Rating: 
Summary: A True American Classic
Review: This is how I remember Chicago before it became a truly world-class city. Today, this movie, on this scale, could never again be made in Chicago. I remember when it was made: the whole city was shut down and people were amazed that Hollywood had come to our town. This is the last great American film musical, featuring of course, the blues of Chicago which are Delta Blues spiced with twangy guitar riffs. The movie's transformation onto DVD is nothing short of a triumph of technology. The music is now more than ever before an integral part of the movie. Where else can you get Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker and countless other soul and blues stars all together in one place? And have the music coming at you like they were all in your living room. Belushi was a comic genius. Clearly out of control, mad. Ackroyd's antics and stage presence seeped and played off of Belushi. He was too bright a star; too fast for his own good. But he left us with this film, a true American Classic.
Rating: 
Summary: ...it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses
Review: This DVD is the Director's Cut of the film. That means 17 minutes of extra footage is included making the film a good 17 minutes too long. The added material just makes the pacing falter and so, ironically, the VHS release displays a better film. But, with that gripe out of the way, this is one fun film.Jake and Elwood Blues are the creation of Saturday Night Live veterans Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi. They took the first step to the big screen amongst the countless other Saturday Night Live and SCTV characters (The CONEHEADS, WAYNE'S WORLD, ONE NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY, SUPERSTAR, THE LADIES MAN, STUART SAVES HIS FAMILY and STRANGE BREW amongst them.) And THE BLUES BROTHERS is the film to compare all of these too. That is bad news for them because this is an entertaining musical comedy. Filmed with the gritty look of a drama, the musical is indeed a surprise but with Jake and Elwood as 'musicians', what else can you expect. The storyline follows the brothers as they try to raise money to save an orphanage. This means putting the band back together. As they piece it all back together, they encounter more colorful characters looking to block their success. John Candy, Charles Napier and Carrie Fisher take their hunt seriously. They also encounter assistance by Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway and Frank Oz amongst them. There are even small appearances by Paul "Pee Wee Herman" Reubens as a waiter and Steven Spielberg as a clerk in the finale. Now, this is Aykroyd and Belushi's film as they nonchalantly ignore life-changing catastrophes. Director John Landis brings these huge occurrences to the screen like a master. You can just feel the fun put into this production. The greatest charm in the film is the musical numbers. Wherever the boys go, people just seem to break out into infectious song. You'll find yourself tapping along. With the exception of the 'restored' material, this is a nice DVD with a good video transfer and audio transfer that'll put your receiver to the test. Also a recent making-of documentary is included. If you get a chance to join Jake and Elwood, I recommend it.
They're on a mission from God.
Rating:
Summary: They Were on a Mission From God.............
Review: When I first saw The Blues Brothers, I expected to see a typical comedy with nothing else to offer. I was very wrong. You are taken along for a wild ride with Jake Blues (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Akroyd). The two brothers have to reassemble theri band within a week, get enough "gigs" to earn $5000 to help the orphanage where they were raised stay in operation. All the while they make enemies from Nazis, rednecks, and of course the police. Like the shark in Jaws, the music in The Blues Brothers steals the show as the star. Like "China Town", which had a cast all at their prime, The Blues Brothers have many great comedians and musicains in their prime. John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, John Candy, Cab Calloway, Carrie Fischer in great comedic roles. The Blues Brothers Band (which is a real band), Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Jams Brown, and many others in great musical roles. Special Features are great, including trailors and a feature about the making of the film that also has a chapter selection. Bottom Line:
The Blues Brothers is a gem, both comedically and musically. It's a cult classic like "Animal House" and gives us a chance to see departed talents John Belushi, Cab Calloway, and John Candy. If you want a film to fall in love with and a great DVD, Blues Brothers needs to be on your shopping list. This is a very lovealbe film that I would recommend to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: It's the Music, Stupid!
Review: I was a huge fan of the original screen version and had watched the VHS version which was disappointing due to the quality of the film and the size of my screen. I recently saw this DVD at a friends house with the big screen, home theater experience and was amazed at how well the comedy and music stand up to today's standards! This is still one of the finest films of the 80's and the best action/musical ever. The DVD version illustrates this perfectly.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent movie, and lots of goodies
Review: This was one of the first DVDs I got, for a reason. I love this movie -- it has energy and panache, not to mention some absolutely fabulous music. As I'm sure some blurb somewhere on this Amazon page mentions, the story concerns two blues-singing brothers who are trying to raise money for a good cause. Along the way, they interact with a ton of interesting people (including Carrie Fisher, Frank Oz, Aretha Franklin, and others), perform a lot of great blues, and destroy a lot of property. Mayhem and hilarity seem to thicken around the two leads, whose chemistry is undeniable. The movie feels nothing like some SNL folks' movies can feel -- it's a movie, with depth. I had no idea the Blues Brothers were a sketch originally! Since I probably just told you a bunch of stuff you already knew, I'll step along to the DVD itself. Those who already own the movie on VHS might want to consider this addition to their DVD library -- the goodies are lots of fun, including an extensive "making of" feature.
