By Kit-Kat

I didn't pay much attention to Tropic Thunder when it came out in the theatres. I'm not big on comedy or war style films and a film that combines both well... I'm more apt to go for a good book rather than watch. I do like the occasional comedy however, and I am a fan of Jack Black so when the movie rolled around to DVD (I watched the 2-disc Director's Unrated Release) I figured I'd see just what the hype was about. Especially considering I heard from so many people just how much fun it was. Unfortunately, my comedy tolerance level is rather low these days so I just didn't see what was so great.

There were some funny moments of course, you cannot have a cast with Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. together and miss completely even with me. I'm sure if I were in a different frame of mind it would've been much better so I will have to check it out again another time. For now though, you get the unbiased review of a hickory nut.

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in "Tropic Thunder," an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the most expensive war film. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.

Oddly enough, though I adore Jack Black I didn't care much for his drug addicted character Jeff Portnoy. Pretty much most were just ok for me, each one did a superb job at putting their all into the characters but well, the only two that stood out in my book were Robert Downey Jr. (Kirk Lazarus) and Tom Cruise (Les Grossman). Now those two I thought went above and beyond and I just cracked up at Tom Cruise's character (and the dancing bit - now that is priceless). The graphic nature of the uncut version (granted I didn't see what actually was shown in theatres mind you) was good enough to satisfy even my gore factor and there were a few parts that went above and beyond (like when Stiller's character (Tugg Speedman) plays with the head of the dead director) but all in good fun truly.

Bonus Features

On disc one the bonus features are minimal - two audio commentaries one with the filmmaker and one with the cast of Robert Downy Jr., Ben Stiller and Jack Black along with your standard previews.

Disc two has Before the Thunder featurette which goes into the inspiration for the film and the development process. The Hot LZ explains the efforts of the war drama with the special effects. Blowing Shit Up featurette is just what it says (rather liked this one) as it delves into the explosions and how they were done. Designing the Thunder talks about the locations chosen for the film and the details involved in making the film come to life.

The cast of Tropic Thunder featurette gives you cast commentary (on each other as well as themselves and the film) with Stiller, Black, Downey, Jackson, Baruchel, McBride and Nolte. I rather liked the Robert Downey Jr. transformation bit in this featurette.

Rain of Madness is the hilarious mockumentary you may have seen on the internet. Chronicling Jan Jurgen (Justin Theroux) documenting the making of Tropic Thunder and gives you more funny insight into the characters like Portnoy and Sandusky not to mention Speedman. Dispatches from the Edge of Madness also continues with shorts of the mockumentary making of. These two features definitely make the grade and are fun to watch.

And of course you are treated with deleted scenes (my favorite, though nothing much stands out in this one) extended sequences, and an alternative ending (eih... ). A Make up Test with Tom Cruise gives you a fun look into his character and the reason the dancing came about. Falling in line next is a sketch from the Mtv Movie Awards where the characters make a viral video (didn't much see the point of this). Full Mags is the longest featurette and a collection of several bits with Danny McBride, Jack Black, Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. It is fun but a bit annoying after awhile of watching the same thing done with slight variation over and over. Lastly is the Video Rehearsals that give a peek into the cast footage.

Over all I liked the features more than the movie. I would recommend adding it to your collection on that alone. And as I mentioned before, the tolerance meter is off in me lately so I will be revisiting this when the frame of mind changes, after all with such work on the great bonus features and the exceptional cast it does deserver another chance. This one would be a great Christmas present for any fan!