The Substitute Collection – Limited Edition 3D Lenticular Hardcase

The 1990s was a great decade for movies. A multitude of genres rose and fell in that period drawing film fans to theaters and to the local video stores. I’d say one of the wildest to come out of that period was the Schoolsploitation action flicks. Schoolsploitatiom, Teachersploitation (I like the former over the latter) - there are a few names to refer to the wide range of films where one teacher takes a stand against a school system full of troubled yoots. Sometimes they’re inspirational like Lean on Me. Sometimes they’re gritty and terrifying like 187. Others fall into the white savior complex like Dangerous Minds. Then there were action films like The Substitute that offered a more direct solution to a troubled school's problem. 

The franchise started out earnestly enough in 1996 with Robert Mandel’s action thriller starring Tom Berenger. The story is of a former special ops veteran gone mercenary Shale (Berenger) who aims to live a quiet life with his teacher girlfriend Jane (Diane Venora). But when some of the toughs at her inner-city Miami high school kneecap her for standing up to the local gang, Shale goes in undercover as the new substitute teacher… hence the title. With his killer army buddies as backup, (Luis Guzman, William Forsythe, Raymond Cruz, Richard Brooks), they’re going to take down an international drug ring operating within the school. 

But one lesson in the classroom wasn’t enough to graduate. Thanks to the still healthy video market, we picked up The Substitute 2, The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All, and finishing with a respectable GED certificate - The Substitute: Failure Is Not an Option. But, Berenger didn’t make tenure for the sequels and the legendary everyman Treat Williams took over the scholastic operations as the wandering merc Karl Thomasson. His first mission was to find the hooded gangbangers that murdered his brother. In his next mission, he infiltrates a college to find the juiced-up football players who assaulted the daughter of his best friend. Completing the run in 2001, Thomasson is tasked with rooting out a white supremacist paramilitary group within the walls of the elite military academy he graduated from. 

When you’re approaching a series of films like The Substitute franchise, you have to remove generalized terms like “good” or “bad.” Simply, they’re just entertaining. Now some are certainly better than others, but they’re all a fun time. Staples of the rental market and midnight cable circuit, the films were the soothing balm I could rely on whenever I’d be awake in the middle of the night with a bad migraine. Between the four films and the multitude of movie channels, it was a safe bet one of them would be on somewhere at any given time. I’m being facetious of course, but it did feel like one of them was always on television. 

Now twenty-odd years removed from the last entry, I can’t help but feel like it’s time for this franchise to enjoy a resurgence. Sadly Treat Williams passed away in a motorcycle accident and I don’t think Tom Berenger has maintained his fighting weight so legacy sequels are probably out. Find the right semi-washed-up action actor, find the right rough and tough school system, and I think we could get this franchise rolling again! Netflix certainly isn’t starving for content but you could say they’re choked for quality. Paramount+ and Peacock are so hungry for good material they’d gnaw on the bones of any franchise to stay alive. I’m sure we could find a classroom for a new run at The Substitute. Who wants to collaborate on a script treatment with me?

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 
Thanks to Australia’s Viavision, fans can take their seats because school is back in session with the four-film four-disc Limited Edition The Substitute Collection on Blu-ray. Each film is pressed on a Region Free BD25 disc. The discs are housed in a blue multi-disc case with individual trays. Included in the set is a packet of six art cards. The whole shebang is held together in a hardstock lenticular cover slipcase. Each disc loads to a static image main menu.

The Substitute films on Blu-ray are something of a visual mixed-bag. Not necessarily the greatest-looking films, their transfers range from solid to serviceable to really rough to actually pretty damn good. In that order. 

The first film given the budget and resources and stars attached, is the more appealing one visually. Details are decent, good colors, and respectable black levels lead the charge. It doesn’t quite appear as a new restoration, but it’s at least been well cared for. The Substitute 2 is again in decent shape but shows all the hallmarks of an aged HD master with some slight telecine wobble. It’s a bit dirty, with some fairly steady speckling, details are pretty sharp, but not overly striking. Black levels border on crush but don’t go all the way over. The Substitute 3 is the worst-looking of the bunch. I couldn’t find any real solid filming info about it but it has the soft appearance of an upscaled SOV SD master. Details are very soft, colors can be a bit washed out, and black levels never really solidify. Not unwatchable, but not a showstopper either. For the fourth film, Failure Is Not an Option, the franchise comes back to life with an often impressive presentation with strong details, healthy, colors, and much more stable black levels and contrast for what is probably the better-looking film of the collection on Blu-ray.

1. The Substitute - 3/5
2. The Substitute 2 - 3/5
3. The Substitute 3: Winner Take All - 2/5
4. The Substitute: Failure Is Not an Option - 3.5/5

Each film in the set comes with a solid DTS-HD MA 5.1 track and a just as respectable LPCM 2.0 track. Generally, I favored the 5.1 over the LPCM 2.0 as I watched through the series. While the later sequels weren’t the most overly sonically demanding specimens, they had their high points for action carnage so the full 5.1 mix gave a nice spread. That said, those 2.0 tracks aren’t slackers either. They come to class ready to play and sound a bit more tightly balanced and up-front. I’d give the first film stronger marks over the sequels, but they all sound good. The dialog is clean without issue. The scores, such as they are, fill the spaces nicely. Sound effects like explosions and gunshots have plenty of heft. Straight 4/5 for the whole lot.

Bonus features for each film unfortunately aren’t much to speak of. The first three films have a trailer, and the fourth is the only one with anything meaty. That last film of the franchise sports a solid commentary track, behind-the-scenes, and deleted scenes. 

The Substitute 

• Trailer

The Substitute 2 

• Trailer 

The Substitute 3: Winner Take All 

• Trailer

The Substitute: Failure Is Not an Option 

• Audio Commentary featuring Robert Radler 
• Behind-the-scenes (SD 3:10)
• Deleted Scenes (SD 4:03)
• Trailer

No one is going to mistake The Substitute franchise for high-art inspirational entertainment. For silly gritty grimy Schoolsploitation, there’s none better. Some of these films try to earnestly reach the heart of the yoots, others just want to see a badass take no shit from some punks and teach them a real-life lesson… with their fists. In that instance, Berenger and Williams did their jobs well. A staple of rental shops and late-night cable, fans of The Substitute can enjoy the four-film collection in the comfort of their living rooms thanks to this set from Viavision. All four films have great audio, and three of the four have solid video transfers. Bonus features might be lacking but then I’ve never expected much of anything when watching these films. The bell has rung, take your seats, The Substitute Collection is Worth A Look