Overview: It's summer 1981, and Ernest Terry (Jacob M. Williams) like most boys his age is obsessing over George Lucas s Star Wars saga. In the woods outside Ernest s neighborhood, capture-the-flag contests escalate into sprawling Jedi battles, with bright yellow Wiffle ball bats substituting for lightsabers. But when a bully snaps Ernest's already-damaged weapon in half, everything changes!

DVD Verdict: I have to say that I usually like so-called "coming of age" stories as they tell a beautiful tale; complete with ups and downs, ins and outs. But after having watched 'The Stream,' I sadly discovered nothing original, save for the bent towards 'Star Wars' being involved, of course.

Now, don't get me wrong for I love 'Star Wars,' please know that right now. But, truthfully, 'The Stream' delivered something else that also bothered me - the Director (or possibly the writer) simply decided it was okay to use the words "Wyatt's Rainbow Coalition of Henchmen" to describe Wyatt Swooker's idiotic and clumsy sidekicks. My reason for this comment is that one of these young men was a Latino and the other African-American. A small thing, you might well say, but mine own to mull over; nonetheless.

Anyway, 'The Stream' was a nice idea (on paper, and in the heads of those who created it) that soon became cliched, cheesy and overly cutesy. And whilst I fully understand this was fine in a family movie, I cannot forgive the tasteless decision to use such borderline, racist posturing. Sorry, I just can't.

I'm sure the writer (or Director) figured this slight would go unnoticed by most, might even be seen as comedic and trivial to some, but it hit my moral fiber bone. And for that I simply refuse to acknowledge this film as anything shore of, well, laboring under its own flight plan. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs with the Special Features of:

Meet the Teen Filmmakers
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Music Video
PSAs
Trailers