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O'Neal plays the titular genie Kazaam, accidentally awakened by a troubled 13 year- old inner city kid named Max (Francis Capra). The genie can grant material wishes such as cars and money, but not the more important "ethereal" wishes like love and destiny. Like all genies stuck in a bottle, Kazaam pressures Max to get his three wishes over with so he can be free, but the contemptuous Max treats Kazaam like a freak. (A bad move, as this snotty kid alienates us fast.) But when the meddling Max has his back against the wall, he calls for Kazaam's help and the magic begins to happen. Soon, a subplot emerges as Max tracks down his father who abandoned him a decade ago. The reconciliation proves even more mysterious as the glamour of the entertainment business and those typically nasty mobsters all come into play.

Critics castrated Kazaam, but what were they expecting? This isn't the most original or inspired of material, but the intent is clearly laudable. Is it so bad to want to bring some light into a troubled boy's life? The surprisingly serious moments of the film hit the mark, especially the solid acting even from Shaq, and it's nice that director Paul M. Glaser (yes, Starsky from Starsky and Hutch) encouraged quite a bit of physicality from his cast which adds vigor to the screen. Unfortunately, the relentless melodramatic moments are tiresome, and the emerging subplot with the father feels contrived. How about just having a job or a more everyday situation separate the father and son? Exacerbqating this problem, is the mob stuff, the dark side of which is too cruel for the targeted kid audience, so the best moments are simply when Shaq is on screen interacting with the boy.

Was this a vehicle for O'Neal? Of course. But he lives up to the demanding task of playing a rapping genie. Shaq gets to tease, flirt, argue, laugh, rap hard, fight, goof off, mourn, be caring and just plain react, and against all odds he is actually a convincing genie. O'Neal is courageous in his daring to be dramatic, and displays fine comedic timing. Whether tending to Max's problems, using his magic powers, or just rapping his ass off, I thought O'Neal was both fearless and inviting. The only problem is the nonstop insults from the snotty kid. Later in the film, Kazaam sincerely tells Max, "You're the only friend I've ever had." Yeah right. It's impossible to like Max, a choice by the filmmakers which I find puzzling. How screenwriters Christian Ford and Roger Soffer missed this critical need for the audience to actually like their young hero is the biggest disappointment of the film. Did they have to make him such a perpetual twerp? Little Francis Capra has natural talent, so why saddle him with such a selfish, rotten attitude?

It may be a weak TV movie when Shaq's not on the screen, but Kazaam still is a fine film for the kids despite the snotty Max. Director Paul M. Glaser keeps a nice pace going throughout and shows a strong eye for composition. The special effects are an above-average mix of computer animation, puppetry and animation (though the film could have used a bit more magic), and O'Neal, who also executive produced, delivers a strong performance in a thankless role. Kazaam is better than its reputation might suggest.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Kazaam is presented in its original 1.85:1 widescreen theatrical aspect ratio but is not anamorphically encoded. The back of the keepcase may state that the film is "Digitally Mastered," but this six-year-old film looks like it was recently recovered from the bowels of the Titanic. Artifacts, grain and faded colors are almost a disgrace. Thankfully, after about five minutes the quality does pick up a bit. Colors appear more saturated and details become more distinct. Despite continued if occasional minor fading, blacks are quite deep, though the soft grain that permeates the film hinders depth and definition. Some of the animation and computer effects were well integrated without appearing too gimmicky. However, edge enhancement is evident, especially on hard lines such as fire escapes and brick. Despite some horrendous segments, especially the opening, this is a decent transfer but obviously one left over from the laserdisc days.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The film's audio is reproduced in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, and this is an aggressive and sometimes exciting mix. The fronts have some noticeable depth and generally smooth pans. Dialogue sounds clean and well balanced in the mix, and the surrounds are most alive during scenes with action. There is some fun front-to-back panning evident, otherwise the rears are mostly reserved for ambiance except during the aggressive scenes. Split action is noticeable on occasion. The .1 LFE is quite aggressive and reaches some surprisingly deep lows especially during the musical numbers, though it can be a bit more boomy than smooth - I had to adjust it down a notch to keep from being distracted. If not wholly transparent, this is a fun, engaging audio mix and certainly the highlight of this DVD.

A Spanish 2.0 surround mix is also included, along with English Closed Captions and English subtitles.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

No supplements have been included at all. Surely, a blooper reel would have been fun. Worse, where are at least a few Shaq-rappin' videos?

DVD- ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts