4K Ultra HD Review: Footloose: 40th Anniversary Edition

By John Corrado

The 1984 film Footloose is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and Paramount is honouring the occasion by releasing it for the first time on 4K Ultra HD this week.

Kevin Bacon stars as Ren McCormack, the rebel kid from Chicago who moves to the small town of Bomont, where loud music and dancing are outlawed. Ren challenges the town’s ban on public dancing, going up against the strict Reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow) and falling in love with the preacher’s daughter Ariel (Lori Singer).

No matter how you cut it, Footloose was one of the most influential movies of the 1980s (it became the seventh highest grossing film of 1984, on a $7.5 million budget). It spawned a hit soundtrack, including the Oscar-nominated songs “Footloose” and “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” as well as a (pretty good, from what I remember) 2011 remake.

Directed by choreographer turned filmmaker Herbert Ross, from a screenplay written by Fame songwriter Dean Pitchford (who was inspired by a real story of an Oklahoma town overturning their decades-long ban on dancing in 1980), Footloose works as a film that blends coming-of-age drama with vibrant dance sequences. The story charts Ren’s positive influences on the town, from teaching Willard (Chris Penn) – the kid with two left feet – to dance, to helping the adults move away from the past.

It’s easy to view Footloose as a product of its time, including similarities to other hit films of the era (i.e., Flashdance, Saturday Night Fever, Dirty Dancing). But, watching it again, Ross and Pitchford do a fine job of balancing the character beats and rousing moments, from the inspiring council meeting to the spirited finale. Even the film’s cheesier moments are now part of its charm. It’s all carried by Bacon’s breakthrough performance that made him an instant star.

The newly remastered 4K maintains a nice filmic look to it that offers an upgrade over the 2011 Blu-ray (this isn’t the most dynamic image, but that is true to the source). There is a level of grain to it that feels natural, offering a pleasing viewing experience for this nostalgic 1980s dance classic.