10 Things I Hate About You Blu-ray Review


10 Things I Hate About You

Wow, they really did a great job with this one. Thankfully so since it is the 10th anniversary edition! Still one of the better transfers for catalog titles I’ve seen this year. Well, I guess I mean last year don’t I? 😉 Which begs the question, since this title was pushed back to its January 5th release date then how is it a 10 year anniversary when it’s now technically an 11 year anniversary? Haha, such is the norm with Hollywood releases eh? Enough of the small talk, let’s get right down to it. What is it that makes 10 Things I Hate About You special? How about a rom-com based off Shakespeare?

“10 Things” is loosely based on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” The movie is about Kat (the Shrew, Julia Stiles) who is an anti social outsider. Unfortunately her younger and more popular sister Bianca cannot date until Kat starts dating. Various suitors of Bianca’s conspire to free her by hiring the school bad boy Patrick (Heath Ledger) to date Kat.

The character of Kat is very refreshing. She is a strong willed feminist, but remains sexy and human rather than a Hollywood stereotype.

I also loved the setting of the movie in Seattle, Washington. What a departure from the vast majority of teen movies which usually take place in California or Florida! I especially like the school where the film was shot, Padua High School which is a real High School in Tacoma. I had a friend who went to the very same High School.

Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles are perfect as the leads. Both were very young when this movie was filmed, but you could tell then they had talent and would go far. Julia Stiles really impresses with her ability to be sexy, strong and even vulnerable all at the same time. The supporting cast is also excellent. Larisa Oleynik gives a great performance as the beautiful and naive Bianca. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Cameron, the boy who will do anything for Bianca. I also liked Andrew Keegan as the vain and stuck up Joey who also is after Bianca, but for less than honorable reasons.

The movie does have some cliche’s of the teen comedy genre, but the story is surprisingly clever and engaging, and thus a happy ending is guaranteed.



10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You comes your way in 1080p goodness with a yada yada transfer. The transfer excels in so many ways for a catalog title that it will probably make you mad that some other recent catalog classics didn’t receive the same attention. Sigh. 10 Things I hate About You barely suffers from any extreme grain effects (unintentionally) and reproduces its colorful palette nicely. The transfer truly captures all the warm and vibrant colors alike and intensifies them in chef like form. Just the right amount, not too little and not too much. The clarity is almost unbelievable at times and sometimes you got to stop and wonder how much of this quality that shines through today has benefitted from the directors original input. I’d suspect a great deal, 10 Things I Hate About You excels in the video quality department.



10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You comes with a nice DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Although it’s not bass heavy, the movie does excel well with dialogue reproduction. Voices are heard with the utmost clarity. Although not newly remastered, the track still shines with a great tight mix that still exceeds expectations to this day. You can expect high usage from your fronts and center on this one and low usage of your rears. The subwoofers main moments will be utilized during the party scene in which Julia Styles binge drinks and dances and moments where the band plays. Make no mistake about it, this is a dialogue rich movie and its showcased in damn near every scene. Overall, the audio is great for what is intended and presents a great blu-ray track well worth the upgrade in my opinion.



10 Things I Hate About You

For a 10th Anniversary release, you would expect quite a bit more in the supplemental package. Unfortunately, you’re not going to get a plethora of goods. However, you do get some new footage and a nice new commentary track.

“10 Things I Love About 10 Things I Hate About You 10 Years Later” (36 minutes, HD) – This is a new addition filmed for the 10th Anniversary of this title. Inside this featurette is commentaries, behind the scenes footage and deleted scenes.

Audio Commentary featuring actors Andrew Keegan, David Krumholtz, Susan May Pratt, and Larisa Oleynik with co-writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kristen Smith. The audio track is nice, funny, and sad when you hear the cast remember Heath Ledger.



10 Things I Hate About You

And last but certainly not least, the bottom line. 10 Things I Hate About You finally steps onto blu-ray disc and overall does not disappoint. This is one of the few rom-coms that is fresh, unique (Shakespeare aside) and one that set the tone for many to come. Brilliant film making allowed for a timely story to be redone but with todays lingo. Be it that this film is a 10 year annivesary its funny to see how its still relevant in regards to the dialogue. That, or I’m just getting old. None the less, fans of this film will be purchasing regardless, but for those on a fence about this purchase just take a gander at the PQ and AQ ratings because that should set you at ease. The Heath Ledger footage is nice but it’s not near as nice as perhaps if the lil sticker on the front (advertising the footage) would have been on TDK for example. Not trying to take away from 10 Things but don’t let that be the sole reason your buying this blu. Buy this blu because you like this movie and want the blu-ray treatment for it in your collection. If you’ve never seen this movie, then a blind purchase is a definite recommendation. It’s funny, witty, charming and intelligent. BRC gives it a stamp of approval. Enjoy!

About the author

is a pop culture fanatic who loves to collect things from films that leave a lasting impression on him. A big fan of such brands like SteelBook, Mondo, and Sideshow. Favorite films or franchises include Braveheart, HEAT, Book of Eli, Ip Man, Nolan's Batman, Everything Marvel, and practically anything Quentin Tarantino touches. Proudly owns The Notebook, drives 88 mph, and know's exactly what was in Marsellus Wallace's briefcase!