 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** Tagline: Prepare to get served When Flint Lockwood's (Bill Hader) latest contraption accidentally destroys the town square and rockets up into the clouds, he thinks his inventing career is over. Then something amazing happens as delicious cheeseburgers start raining from the sky. His machine actually works! But when people greedily ask for more and more food, the machine starts to run amok, unleashing spaghetti tornadoes and giant meatballs that threaten the world! Now it's up to Flint, with the help of weather girl Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) and Steve, his talking monkey assistant, to find some way to shut down the machine before the world is covered in super-sized meatballs! Storyline: Flint Lockwood thinks he's a genius. But none of the things he invented are things that make sense or are useful. However, he has the support of his mother but when she dies, he's left alone with his father who thinks he should give it up. When the community that he lives in, is in an economic crisis because their primary source of income a sardine cannery was shut down, Flint decides to try his latest invention, a machine that can turn water into food. But something goes wrong and the machine ends up in the atmosphere. Later it starts raining food. The shifty mayor tries to use this as a way to help their community, but when Flint senses something wrong with the machine, the mayor convinces him to ignore it. However, as Flint predicts, chaos ensues. Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, June 20, 2010 -- It only took about three months for a studio to get a title to market for general off-the-shelf release, but early 3D Blu-ray adopters now have something to actually watch on their 3D HDTVs besides an overpriced "Samsung Exclusive" copy of Monsters vs. Aliens and the sampler disc bundled with Panasonic's 3D Blu-ray player. The historic release: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, a charming 2009 computer-animated picture that enjoyed a 3D run in theaters and is now guaranteed to sell to pretty much anyone who's bought a 3D Blu-ray system over the past few months as well as to those who are only now jumping into the fray with Sony's own line of As with the Monsters vs. Aliens 3D review, this one will deviate from site norm in recognition of the historical significance and novelty of the title; the above-linked review of the film's 2D counterpart contains a full-length Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs movie overview. Beginning with the relevance of the release itself, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs represents a true "first" in the home video industry, the title the initial release of what will be many Blu-ray 3D titles available for purchase at a reasonable consumer-friendly price and not tied to a particular hardware manufacturer and bundle. Sony's ensured that the disc stands out on store shelves, too; it's packaged in a nifty clear Blu-ray case of the same dimensions as a standard blue case and features a semi-transparent cover art scheme that gives the presentation something of a faux-3D appearance that's quite attractive. The front cover, and the Blu-ray disc proper, both sport a Blu-ray 3D banner across the top. For those that still accidentally pick up this release over the 2D-only package or who wish to view it on a standard 2D Blu-ray player, Sony has included a 2D version of the film, and yes, it works on a PlayStation3 running the latest firmware version, 3.30. This makes the disc completely future-proof, meaning buyers without 3D hardware can pick it up worry-free and be ready to enjoy a 3D version of the film later on down the line (note that a 3D-specific leaflet included with the disc states that it should work with "existing" Blu-ray players, presumably meaning both stand-alones as well as the PS3; unfortunately, no stand-alone that's not 3D compatible was readily available for testing). The single drawback is that this iteration of Cloudy does lack several of the goodies found on the standalone 2D version, notably the commentary track, the interactive features Splat Mode! and Flint's Food Fight Game, and the DVD and digital copies. Nevertheless, and considering the inclusion of three lossless soundtracks, two versions of the film, and a few extras, it's hard to find fault with Sony's release in any way, shape, or form, at least with regard to the packaging, support, and basic technical specifications. Of course, there were bound to be a few quibbles with the disc, but there's nothing here that even comes close to the four major disappointments that plagued the Monsters vs. Aliens 3D release, namely the absence of a lossless soundtrack, a shortage of extras, incompatibility with the Playstation3 for 2D playback, and the lack of an off-the-shelf and reasonably-priced availability. Again, though, Blu-ray 3D fans need understand the differences between Sony's Cloudy release and DreamWorks' Monsters release; the former is a full-fledged mass market release whereas the latter is a bundled disc that was probably rushed out the door to get it stuffed in Samsung bundles, though the absence of a lossless track is still somewhat baffling. Still, the smart money says that, in time, DreamWorks will re-release Monsters vs. Aliens for general resale with most, if not all, the bells and whistles 3D Blu-ray fans demand. Back to Cloudy, the disc does have a few minor shortcomings that aren't at all on the same level as the missteps taken with the Monsters release, but they still warrant a mention. Most readily evident is the fact that Cloudy doesn't feature a 3D menu screen for the movie. Certainly, it's the movie presentation that counts, but it was somewhat disappointing to be all jazzed up to watch the disc, only to be greeted by a 2D menu screen. It's probably too late to hope for 3D menus on Monster House