Bratz – DVD Review

Film, Reviews

Available at Amazon.com

Director

Sean McNamara

Cast

Logan Browning ………. Sasha
Janel Parrish ………. Jade
Nathalia Ramos ………. Yasmin
Skyler Shaye ………. Cloe
Chelsea Staub ………. Meredith Dimly
Anneliese van der Pol ………. Avery
Malese Jow ………. Quinn
Ian Nelson ………. Dylan
Stephen Lunsford ………. Cameron
Jon Voight ………. Principal Dimly

The Movie

There’s pain, there’s suffering and then there’s Bratz. Aimed squarely at teenage girls, it’s the other film of 2007 based on a series of toy dolls. And much like how Transformers was a second-rate blockbuster in a summer filled with them, Bratz is a second rate film based off of dolls. Which in practical terms means it’s the homeless person’s version of a film based on dolls if Transformers is the poor man’s version of a film based on dolls.

Bratz follows the tale of four best friends about to embark upon their high school experience. Best friends for as long as they’ve known one another, the high school experience is something Sasha (Logan Browning), Jade (Janel Parrish), Yasmin (Nathalia Ramos) and Cloe (Skyler Shaye) are determined to make it through with their friendship intact. When class president Meredith (Chelsea Staub) breaks up their friendship and into the cliques that keep the school in harmony, a freak food fight towards the end of the year reunites their friendship to thwart her at the biggest event of the year: the talent show.

And if it sounds like a poor imitation of Mean Girls, that’s because it is in every aspect and every conceivable way an imitation. What’s amazing about the film, if one can call it that is how quickly the film moves. It’s not quick as in fast paced, it’s quick as in that it mows through major plot devices at near light speed. The film’s first thirty minutes features nearly 2/3 of the story, leaving the rest of the film’s 80 remaining minutes to be filled with useless music numbers leading to the inevitable conclusion.

The funny part of the film, though not funny in the traditional sense, is the film’s message. Meant to be one of “girl power” and other sorts of new age feminism about the beauty within, the film contradicts this message by reveling revels in that outward beauty and fashion matter singularly in both self image and self esteem.

While the film is filled with some peppy music and some visual wonders, it doesn’t change the fact that the film is pure, unmitigated crap.

A/V QUALITY CONTROL

Presented in a Dolby Digital surround with a widescreen format, the film is an audio/visual marvel. Taking full advantage of the format, the film’s wild colors and music come through clearly and wonderfully. If the film wasn’t trash it’d make for a heck of a viewing experience.

The Extras

Deleted Scenes are included and were deleted for a reason. Most are easily seen to be filler and unnecessary to the film; they aren’t completely finished either, as the audio is a bit lagging.

Music Videos for “Fearless” and “Rainy Day” by Daechelle and Janel Parrish respectively are interesting teen pop music songs and are included on the DVD release from the soundtrack.

Discovering Bratz is a three-part series on how the cast was assembled, the girls themselves and the characters. Apparently they all became friends during the film and remain good friends today. It’s short yet it feels painfully long.

A Passion for Fashion! focuses on the film’s fashion and the “Bratz style” the girls have. Much like the featurette about the girls, their fashion is another exercise in endurance. It’s interesting to hear the girls talk about how their styles define them as people and as characters when during the film it seemed like the only way to figure out which one was which.

The Music of Bratz is a behind the scenes look at the coordination of the musical numbers of the film. It is somewhat interesting to hear about how much work went into the dance numbers, as they practiced a month before and were working on during the film’s production.

Behind the Scenes is a look at some shenanigans behind some of the film’s “action” sequences, including the food fight.

Trailers for several Bratz Kids direct to video features, the DVD releases of The Last Unicorn, Happy N’Ever After and another young teen feature.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Bratz
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE MOVIE

0.5
THE VIDEO

9.5
THE AUDIO

9.5
THE EXTRAS

1.0
REPLAY VALUE

1.0
OVERALL
1.0
(NOT AN AVERAGE)