Blu-ray Movie Reviews

One magical night, a lonely young boy named John makes a special wish that his teddy bear will come to life and be his best friend. And on that special night, the fates decide to grant him his wish. The next morning, John introduces Teddy to his absolutely freaked-out parents. Flash-forward 25 years, and John has grown up into a strapping young man who looks astonishingly like Mark Wahlberg. Best friend, Teddy, now just called plain Ted, has grown up, too, but only in maturity…or lack thereof. John and Ted now spend their afternoons getting high in front of the tube and talking trash about women.

John also has an insanely hot girlfriend named Lori, played by Mila Kunis, proving once again that casting is everything. Wahlberg and Kunis make a cute, fun-loving couple, but when you throw a potsmoking, skirt-chasing, foul-mouthed teddy bear into the mix, sparks are bound to fly. The old adage of “bros before hoes” is the central theme here. We’ve all seen it, we’ve all been there, but if Kunis is the ho in question, sorry Teddy, but ya gotta go.

Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy notoriety co-writes, directs, and provides the voice and motion-capture movement for Ted. I give the actors props for approaching the film’s hokey premise with complete and total sincerity. Wahlberg especially approaches his role with all the seriousness and professionalism of a Scorsese picture, and that’s what makes the whole thing work. The visual-effects artists also deserve accolades for making a CGI teddy bear come to living, breathing life.

The HD picture exhibits excellent sharpness and detail. Colors and skintones are even and consistent. The lines of separation between the human actors interacting with a CG teddy bear are seamless and undetectable. Nighttime interiors of a warmly lit restaurant or nightclub are just as vivid and inviting as the daytime exteriors of downtown Boston. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mainly dominates the center channel in the form of profane banter and insults from a foulmouthed teddy bear, but a knock-down, drag-out fist fight in a hotel room between man and stuffed animal offers the best and most diverse mix of auditory panache.

The disc includes the theatrical version and an unrated version, which runs seven minutes longer. Extras include audio commentary, deleted scenes, alternate takes, a gag reel, and two behind-the-scenes featurettes. A bonus DVD and Digital Copy via UltraViolet are also provided.

Blu-Ray
Studio: Universal, 2012
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio Format: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Length: 107 mins.
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Giovanni Ribisi