How High

So, what do you get when you put two of the flyest hip-hop stars around in a film about smoking weed, going to college and getting the fly girlies? No, don't try and answer that, it's more of a rhetorical question.

Method Man (of Wu-Tang Clan fame) and Redman are admittedly both fairly new to the acting game, with only Method Man having appeared in any major films of significance such as Cop Land, The Great White Hype and Black & White. Unlike many of their rapper/actor contemporaries such as Ice Cube or Ice T, however, it will be extremely surprising if their acting careers ever rise above the hackneyed 'weed', and I use the term loosely, comedy format they seem so fond of. Especially compared with the likes of 8 Mile, the surprisingly emotional Eminem vehicle, not to mention some truly solid turns from Ice Cube (Three Kings), this pair's choice in lead roles seems even more naive.

Method Man is Silas, a weed dealer with an appreciation for the good stuff and a brain for horticulture. Redman is Jamal, a two-bit stinkin' weed fiend with a nagging mother and a two year community college stint that's now going on six years. One day, a nasty weed related accident results in the creation of some magical pot. Before undertaking some major exams, Silas and Jamal smoke the magical pot, which in turn makes them ace their exams and open the doors to Harvard.

So campus hi-jinks abound as the pair struggle to fit in, party on and go head on with an uptight dean, committed to getting the troublesome pair thrown out of Harvard for good. Along the way there'll be weed, parties, pranks, weed, honeys, weed and some, ah... weed.

"(...Insert confident and macho (read derogatory) comment about giddy (yet apparently intelligent) girl's behind and chest here...)"

How High isn't just par for the course on college film antics - in fact, it's way below. From the uptight dean scenario, down to the intelligent and attractive love interest that loves it when a macho man knows how to treat a woman, it's one of the most naive undertakings the genre has ever seen. The film literally rehashes so much out of date college and stoner film lore, it make's you wonder where the film makers have been for the last 20 years. Haven't these people ever seen an episode of The Simpsons?

It almost goes without saying, however, that How High will definitely have its audience. Anyone who enjoyed the likes of Friday, Senseless or Half Baked will most likely enjoy this film. Just don't expect it to be an evolution, as those three films were much funnier.

In stark contrast with the actual film content on this disc, the video quality for How High is quite beautiful.

The transfer is pretty much razor sharp right through. There is a great pallette of colours on show throughout the feature and both black levels and shadow detail are excellent. This is especially important, as there are quite a few scenes set at night during the film.

The print is ever fresh and entirely free from any film artefacts or transfer artefacting of any kind. In fact, the only blemishes on an otherwise flawless transfer are some very slight instances of aliasing and a rather poorly executed layer change.

The film is presented in a 1.85:1 theatrical ratio that is 16x9 enhanced.

Not only is How High blessed with a stunning video transfer, but in terms of audio, we get both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as the standard 2.0 stereo.

While it's not a particularly active soundtrack in terms of directionality and maximum speaker work out, the fact that we are now beginning to see DTS soundtracks even on releases such as this bodes extremely well for the Region 4 DVD market.

Largely, the surrounds are pretty quiet for the whole movie, only firing up here and there with some atmospheric effects and the like. Subwoofer usage is also extremely minimal, only coming into play periodically during music.

When Universal are delivering the bonus goods on a title, boy do they ever go the gauntlet in terms of effort.

First up, we get an Audio Commentary with Method Man and Redman. It's fairly dull for the most part, but should raise a few laughs while listening. For the most part they just talk about specific scenes and what went on behind the scenes.

A 21 minute Making Of featurette consists mainly of back slapping interviews with almost the entire cast. Generally, it makes the film seem a lot funnier than it really is.

The Deleted Scenes reel runs for just over 20 minutes and consists of 22 scenes. Fans of the film should find them to be a real treat, but none of them would have made the film any better.

An Outtakes reel is also included. It runs for just under three minutes and is about as funny as watching a bunch of Z-grade actors forgetting their lines and swearing a whole lot.

Hide the Stash is an interactive game that has you perusing the easter eggs contained within the menus in order to find the weed stash.

Not surprisingly, Method Man and Redman did a Music Video to promote the film. Set on campus, it shows the pair bullying students, starting food fights and performing panty raids. Method Man and Redman are incredible rhymers by nature, but it's a pity that half of the video is blanked out due to language.

Again, presenting an air of misinformation that the film is funnier than it really is, the Theatrical Trailer included is an effective marketing tool. A Teaser Trailer for Ali G in Da House is also included.

Last of all is the standard written information for Cast and Crew and Production Information.

While Method Man and Redman are both capable actors to a limited extent, (except for a couple of scenes) How High just isn't funny. Still, it will have its audience through fans of stoner movies or 15 year-old Wu-Tang Clan fans. And in the end, the assumption is this is what the creators are counting on.

The big plus for this release, however, is a DVD of exceptional quality. Blessed with a near flawless video transfer, a DTS soundtrack and an extensive body of extras, it's an exciting package for anyone interested in the film.

Kings of the hip-hop scene these two may be, but if they keep doing films like How High, then they'll be the laughing stock of the film industry. Hell, even the Wayans brothers are funnier than this.