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A DVD Review of...
  
Images (C) Universal |
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, Gabrielle Union
Synopsis: The Toro cheerleading squad from Rancho Carne High School in San Diego has got spirit, spunk, sass and a killer routine that's sure to land them the national championship trophy for the sixth year in a row. But for newly-elected team captain Torrance (Kirsten Dunst), the Toros' road to total cheer glory takes a shady turn when she discovers that their perfectly-choreographed routines were in fact stolen from the Clovers, a hip-hop squad from East Compton, by the Toro's former captain.
While the Toros scramble to come up with a new routine, the Clovers, led by squad captain Isis (Gabrielle Union) have their own problems-coming up with enough money to cover their travel expenses to the championships. With time running out and the pressure mounting, both captains drive their squads to the point of exhaustion: Torrance, hell bent on saving the Toros' reputation, and Isis more determined than ever to see that the Clovers finally get the recognition that they deserve. But only one team can bring home the title, so may the best moves win.
Film Review: "She's All That", "Boys & Girls", "Idle Hands" - In this post-Scream era, most of the recent efforts in the teen movie genre read like a who's who of horrid movies. Only on rare occasions has someone gotten it right with superb films like "Cruel Intentions", "Wild Things", "Go". In all those cases though they've been R-rated fare, the PG-13 rated "Bring It On" however is the first exception of the group. Its very mainstream, predictable as hell and the story isn't that original. On the other side its quite funny throughout its entire runtime, has a fast pace which keeps everything fresh, and never once bogs itself down in sentimentality. Its a wide-appealing comedy that actually sparks with intelligence, snazzy dance/show numbers, great characters and biting humour.
Kirsten Dunst gives over her usual happy faced innocence performance which mixes well with Dushku's street-wise cynical sensibilities. Dushku has always been great on "Buffy" and this shows that presence she has carries over onto the big screen very well. One really well-handled sub-plot is the romance between Dunst and Dushku's brother (Jesse Bradford) which is more flirting than anything else and never drags down the plot or pacing once. The rival team is introduced in a clever way that's essential to the whole story and provide good 'villains' of the piece as such (the rivalry issue is never taken too seriously). The rest of the members on the team are done perfectly such as the bitter ex-leader, the macho jock in the team to get some 'action', the openly gay nice guy, the bitchy wannabe leaders, and so forth. There's a brief flirtation with the racial issue but its more of a 'obligated to mention it' style deal thus its only brought up in one line in one scene throughout the whole film and left kind of up in the air.
The films two biggest strongpoints are its humour and dances though. The jokes are funny, very funny in fact ranging from Dunst's annoying little brother through to a dance choreographer with some of the best put down lines on film. The gags come flying thick and fast and never get gratuitous or negative. Then there is the dance sequences which are quite spectacular, filled with lots of people-twirling stunts that you wouldn't expect to see outside of Cirque De Soleil. So are there any downsides? Its too short is the only one I can really think of but the aforementioned predictability is probably the major fault. In short this is not only one of the best examples of the teen film genre, but also sees its PG-13 rating as a benefit rather than a curse and thus manages to appeal to everyone whilst still keeping fresh, edgy and original. Great fun!!! - Garth Franklin
"Bring It On" Collector's Edition"
DVD Details In Brief (Region 1)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 99mins
Versions: 16:9 Enhanced Widescreen, 4:3 Letterboxed
Aspect Ratio: 1.85: 1
Sound: Digital 5.1 Surround, DTS 5.1, Dolby 2.0 Surround
Language & Sub-Titles: English, French
Audio: Commentary Track by Director Peyton Reed.
Documentaries: "Spotlight: On Location"
Deleted/Extended Scenes:
Clips: Theatrical Trailer, Blaque's "As If" Music Video, Car Wash Scene Home Movie
Other: 'Did You Know That' Anecdotes Pop-Up Track, Wardrobe & Make-Up Tests.
DVD-Rom: Screensavers, Quiz
Region 1 vs. Region 4: No Details on Region 4 release |
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DVD Review: A light and fun film is given a great DVD treatment. The picture is fantastic, the colours of the different cheerleader outfits for example are rendered perfectly - nice and bright but not over saturated. The soundtrack is just as great with the dance numbers and quiet dialogue scenes sounding both spot on, just like the mix between all the elements. The extras are very solid and perky. The deleted scenes don't shed any new light on the plot, but rather are more gag scenes just cut or extended versions of stuff guys will love such as the 'stripper cheerleader' audition. What's surprising is the amount, a good 20mins+ of extra footage here and all of it would've fit into the film fine - they're are an enjoyable addition, especially with the Director Peyton Reed's introduction of each piece explaining how it fit and why it was cut. Certainly the best element of the disc. The car wash scene is some 8mm film shot of that scene set to a rock version of the music Bradford's character writes for Dunst - fun and fits very well with the film, but sadly lacking on the oggling ability (more wet bikinis & t-shirts please). The anecdotes pop-up track is similar to a handful of other discs recently, its actually a real annoying feature and disrupts the flow of the film - at least in my opinion. The 'Making Of' doco is actually kind of ordinary, but is unneeded as the Director's commentary imparts more than enough 'vital info'. Reed is quite talkative but knows exactly what the film is and how people perceive it, and has fun with the whole thing. The trailer and music video is standard, the make-up and warddrobe tests though is a different feature but is quite watchable. Whereas most other good teen films on DVD have been sore on the extras, this is the first one out there that has both good extras and on top of that is a great film. - Garth Franklin
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