8 Mile on DVD

I don't do rap music. My kids have done rap and its impact on me is probably much like my playing The Who must have been on my parents.

So I went into 8 Mile with a chip on my shoulder. I didn't want to see it, didn't want to like it. I knew I'd hate it.

And I probably won't watch it again, but as a movie it's just too good to hate the way I really, really wanted to.

8 Mile was produced by long time Ron Howard associate Brian Grazer and directed by L.A. Confidential's Curtis Hanson. They've managed to turn Eminem into a sympathetic figure.

The story is "semi-autobiographical," recounting the tale of how its star achieves fame and fortune. The poor waif was spawned on the wrong side of the tracks in the Motor City, where racial angst is still high on their agenda and rapping contests are the order of the day.

The movie opens during one contest, one at which Bunny Rabbit (Eminem) is about to hit the stage to do his bit. But he blows it and ends up walking off the stage - undoubtedly because his act was eliciting catcalls from the black cats in the audience. We then follow his adventures until his next kick at the rap can, by which time we've pretty well figured out what's up.

It’s actually a pretty powerful movie, though it seems aimed at the pre-pubescent (not that there's anything necessarily wrong with that!).

The cast is top notch. In particular, Kim Basinger turns in an excellent performance as Rabbit’s crummy mummy, and Brittany Murphy oozes "slutability" as his girlfriend. Eminem is unhateable, dammit; he proves to have talent, inconsistent in this debut, but very good over all.

Considering the movie’s success and the hype around it, we figured Universal would give it a really deluxe DVD treatment. Okay, the picture and sound are excellent, which is the most important part, but the extras aren't particularly spectacular.

The superb video quality is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, 16x9 TV compatible, (also available separately in Pan&Scan, but we recommend the widescreen version if you're buying the DVD). A lot of the film is set at night, or in dark buildings, but the video quality is such that you can see the smallest detail - assuming you want to!

The audio tracks give you the choice of Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 surround, which we like, and both tracks sound very good. There isn’t a lot of surround, but what there is has been done very well.

Extras include " all-new Uncensored Eminem Rap Battles," Eminem’s personal insight into the making of the film, the music video of “Superman,” and “The Music of 8 Mile.”

8 Mile, from Universal Home Video
111 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital, DTS
Starring Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer
Produced by Brian Grazer, Curtis Hanson, Jimmy Iovine
Written by Scott Silver, Directed by Curtis Hanson

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