It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad War Comedy.

Steven Spielberg has directed many box-office successes over the years, most of them certifiable modern classics. But even the best directors have their misfires, and 1941 would be at the top of his admittedly short list. Critically savaged and ignored by moviegoers upon its December 1979 release, the film has nonetheless carved out a loyal cult following.

Originally concieved as a low-budget black comedy by screenwriters Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale (the duo behind the Back to the Future trilogy), the tone of the film shifted dramatically when Spielberg came aboard the project. Gone was the cynical humor, in its place was a cross between It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and a Looney Tunes cartoon. In fact, the director asked Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones to design a gag for the film. (It wasn't used, but the rough footage can be seen on the documentary included here.) 25 years after its release, away from the hype and the post-release vitriol, does the film work?

Like IAMMMMW, the story is an interconnected series of vignettes that ends with the cast congregating together. In this case, it's Los Angeles a week after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Being a coastal city, the city is paranoid about a possible Japanese attack and civil defense groups are out in full force. In the midst of the edginess and fear, the local USO is organizing a jitterbug contest for local servicemen. Unbeknownst to everyone, a Japanese sub is just off of the California coastline, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Our motley cast of characters include local schlubs Wally (Bobby DiCicco) and Dennis (Perry Lang). Wally decides to enlist after his girlfriend Betty (Dianne Kay) joins the USO, and Dennis tags along. Betty's family likes the idea of their daughter joining the USO, especially her father Ward (Ned Beatty), who wants to use their oceanside home as a civil defense port. Farther inland, there's a slightly insane pilot (John Belushi) convinced he saw a Japanese plane crash-land, and an equally nutty general (Warren Oates) preparing for the Japanese invasion of Barstow. Amidst all this, the General in charge (Robert Stack) trieds to keep a cool head when things get out of hand during the USO dance and the city explodes in riots. All the while, the Japanese move closer to their 'honorable' target, Hollywood...

So why doesn't the film work? Simply put, it's not funny. Sure, the first joke is an amusing takeoff on Jaws, but after that, things go downhill. In this expanded version, the opening 45 minutes are fairly dull and don't engage the viewer. (I should mention that after reading various reviews, this seems to be one of those films that you probably would have need to have seen as a kid to enjoy. ) That's one of the reasons the theatrical version was 26 minutes shorter at Universal's insistence. Most of the expanded footage relegates Belushi's character to a bit part, certainly not a good thing when you look at the Belushi-heavy ad campaign the studio ran in the year before release. (I can't compare the two versions, as I was unable to find a copy of the theatrical cut. This is probably due to the fact that this expanded version has been the only cut available for the last 10 years.)

It isn't all bad, though. Being as expensive as it was, the production had top-level people behind the camera working movie magic. The miniature model work still holds up fairly well today, and John Williams' score hits the right patriotic notes. On the actors' side, Belushi tries his best, and DiCicco plays the straight-arrow character perfectly. (I look forward to seeing his work in The Big Red One when that film hits DVD in May.) Robert Stack seems to be practicing for his role in Airplane with his portayal of General Stilwell. There are familiar names up and down the cast list - Toshiro Mifune, Christopher Lee, Slim Pickens, Treat Williams, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy - but they take a back seat to the carnage going on all around them. Granted, a reportedly $40 million budget bought you a lot of carnage in 1979, but on the small screen, the effect is lessened and can't make up for the flatness of the humor. It's too much glitz and glamour for too few grins.

With the advent of laserdiscs and the rising popularity of director's cuts in the mid-1990s, Universal and Spielberg went back to the film and added back the 26 minutes for a 1995 laserdisc release, and this is the version currently available on DVD. Being a direct port of the laserdisc version, the 2.35:1 widescreen frame isn't anamorphic. The 5.1 surround track included is nice and loud, perfect for the 146 minutes of controlled mayhem.

The laserdisc release was labeled a 'Collector's Edition', and all the extras there were included on the DVD. The highlight is a 90-minute documentary put together by Spielberg cohort Laurent Bouzereau. If you've ever wondered how a film can go from being a black comedy with the family-friendly title The Night the Japs Attacked to a broad comedy directed by Steven Spielberg, just watch this. Strangely enough, no actors are present - it's all crew members. Spielberg, Zemeckis, Gale, producer John Milius, director of photography William Fraker and Williams provide a neat look at the crazy production. While it's not a commentary track (a Spielberg DVD no-no), it works nearly as well.

Other extras include three trailers (the film's first teaser, with Belushi ad-libbing, is hilarious), a photo and poster gallery, deleted scenes, a collection of (very) negative reviews and Williams' score on an isolated track. Surprisingly, this is one of his few late-70s scores that hasn't yet gotten an expanded CD release. Even though most studios frown on including isolated scores today, Universal decided not to pull it off when they reissued the DVD in 2003.

The DVD's retail price has dropped from $35 to $14.99, although I haven't seen it go for more than $10 at stores lately. You won't hurt your wallet if you decide to take a chance on this DVD. You probably won't hurt your funnybone either, so be warned - the movie isn't recommended, but the DVD package is.