Rating:
Summary: The blues at its best
Review: The Blues! The reason there are dvd's. John and Dan. Are on a mission from God. They want the band back. The do anything to get it back and play anywere to play. The extra's really give you a insight on movie itself. The movie is good you just have to see it to know.
Rating:
Summary: An 80s classic
Review: The collector's edition of The Blues Brothers is a great addition to your DVD collection. The bonus material provides behind the scenes/making of insights that all Blues Brothers fans will enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: For a DVD, one fatal flaw...
Review: I was desperately hoping to buy this DVD, thinking that the producers would do the obvious...include a 'family friendly' language option. My two young boys would love to see this movie again, but I can't let them due to verbal content. Every DVD I own has multiple languages, and this movie had to be 'cleaned up' for broadcast. So why not here? Yes, it's an excellent movie. Too bad somebody wasn't thinking when it came to the 'options' department...
Rating:
Summary: Missions from God Can Be Fun -- Movie: 5 Stars; DVD: 3 Stars
Review: In the 20 years since this film's release, the Blues Brothers have been overexposed, yet for all the theme park impersonators and lackluster sequels, the original skits and film retain their magic, in part because of Aykroyd and John Belushi's frenetic energy and the fun of the film. With over two hours of slapstick comedy and great music, you'd be hard pressed to find a more entertaining film in cinematic history. It's impossible to walk away without humming the soundtrack and smiling. As the supplemental material on this DVD reveals, that's partly due to how much fun the cast and crew were having. Aykroyd, Belushi and director John Landis love the music it spotlights and the over-the-top humor it features, and it shows, both in the loving treatment of performances by such R&B legends as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Cab Calloway, and in the audacity of the car crashes and physical comedy. This is one of those rare films for almost EVERYONE. Although some parts could seem raunchy or misogynist or sacreligious, Belushi and Aykroyd are charming enough to dispel hard feelings. This is a film you can watch with your kids and your grandparents, your girlfriend and your brother, and you'll all have a great time. The DVD could be better. The sound and picture qualities are flawed, and the supplemental material is uninspired. Although the one-hour documentary gives a revealing look behind the scenes -- particularly from Landis, who enjoys talking about his work and knows how to tell stories -- Universal misses the opportunity to delve more into the music of the artists behind the film. As for the restored scenes, most of them (excluding John Lee Hooker's extended musical number) add little to the film and are the often confusing result of screenwriter Aykroyd's attempts to explain too much. They slow down the pace of the film, and they would have better served either as a separate "deleted scenes" feature or as an optional version. But with a movie this entertaining, why quibble? "The Blues Brothers" is an essential addition to any film collection, especially when the DVD preserves the widescreen ratio. You don't want to miss a milimeter of the car crashes.
Rating:
Summary: Very well done, but...
Review: I have to start by saying that this is one of my all-time favorite movies. I love the blues, I love the humor of Akroyd and Belushi, and this is a great combination. Hearing this movie on DVD after numerous times on VHS and cable TV is like going from vinyl to CD. But at the same time, it shows some of it's warts. For example, Shake Your Tailfeather has a little bit of surface noise along with the recording. If you own the soundtrack on CD, it's the same effect but maybe a little more pronounced as compared with the excellent audio quality of the rest of the picture. The extra scenes, in my humble opinion, just don't add all that much to the movie. If anything, it slows it down. I can't imagine what this edition might be like if the folks at Universal hadn't thrown away the original negatives. For all the complaints from Mr. Landis regarding the fact he liked it the way it was originally, it's better cut down. And no, I don't think that all movies have to be under a certain amount of time to be good (I loved Schindler's List in all of it's 3 hours and 17 minutes). I wish there was an option to have the original theatrical release play in addition to the added segments. The additional material, while sparse, was very good. I enjoyed the documentary on the making of the film. It gave me quite a few good laughs. Overall, in my biased opinion, this easily rates 5 stars, but there was certainly a little room for improvement.
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