Jennifer's Body Blu-ray DVD Review
Jennifer's Body Blu-ray DVD Review
Come on in, the slaughter's fine.
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Mean Girls meets Ginger Snaps meets Evil Dead 2 in this snarky, smart and often suspenseful and gory, horror-comedy handcrafted by Oscar winner Diablo Cody (screenwriter), Sundance Film Festival darling Karyn Kusama (director), and multi-lauded Jason Reitman (producer). While Jennifer's Body was D.O.A. at the box-office when it bowed in September of last year, it had a few staunch supporters in the genre press. I was one of them; I proclaimed it Tops of '09 and have to say it sits just as well the second time around on DVD.
For the record, the story follows small town high school hottie Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) and her devoted lifelong gal-pal, the significantly less-showy but just as feisty Anita "Needy" Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried), down into the depths of hell — and that includes a one-way ticket to prom night in Devil's Kettle (sans pig's blood but with effective drenching and dunking nonetheless in a spectacular swimming pool showdown scene).
Cody's signature sharp dialogue and patented voiceover modus operandi seems to be the biggest bone of contention for the flick's detractors, but it totally works — find out why I think so, by reading the theatrical release review here Hopefully the years will be kind and Jennifer's Body will age gracefully into cult classic status.
As far as the extended, unrated cut goes, and the extras go, here's the skinny dip: Some of the added scenes (namely a funereal meltdown by mourners and the victim's mom) feel awkward and forced and were rightly excised, while others (mostly longer beats and a dash of back-story) are deserving of their inclusion. On the secondary commentary track, an abbreviated one that just pops in when relevant, you can hear Kusama's rationale and her thoughts as to why or why not the scenes are as they are in the director's version (which is only 5 minutes longer).
The main commentary track, with Kusama and Cody, is more entertaining (though at first Cody only chimes in with stuff along the lines of "Yeah, I agree," and "You're right"). Probably my favorite line of the whole thing is Cody saying, "Eli Roth told me to get rid of the ferret." It's so random, and never elaborated on. (And for fellow animal aficionados, Kusama talks a lot about the forest carnage scene, revealing what the deer was actually drinking out of the bloody cadaver's stomach cavity.) Fans of horror will especially enjoy listening to the ladies talk about their favorite genre films and how they endeavored to incorporate as many homages into the dialogue and imagery as possible without going overboard.
Other Extras:
• Deleted Scenes (HD) A little bit more of supporting players Amy Sedaris and Lance Henriksen make the watch worthwhile, but the bad CGI in the "Dead Boys" sequence is a blow to Team Jen… we don't have to see EVERY deleted scene.
• Gag Reel (SD) Nothing on par with the actors losing it on the set of a David O. Russell movie, and nobody goes Christian Bale on the DP. Cross it out.
• The Dead Pool (HD) With the focus on KNB's great work in the swimming pool sequence, this is a featurette worth the remote click.
• Video Diaries (HD) Silly video diaries made by Fox & Johnny Simmons, Seyfried, producer Dan Dubiecki, and Cody, individually. Their silliness is enhanced by even sillier graphics in faux frames that look as though they were made by an iPhone app. Cross it out.
• Megan Fox is Hot (HD) Yeah, we know. Cross it out.
• Megan Fox Peer Pressure PSA (SD) Who wrote this? Clearly not Cody. Cross it out.
• Life After Film School with Diablo Cody (SD) A rehash of the FMC original series, running 30 minutes long, this is actually a decent and edifying inclusion for those interested in the screenwriting process and showbiz life from the perspective of a talented, but still very lucky, young woman (who, incidentally, never went to film school).
As far as the Blu-ray color, picture, and sound quality go, Jennifer's Body pops and rocks. (My only complaint: some misspellings in the captions — it's supposed to be "phucking" not "fucking".)
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson