Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Taking Over the Tipton DVD: Review By kaismith

The rambunctious twins Zack and Cody Martin (Cole and Dylan Sprouse most remembered as Julian "Frankenstein" McGrath in Big Daddy) are back in their Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody which premiered in March 2005.

The premise, Zack and Cody live in the Tipton One of Boston's finest hotels with their mother who is the headlining singer. They live in a swanky suite on the 23rd floor provided to her as part of her contract.

As far as there cast goes there are outstanding supporting characters often involved in the antic or trying to remedy them. There is Mr. Moseby (Phil Lewis) the uppity straight laced hotel manager; Paris Hilton inspired and very conceited shopaholic London Tipton (Brenda Song); the eccentric handyman/inventor Arwin (Brian Stepanek) who is madly in love with the twin's mother; and the ridiculously funny bell boy Esteban (Adrian R'Mante) who often steals the scene whenever he is present. Then there is Maddie Fitzpatrick (Ashley Tisdale) the front desk attendant who doubles as London's partner in crime. Tisdale has impeccable delivery and her facial expressions are reminiscent of Amanda Bynes. Then there is Carey Martin (Kim Rhodes) the moralistic reminder in the show, but she also occasional gets a few jokes in herself.

Every element of the series works together perfectly and the twins are just as funny as they still are cute. While I wasn't the biggest fan of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen it seems Zack and Cody are much more carefree and relatable. While they struggle with their own different personality conflicts (Zack is obnoxious and Cody is the brainiac), girls and the many other things boys fight over they always seem to resolve the conflict whether by wrestling or hugging. Yes, a bit clich&#233 but nonetheless cute and very hilarious (the writers do a great job of blending both making the show that much better than other twin series I've seen).

Surprised there were none of those fun interactive games on this like the ones on their site.

Bonus Episode

A special episode featuring guest star Jesse McCartney. As usual the boys are getting in trouble with Maddie and London as they break into Jesse's room and take a few items to sell to crazed fans. Only they by accident take his lucky ring. Will they get it back to him with out getting caught? This episode is a sweet supplemental bonus feature and has a special performance by McCartney for the boy crazy girls to fawn over.

Behind the Scenes Featurette

Dylan and Cole talk about the chemistry between the characters on the set, stunts and their favorite episode. Plus, Jesse McCartney gets to put his two cents in about the show and why decided to do it. Oh yeah he also plugs his new album and gives a small preview performance (just a heads up for fans interested).

Full Screen - 1.33:1. Picture quality is clear as it airs on the Disney Channel. The transitioning is exceptional because usually you can tell where the commercial episodes are inserted but the show flows so seamlessly I forgot that this was a TV show.

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. Like other Disney channel series' I've reviewed I had to max my volume to get a decent audio level but this wasn't as bad as others. Nonetheless the audio was a bit low and below average.

Clutching a luggage cart the twins, Maddie and London look scared as they seemingly roll towards the viewer on the cover. On the back are the standard scene stills, plot synopsis, technical specifications and bonus features list.

I have watch my fair share of twin comedy series (remember Tia and Tamara?) and this one is by far my favorite. The boys are extremely likeable and the plots aren't as predicable as expected. Also like many of the Disney Channels series now the plots are sophisticated enough to entertain parent and child.