Why Criterion’s House Party 4K Release Might Just Be the Cosmic Comedy Upgrade Your Movie Night Desperately Needs—And Yes, There’s Astrology Involved
Added on January 31, 2026 inEntertainment News Cards, Movie News Cards
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Ever wonder what happens when the cosmic energies of today’s stars align with a slice of ’90s pop culture magic? Well, consider this: just as Mercury zips through Aquarius, urging us to revisit and rethink, Criterion has dusted off Reginald Hudlin’s 1990 masterpiece, House Party, and remastered it in dazzling 4K. This isn’t just a upgrade in pixels; it’s like slipping on a pair of nostalgia-tinted glasses that let us relive a time when high school hijinks were king, Kid ’N’ Play ruled the airwaves, and every party was charged with an electric mix of innocence, swagger, and those unforgettable beats. So, if you’ve been feeling the urge to press replay on a true classic that’s more than just a movie – it’s a vibrant snapshot of an era – this release is calling your name. Let’s dive into how this fresh, shiny edition holds up decades later, through the eyes of someone who’s both a devoted fan and a seasoned cinephile. LEARN MORE
EJ
You smell something? I smell something. I smell…I smell 4K Blu-ray!
Criterion has just released Reginald Hudlin’s 1990 debut feature film, House Party. The label gave the film a lot of love, remastering it in 4K with a digital restoration that was supervised by Hudlin. When it was originally announced, Criterion’s schedule initially listed this for last November. It would see a bit of a delay, but fear not! House Party has now been released at the beginning of the new year and we check out how this release measures up.
House Party is an all-out classic. Don’t ever let anyone tell you different. It sits on the same shelf as John Hughes’ coming-of-age teen comedies and deserves to continue its pop culture relevance. Its timelessness may be slightly hindered by Kid ‘N’ Play being tied to the early 90s “happy hip hop” scene, but f*ck it, my cry two tears in a bucket, f*ck it — the themes and the story are timeless. The issues are relevant. And the fashion, slang and songs are a snapshot of an amazing era.
I grew up on this movie. I’ve grown up with many movies in which I’ve continually loved, but sometimes, a rewatch in my adult years with my evolved sensibilities can expose a movie for being what it really is and my rose-colored nostalgia glasses become incredibly apparent. Watching this movie again definitely solidifies that it’s the real deal. The subsequent House Party sequels would crank up the silly humor and some absurdity that those movies (coupled with the non-franchise Kid ‘N’ Play movie Class Act) kind of established a cartoonishness that could be seen as the “Kid ‘N’ Play style.” It’s kind of a throwback to The Monkees with its silly visuals (like the floating alarm and phone shots in House Party 3). Here, you can tell that Reginald Hudlin had a vision and his style is perfectly grounded, but he also added some comic flair for punctuation.
The 4K Blu-ray includes Hudlin’s original short film that he made for his thesis at Harvard. When you watch it, you see that he’s had the hallmarks of the movie down early on. Surprisingly, his original short also feels grittier despite still being a comedy. It’s in 16mm. It takes place in New York. The titular party is bathed in red light. And there’s a lot of the feature film’s personality that is notably absent without the presence of the musicians and comedians. It makes you appreciate even further how great the characters are in the official movie — that you just can’t help but root for everyone. Kid ‘N’ Play are the quintessential duo where one is an underdog and the other acts more alpha. Martin Lawrence as Bilal is the perfect tag-along friend who is also the punching bag comic relief. Tisha Campbell and A.J. Johnson are the perfect mirrors to Kid ‘N’ Play and I still can’t decide who I’d rather get with, although Tisha Campbell is the perfect “girl next door” that draws you to her. Full Force (although they might not pass for high schoolers) are classic bullies of that era with their intimidating builds and bad attitude. And good lord, Robin Harris as Kid’s dad owns every scene he’s in. His dialogue is so dense, I caught jokes I never caught before and found myself laughing from discovering them for the first time.
It can’t be said enough. House Party just captures the innocence and fun of high school, which makes it endlessly rewatchable. It’s a total comfort movie. 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, VHS, Beta — if you can, you should just revisit House Party. And if you’re new to it, definitely check it out to either relive the 90s or discover the 90s right as it was blossoming.
The movie is presented in DolbyVision and has a DTS-HS Master Audio Soundtrack with 4.0 Surround Sound. I made sure to watch this release in my apartment complex’s private theater room and I got to see it as I’ve never experienced before — on the big screen and in surround sound. It was an amazing screening experience as the picture looks beautiful. There are so many details I’ve never caught before that I saw on my viewing, such as being able to see the cast peppered throughout the party crowd (in which they went through the trouble to add character moments that were easy to miss). I also never caught certain fashion details of the era, which the 4K made pop out more, like multiple party goers sporting hearts etched into their haircuts.
The special features aren’t many, but they’re pretty cool. We have a new interview with the Hudlin brothers, Reginald and Warrington, as they recall how they went from student filmmakers to making the film and blowing up after its success. We also get a commentary from Reginald Hudlin, where he shares more anecdotes about the film scene-by-scene. The cast reunites in a 2025 interview via Zoom and everyone tells their story of getting involved along with sharing their favorite memories. A couple of amazing revelations include that the amazing dance battle scene was A.J. Johnson’s idea and it was put together during filming. Plus, Kid ‘N’ Play revealed that New Line was ready to pass on them until executives saw a crowd of fans go “Beatles-mania” on them outside of the studio’s offices.
We also get the aforementioned short film thesis from Hudlin, which added an exclamation mark for the title to become, House Party! You can see the skeleton of the feature film in this short and how much the cast was able to contribute and truly give the final film its identity.
So, it should always be addressed — being a 4K Blu-ray — it will be pricey for a physical media disc. The format is a premium quality and it’s not nearly as common as Blu-ray is, so unfortunately, the price tag will be intimidating for casual shoppers. For collectors and big fans of this movie, I feel like it’s a must-buy.
You can check it out at the Criterion store HERE.
Source:
JoBlo
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