and Open Season, but hopefully Sony will make sure they're there for future releases (and please release Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D day-and-date with its 2D counterpart! Could that be the first live-action native 3D movie to make it to 3D Blu-ray? Could it be the first day-and-date Blu-ray 3D release? Only time will tell). Additionally, load times are a tad sluggish both after insertion and returning to the menu from the 3D sneak peaks. Other than that, there's really no room for complaint; the lack of a 3D menu is disappointing but not a deal breaker, and the load times will improve alongside the technology. Once again, bravo Sony. Finally, watching Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs in 3D proved a vastly entertaining experience. The biggest drawback is not one that's the fault of the disc but rather the technology at large; the glasses -- speaking only of Panasonic's -- are bulky and can get downright heavy. They do include an adjustable strap than can help distribute the weight, but they're fairly uncomfortable even during a 90-minute movie. Those watching with Panasonic's technology will find themselves fiddling with the glasses on more than one occasion, maybe even going so far as to simply hold them up off the nose for some much-needed relief. The glasses are easily the major -- and arguably only, at this juncture -- downside in the argument between home and theatrical 3D. The 3D glasses distributed at theaters are extremely lightweight and no more noticeable on the face than a pair of sunglasses. Home 3D technology has a ways to go in this area, primarily because home 3D uses different technology that's admittedly more practical for consumer use, but until the glasses become lighter and slimmer -- if not, someday, removed from the equation entirely -- they will always be the single-largest drawback to the home 3D experience, excluding, of course, the cost of the technology. Nevertheless, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs looks magnificent on Panasonic's 50" plasma display. Monsters vs. Aliens was screened again several days in advance of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and while the former delivers a wonderful 3D experience, Cloudy bests it with significantly less ghosting; in fact, that "double image" effect was only readily evident in two shots: one being off to the side of one of the fingers pointing at a young Flint as the children laugh at him after his spray-on shoes fiasco, and another visible on some background smokestacks seen when Flint and friends are taking off in the flying car later later in the film. That doesn't mean there aren't more instances; those were simply the ones that most readily stood out. Either way, the effect here is greatly diminished next to Monsters, which itself wasn't overpopulated with the effect by any stretch of the imagination. As with Monsters and Panasonic's 3D sampler disc, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is more about depth than gimmicky scenes that feature objects that appear to extend beyond the boundaries of the screen. They're there, but they're reserved and worked into the story, rather than wrenched into the plot for the sake of making the audience gasp and jump back in their seats. Otherwise, the only other drawback to the Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs home Blu-ray 3D experience came in the form of screen size; even at an honest 50" and with the picture's scope aspect ratio, the action seemed a bit small and cramped; the bigger the screen, it would seem, the better the full HD 3D experience. Is anyone really surprised that it's Sony -- arguably Blu-ray's most loyal studio since the format's inception -- leading the charge into the Blu-ray 3D revolution? Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs isn't the very first Blu-ray 3D disc to market, but it is the first that's marketed to the 3D consumer -- every 3D consumer regardless of brand loyalty -- and available for purchase at an acceptable price point. It's a crucial first step in bringing this wonderful technology to the forefront; there's no telling how many 3D HDTVs have gone unsold for the complete absence of any 3D Blu-ray discs to buy alongside the shiny new television. It will be interesting to watch the sales numbers as more and more discs trickle out into the marketplace; no doubt Sony will continue releasing 3D titles beyond Cloudy, Monster House, and Open Season, and hopefully more studios will follow suit. This Blu-ray 3D release of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs rights just about every wrong that plagued DreamWorks' exclusively-bundled Monsters vs. Aliens disc. It's got a few lossless soundtracks and a decent supplemental package while also playing on 2D Blu-ray players and being sold at a consumer-friendly price. It's not a perfect package -- the menu screen should be in 3D and load times could be a bit faster -- but considering all the disc does right and its place as a historically-important home video release, Sony's 3D Blu-ray edition of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs earns my highest recommendation. [CSW] -2.9- . [A4.5-V5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - DBox-9.5/10 Cast Notes: Bill Hader (Flint Lockwood [voice]), Anna Faris (Sam Sparks [voice]), James Caan (Tim Lockwood [voice]), Andy Samberg ('Baby' Brent [voice]), Bruce Campbell (Mayor Shelbourne [voice]), Mr. T (Earl Devereaux [voice]), Bobb'e J. Thompson (Cal Deveraux [voice]), Benjamin Bratt (Manny [voice]), Neil Patrick Harris (Steve [voice]), Al Roker (Patrick Patrickson [voice]), Lauren Graham (Fran Lockwood [voice]), Will Forte (Joe Towne [voice]), Max Neuwirth (Young Flint [voice]), Peter Siragusa (Rufus [voice]), Angela Shelton (Regina Devereaux [voice]). IMDb Rating (01/11/12): 7.8/10 from 36,115 users
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