# 'Kangaroo Jack' was last week's best-selling DVD. Sure sign of the Apocalypse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-jack-was-last-weeks-best-selling-dvd-sure-sign-of-the-apocalypse/188356 "2003-07-14T12:27:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-jack-was-last-weeks-best-selling-dvd-sure-sign-of-the-apocalypse/188356/1 "2003-07-14T12:27:44Z")
[Kangaroo Jack Tops DVD & Video Charts](http://www.comingsoon.net/news.php?id=506). What I wonder is, what fantastic “special features” could a DVD offer for this cinematic classic? This, I will note, is the same film that I refused to see when it was in the theatre. Even when it was at the dollar theatre. Even during the _matinee showtimes at the dollar theatre_–I couldn’t convince myself that this film could possibly be worth $ 0.50 of my money. Why on earth would anyone want to purchase a flippin’ DVD of this thing? ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-jack-was-last-weeks-best-selling-dvd-sure-sign-of-the-apocalypse/188356/2 "2003-07-14T13:33:15Z")
All I can figure is that maybe people regard it as a “kid-friendly” movie and will buy it for that reason. Kids will watch and rewatch even the most awful stuff. ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-jack-was-last-weeks-best-selling-dvd-sure-sign-of-the-apocalypse/188356/3 "2003-07-14T14:09:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skopo \*What I wonder is, what fantastic “special features” could a DVD offer for this cinematic classic? > \*\* [ul] [li]Kangaroo shooting mini-game, with plenty of gore and cruel prolonged suffering[/li][li]Alternate soundtrack - tortured screams of the actors being forced to watch their own movie.[/li][li]Alternate camera angles - no actors in scene. Just panning shots across the great Outback terrain. [/li][li]Another soundtrack - a lawyer argues a class action suit against the director, citing scenes from the movie as evidence[/li][li]A written apology[/li][li]Your 90 minutes back [/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-jack-was-last-weeks-best-selling-dvd-sure-sign-of-the-apocalypse/188356/4 "2003-07-14T16:15:32Z")
Cranky is exactly right. The DVDs that SELL best (as opposed to those that rent best) are usually those that appeal to kids. An adult typically has only a handful of favorite movies that he’ll watch repeatedly. Most of us adults aren’t interested in watching a decent, average, semi-enjoyable film more than once. So, adults will only BUY a movie once in a blue moon. But little kids will gladly watch a movie dozens of times. And parents love having videos they can put on to keep their young 'uns amused for 90 minutes. So, parents regularly buy mediocre (or even awful) kiddie movies on DVD. Now, I haven’t seen “Kangaroo Jack,” so I don’t know if it’s really a kids’ movie… but it’s definitely PERCEIVED as one. ---
**Author:** ![hebesphenomegacorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@hebesphenomegacorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hebesphenomegacorona)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-jack-was-last-weeks-best-selling-dvd-sure-sign-of-the-apocalypse/188356/5 "2003-07-14T17:14:27Z")
Well, another sign of the apocalypse is that The Ring was considered a Scary movie. The scariest thing about that movie was the fuckin’ feature select menu, never mind that was as scary as hell. Or the “Do Not Watch” Feature. THe movie, on the other hand, is good for a nap. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-jack-was-last-weeks-best-selling-dvd-sure-sign-of-the-apocalypse/188356/6 "2003-07-14T18:02:23Z")
I was down at my aunt’s place over the weekend, and she was just enthusing wildly about _Kangaroo Jack_. The grandkids loved it! Kept them glued to the TV for its whole duration! She hadn’t watched the movie itself (didn’t even know what it was about), but the “kids” had clamored for it, so she bought it and let them have at it. So, IMHO, she was buying herself 90 minutes of peace. And I second **Cranky** ’s point about kids watching awful stuff over and over. Ever tried to watch _Teletubbies_ (and not under the influence of powerful hallucinogens)? They should give a medal to anyone who manages to sit through more than ten minutes of it. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-jack-was-last-weeks-best-selling-dvd-sure-sign-of-the-apocalypse/188356/7 "2003-07-14T18:08:58Z")
It’s not out over here at the cinema yet (at least I don’t think it is). But I’ve seen a trailer. I’m already emotionally scared and will be seeking therapy. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-jack-was-last-weeks-best-selling-dvd-sure-sign-of-the-apocalypse/188356/8 "2003-07-14T19:17:22Z")
Cafe Society.