Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

"Saturday Night Live" is a creature that mutates over the years while still managing to look fairly familiar. While the faces change, the structure never really does. But as the internet and YouTube made their importance to the world of entertainment known, the consistency of "SNL" butted heads with this technological shift. Luckily, The Lonely Island showed up to change that.

The group of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone established the SNL Digital Short and took the show to the internet. Their output of more than 100 shorts over their tenure resulted in an ever-rising view count but also established a new way for "SNL" to make sketches. The Lonely Island changed "SNL" in a fundamental way that has few if any, precedent. While "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" is not the group's first cinematic foray (that honor goes to the underappreciated "Hot Rod"), it is the embodiment of the mark they left on "SNL."

"The Style Boyz," a rap group made up of Connor Friel and his friends Lawrence and Owen, shot to stardom with hits like "Donkey Roll," but, as success is wont to do, it led to the group's eventual dissolution. Connor wasn't done making music, though. Adopting the name Connor4Real, he set out on his own and saw massive success with his first solo album, "Thriller, Also." Now in the shadow of his debut, Connor is set to release his sophomore effort "Connquest," hoping against hope that it won't be a dud.

At first glance, "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" is hopelessly derivative. A musical mockumentary with an idiotic, self-centered, and detached-from-reality lead. I wonder if he just might learn a lesson by the end of this. (Spoiler: he totally does.) But in the unabashedly silly hands of The Lonely Island, that doesn't really matter. The writing is quirky, smart, and almost surprisingly well-informed. Being shaped by "This is Spinal Tap" as much as "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" and VH1's "Behind the Music," it's a movie that knows what it's mocking so intimately that "mocking" feels like the wrong word (maybe "reverential mockery" is more appropriate).

And while the script, performances, and bounty of insane cameos (Ringo Starr, Justin Timberlake, Seal, and Nas all show up), the songs may be the movie's brightest spot. A whole separate review of the movie's soundtrack could (and should) be written. I will just say that they are just as funny as they are danceable, and if you can't understand that to be the compliment that it is, well then, I don't know what else to tell you.

The new Blu-ray release isn't all that new. However, as this one comes from Shout Factory, I'm willing to let that slide. This is essentially the same Blu-ray release that came out in 2016 (minus the DVD and digital copy). That release did not disappoint, coming with a bevy of deleted scenes, outtakes, music videos, a handful of exceedingly brief featurettes, and an entertaining audio commentary with all the members of The Lonely Island.

What makes this release different is the packaging. The steel book release features gorgeous artwork by Nathanael Marsh, depicting a scene that never actually appears on screen (although the audio is very present). It looks absolutely fantastic and is a nice bonus joke for fans of the movie. "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" is a tight little ship, packed to the brim with laughs and music that is better than it has any right to be.

"Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping"
Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray
$29.99
https://www.universalpictures.com/movies/popstar-never-stop-never-stopping