Ernest Goes To Camp on Blu-Ray, knowhutimean?

Just for the heck of it, I'm gonna start going through my blu-ray collection and reviewing what I have.  Which at the moment isn't much.  I'll start with our main man, Ernest...

Let's get this out of the way at the outset, you either like this guy or you don't.  He's either hilarious or excruciatingly dumb.  I identify myself as an Ernest fan, and I will admit that that has a ton to do with growing up as a child in the 80s.  He was a product of his time, aimed toward a certain audience and I was of that time and audience.  I find the man hilarious.  Ernest Goes to Camp isn't my favorite Ernest movie, but it is easily one of the better in his never-ending catalog.  The crown, for me, goes to Ernest Saves Christmas, but as with many, my movie introduction to the man came when he went to camp and made the staggering leap from inept handyman to inept, but caring, camp counselor.  Of course, I'd known Ernest for a while because of the prevalent commercials on tv at the time, but his brand of wacky and physical humor always did it for me.  I firmly understand that this humor isn't for everybody, but I enjoyed it.  I found Jim Varney to be, despite the quality of the movies he was in, a very gifted creator of characters.  The movies really took off when he was able to riff on different personalities, but unfortunately, he didn't do too much of that in his debut film.  Instead, he inhabits his character with the very quality of the name he'd given him and injected him with a massive amount of heart.  He may bumble around like a fool, but like the wayward kids he was put in charge of, he wins you over with his unending optimism and good nature.  It's refreshing to find a good, clean movie that you aren't afraid to show your kids that puts forth a nice message amongst all the silly goings on.  Best of all, you will learn what to never, ever do if you run across a mess of badgers.

The movie on blu-ray, unfortunately, isn't much to write home about.  The video quality is probably better than the dvd version, but I don't know that it's enough or the type of movie that mandates an upgrade to the superior format.  The special features are lacking, but it is a good price.  If you don't already own the regular dvd version and are a fan of the man in the hat and denim vest, it's a good, cheap pick up.  If you however already own the dvd, an upgrade probably isn't very necessary unless you're just a completist.  And if you are, as I said, it's not like the movie costs an arm and a leg.

I enjoy this movie, even as an adult.  The humor probably doesn't work on me as well now as it did back in the mid 80s when I was 6 or 7, but I get a kick out of watching the man do his thing.  If anything, re-watching the movie reminds me that I miss Jim Varney and I wish he was still around entertaining the kids and the kid in us with his wacky characters.