Jennifer’s Body (DVD)

Jennifer’s Body ( DVD )

Horror movies are a dime a dozen these days.  It seems every month there is a new cookie-cutter slasher film with a cast of hot up-incoming  teen heart-throbs, but let’s be serious they usually suck; but for every by the numbers film there is one that tries to be a little different than the rest.  That’s why when I heard Diablo Cody’s next project hot off the heels of her Oscar win for writing Juno would be a Horror film set in high school starring the hottest “actress” working right now (Megan Fox for those whose head may be in the sand); I will admit I was a little anxious to see the final product.  But the release came and went and met with mixed reviews and horrid box office.  Now it is on DVD (and Blu-ray), but is it any good?

When Jennifer (Megan Fox) is sacrificed by a struggling rock band after a disastrous gig, Jennifer becomes possessed by a demonic spirit that feeds on the flesh males, luckily for Jennifer her High School is full of boys who would love to spend some time with her.  While demonic possession stories are nothing new (The Exorcist) the thing that makes Jennifer’s Body stand out is its script and while Diablo Cody has her share of critics, I personally find her voice a fresh one, and say what you will about Megan Fox’s acting abilities she is perfect casting in the role of Jennifer and does well with the material she is given.  The problem I have with the movie is with Director Karyn Kusama direction, every scene in the movie is just so bland looking, you can’t help but think that in the hands of any other director this movie could really be something special, but it just ends up being serviceable.

The 1.85:1 transfer does a good job in preserving the colors in the film and the details in the picture, but again the movie isn’t really anything special to look at so a nice colorful detailed transfer doesn’t really matter much.  The Audio on the other hand is fantastic, the 5.1 Dolby Digital track does a very good job in capturing the scare moments, dialog is clear and in the center just as it should be, and the bass is deep and rich.  There are also some pretty good special features; there are 2 versions of the film (theatrical & unrated) and a commentary track for each version, as well as deleted scenes, and video diaries and featurettes.

Sadly there isn’t a lot to like about Jennifer’s Body other than its script and the lead characters, In any other directors hands this film could’ve been a home run, but it just falls flat due to bad direction.  But there are some good features on the disc and that save it from being a total disaster.