A dancing hottie hopes to one day enter into an esteemed ballet school.

It's hard to believe a movie so utterly forgettable and devoid of originality would end up becoming one of the biggest hits of the early '80s, but then again, there have been a lot worse films of late garnering the same amount of success. I guess it's all a matter of appealing to the right audience.

Beals plays Alex Owens, a nighttime dancer one step away from stripper. By day, she's a welder, with a rich attractive boss who wants to date her. Damn that's some creative writing; a tough girl who's also a bonder-inducing sex symbol. Where do they come up with this stuff?

The film's script is co-credited to Joe Eszterhas, one of Hollywood's most overpaid and blessedly forgotten screenwriters, and the same guy who penned SHOWGIRLS. FLASHDANCE isn't as bad as that film, but it's just as dull. The relationship between Alex and her boss is—among other things—trite, uninteresting, and stupid. She repeatedly acts like a bitch towards him, and the only reason he's so adamant about being with her is because she's hot. There are probably other reasons, but the film never makes a good case for whatever they may be.

The inexplicable yet apparent continuing allure of FLASHDANCE seems to rely on two things: its encapsulation of '80s style, and the lovely Jennifer Beals. Or to put it in more simplistic terms, it's got dancing and sex appeal. If that's all you need to enjoy a film, more power to you. Personally, I like characters that are developed beyond 2-adjective descriptions, and story arcs that consist of more than a girl kinda sorta wanting to sign up for a prestigious dancing school, but then being too scared, but then getting an audition after her boyfriend pulls a few strings, and then being accepted. Oops, did I ruin the ending? My sincerest apologies. Had I not spoiled that shocking conclusion, I'm sure you would've been on the edge of your seat with speechless anticipation.

Video: Presented in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, enhanced for 16:9 TVs. Good picture quality; about what you'd expect from a re-released '80s film.

Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround, French 2.0 Surround, and Spanish/Portuguese Mono. The sound does very well to show off the film's musical numbers, certainly its biggest attraction next to the dance sequences.

The featurettes should satisfy fans OK, but the real treat here is the bonus CD with 6 music tracks from the film.

Since all of the making of's are self explanatory and basically act as multiple parts of one big documentary, I'll just state my thoughts here. They're strictly interview based (which is to be expected when an old film gets a Special Edition release), and the main speakers include producers Jerry Bruckheimer, director Adrian Lyne, and other members of the crew. A few of the actors do chime in, but not all of them. While Lyne is honest and down-to-earth, Bruckheimer has the same arrogant attitude we've all come to expect from him.

The History of Flashdance (14:41)

The Look of Flashdance (9:12)

Music and Songs (6:13)

The Choreography (10:09)

Releasing the Flashdance Phenomenon (8:52)

Bonus Music CD: The 6 tracks include the Academy Award-winning "What a Feeling" by Irene Cara, as well as "Manhunt" by Karen Kamon, "He's a Dream" by Shandi, "Lady Lady Lady" by Joe Esposito, "Romeo" by Donna Summer, and "Maniac" by Michael Sembello

Also available are the film's Teaser and Theatrical Trailer, and a Preview.

This Special Collector's Edition is a worthwhile set, but unless you really enjoy watching hot chicks dancing around like seizure patients, I can't in good conscious recommend the movie that comes with it.