Welcome To The Puppet Jungle

Well, I really don't know how to introduce this film. I suppose if I say it is an early work of Director Peter Jackson, you film buffs out there may have an inkling of the style and wit with which it is directed. However, for those unfamiliar with Mr. Jackson's work, he is perhaps best known in this country for his bigger-budgeted stuff like The Frighteners, Heavenly Creatures and the upcoming Lord Of The Rings trilogy. It should be noted, however, that being a fan of those films might not quite prepare you for the experience that is Meet The Feebles.

Because before those "mainstream" projects (relatively speaking), Mr. Jackson was well-regarded in the horror and cult circles as the director of Dead Alive and Bad Taste, two epics from the Evil Dead school of filmmaking. However, Mr. Jackson is no poor-man's Sam Raimi, and though their go-for-broke, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink and gore-soaked epics may have some similar elements, Meet The Feebles is in, uh, a class all by itself.

The story, such as it is, concerns itself with a legendary tragedy in puppet land, the Feebles Variety Massacre. Don't tell me you've never heard of this? Forget JFK's assassination, Watergate or that Monica Lewinsky thing. The Feebles Massacre was one of the milestones of 20th century history. If you somehow don't recall this event, Bletch, the cigar-smoking Walrus, began to cheat on his long-time lover Heidi The Hippo with a rather foxy little minx named Samantha. Unfortunately, Heidi was a little bit...unbalanced, and didn't take too kindly to Bletchy's amorous activities. Eventually, tragedy strikes, and I don't think there is ever a dry eye in the house at the end of this movie.

With a little bit of foresight, it appears maybe Heidi was not well-equipped at the time to handle the rigors of life in the Feebles Variety Show, and mixed with a cast of characters including a junkie knife-wielding frog, a terminally-ill rabbit, a lonely porcupine and a fox director plagued with Vietnam war flashbacks, it is clear this was all a recipe for disaster. The Muppets never had it like this.

Perhaps needless to say, impressionable youngsters and those really attached to Miss Piggy may want to avoid this little number. Personally, I get a great laugh out of it. Sick, deranged, over-the-top and just utterly bizarre, I can honestly say Meet The Feebles has a personality all its own. Peter Jackson fans should definitely not miss this , and anyone with a taste for the offbeat will probably get a kick out of it, too. And I'm sure this film is best viewed stoned.

Though still not officially released in the US, a company called Substance has released Meet The Feebles in Canada as a Region 0 disc, making it a perfectly legal and easily-obtainable import (see the bottom for a link to order the disc). Having never heard of Substance, I wasn't sure what to expect from the disc in terms of quality. Let's see what we got.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The image is presented in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, and if the video quality looks rather wanting, it is important to remember that this wasn't exactly a big-budget studio picture. Lit very darkly, the film has some grain, poor shadow detail, lack of contrast and rather pale coloring, giving the disc as a whole a dated, amateurish look. Also, the set design and lighting is very garish, with inaccurate fleshtones, but then again, these are puppets, so what kind of fleshtones are they supposed to have? I was surprised, however, with the lack of artifacting, and the fact that the print didn't have nearly as many specks, scratches or nicks as I thought it would. It looks to me like a new transfer of low-budget material. But all things considered, it really isn't bad. Just don't expect reference quality or anything.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

The sound is, expectedly, pretty thin. Presented in mono, dialogue is still always intelligible, but there is no deep base and a rather tinny high end. The musical numbers sound fine, and much better than the distorted VHS version I had seen in the past. An adequate soundtrack, given the material. There are no alternate languages provided.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Alas, the supplements on the disc are nonexistent. No trailer, no subtitles, not even a booklet in the keepcase. You can't get any more bare bones than this, though there are chapter stops...

Parting Thoughts

Though overpriced considering the lack of extras, let's face it, if you are a Feebles fan, you will probably be happy just to have this on disc. Since this is hard to snag on any format, I suppose we shouldn't expect a special edition anytime soon. Pick this one up if you are a fan of Peter Jackson or urinating puppets. And it sure makes a great party disc!

(Note: If you are interested in purchasing this disc, visit LaserLand below for current availability and pricing information.)