and relationships that develop between the characters add so much to the plot, making it more than just a horror movie. The concept of the aliens and how the kids were able to use thier talents and areas of knowledge figure out exactly who and what the aliens were was clever, and the script couldn't have been better. The movie made me laugh,...

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