As it was for many of you, Grease was a movie that captured and thrilled me for its two hour showing. Car racing, teenage drama, and pure unadulterated sex; what more could any teen ask for in a movie? Unlike most of you, I am currently the age you were when you first saw Grease. Thirty years after this monster of a movie hit the big screens it still packs the same punch it had when it first came out. The scenes are still memorable, the songs still upbeat and catchy, and that Rizzo character still confuses you. Grease: Rockin' Rydell Edition is the same movie you were used to, with some new interesting add-ons.
From the opening animations of the main characters to the ending carnival song and dance, this movie is a high school masterpiece. Modern versions, such as High School Musical, come nowhere close to touching the mantelpiece that Grease is on. Throughout the movie I found myself singing along, clapping at the right moments, and attempting to learn that "Hand Jive" dance. The struggle between Danny and Sandy is still enough to pull at your heartstrings. The drama between Rizzo and Kenickie still has the fire and passion of the original. Nothing has changed in the actual movie, and that is what makes the Rockin' Rydell Edition so good. This edition, however, still leaves you with the longing to discover where that secluded beach is, and how to get there.
Grease tells the ordinary '60s/'70s high school story — the jocks, the punks, the sluts, and the drama. After a brief view of summer bliss on the beach between two lovers (Danny and Sandy), the main movie starts with you meeting the T-Birds, a small group of car-heads that pretend to be tough men. They are led by the charismatic Danny (John Travolta) and his right hand man Kenickie (Jeff Conaway). The love interest(s) of the T-Birds are the Pink Ladies, a group lead by Rizzo (Stockard Channing) which Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) quickly joins. The plot unfolds as car races, sex, and an unplanned pregnancy take effect. It wraps up with a carnival song and dance.
For those of you who don't know, Grease is one of the movies that launched John Travolta to film stardom. Known mostly to TV fans as Vinnie Barbarino in Welcome Back, Kotter, Travolta's movie career was ignited by his roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease. Olivia Newton-John played the role of Danny's sexy love interest, the beautiful Sandy. The cast is rounded out by Stockard Channing (Rizzo), Jeff Conaway (Kenickie), Barry Pearl (Doody), Michael Tucci (Sonny), Kelly Ward (Putzie), Didi Conn (Frenchy), Jamie Donnelly (Jan), and Dinah Manoff (Marty).
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