GLEE ENCORE
(not rated)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
To coincide with the many iTunes and CD releases of “Glee,” the show’s biggest hits are now available on DVD and Blu-ray in a compressed format. No plots, story arcs or characters to mess up the flow with this. Instead, the first season of the popular TV show is boiled down to a 77-minute disc that features songs, songs and nothing but songs.
WHAT I LIKED
Honestly, I liked this presentation. I have railed against “Glee” as of late because it seems to be nothing more than a feeble attempt to sell iTunes downloads. And while I feel the show has suffered because of this, the music certainly hasn’t.
As the “Glee” plot becomes more about bridging songs together, the focus has been the music. Let’s give the people what they want. This “Encore” edition doesn’t preach to us about accepting kids that are different from us. It doesn’t cram an anti-bullying message down our throats. It just presents 30 cool cover songs in a nice package.
Because let’s face it… I’m not watching “Glee” for the story any more.
Ironically, when I watch “Glee” now, I zip through the songs as if they are commercials. This is done mainly because they have no bearing on the plot… or what passes for a plot on that show nowadays. The “Encore” edition allows me to experience these songs without them feeling like a nuisance.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Because all of these songs come from the first season of the show, they are sometimes confusing when plot elements bleed through. When Kurt screws up his solo on “Defying Gravity,” it just sounds awkward without knowing why it happens. Similarly, because the songs were so well blended (at least in the first half of season one), moving out of the songs on this wall-to-wall music disc appears rather clunky at times.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
Like the actual “Glee” DVDs and Blu-rays, this disc comes with a Jukebox mode which allows you to shuffle the songs at random.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Gleeks and anyone who wants to watch the musical numbers without the surrounding story.