Project-Blu Jennifer's Body, by M. Enois Duarte

Jennifer's Body

By: M. Enois Duarte, 1.4.2010

The Movie Itself:
Finally, a movie which portrays the popular queen bee of high school social stratums in her true demonic colors. Too bad the filmmakers are not up to the task of pulling off a smart pastiche of retro teen-horror. 'Jennifer's Body' has some unique and incisive ideas sprinkled throughout its 102-minute runtime, especially considering Diablo Cody's hand behind the script. As someone who enjoyed 'Juno' and thoroughly possesses a passion for anything horror, expectations were for something of similar ilk with a cheeky terror vision to boot. Unfortunately, what we get is a lame follow-up full of pretentious "Cody-speak" with blatant and distressing intentions. The potential to be a great genre piece about female teen angst is quickly lost and never recovers.

Looking back, it's pretty easy to dissect the whole story and reveal what lurks beneath. So easy, in fact, it turns out to be nothing special and done with more craft and skill in flicks with a smaller budget. After being sacrificed by a band of self-proclaimed agents of Satan (you know, the typical, trendy Indie Rock band), Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) flies off the handle and starts devouring boys. Her best friend since childhood, the geeky and awkward Anita "Needy" Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried) grows concerned and discovers the poor Snowflake Queen and resident "hottie" of the campus is possessed by a demon. When you live in a small town called Devil's Kettle, shouldn't this be, like, a normal everyday occurrence?

Granted 'Jennifer's Body' does have its moments. Enough to have kept me entertained and watching to the very end. But the movie just tries way too hard to be hip and cool, like one of those poor pathetic kids at school wanting to be your horror BFF. Cody shows she has a very narrow and limited knowledge of the genre, never really showing any praise or comprehension of the conventions to be homage or spoof. The appreciation is clearly there - that's not really the issue at hand. The imitation, however, is purely artificial, empty, and inconsequential. Its best and funniest parts are ironically accidental and involuntary.

Bill Fagerbakke, better known as Patrick Star of Spongebob Squarepants, yelling into the sky about what he's going to do with the killer's scrotum is hilarious and worth the watch if you close your eyes and imagine the animated starfish talking to his best yellow pal . . . a sponge.

Yes, I know, if that's the only thing I find funny or smart, then I just don't get it. But surprise, surprise, of course, that's not the point of the script. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out this all about the toxic friendship of Jennifer and Needy, of the sometimes hurtful and damaging complexities of female relationships and of being a teenage girl. Yes, I get it. The problem is Cody oversimplifies matters, offers no new insights beyond the Hudson-Hathaway rumble in 'Bride Wars' or your typical 'Sex in the City' episode, and even relegates Needy to having homosexual tendencies for Jennifer. Even more destructive, the dialogue of these teenagers is too self-aware and deliberate to ever be considered clever or up-to-the-minute. That, or maybe Megan Fox is clearly not the right person to deliver the quick wit necessary. Maybe it's both.

I can't even place this as a feminist commentary on modern female sexual empowerment. For crying out loud, Jennifer needs boys to rejuvenate herself. As in, by using her sexual prowess to lure men in and devour them, she's actually seeking their approval to make her feel better about herself. Eating them doesn't change the fact she searches for physical approval with no true sense of a female self as an individual. Just because the plot centers around two female leads doesn't change that either. We have thousands of examples of other movies which do the same, including many in the horror genre. Needy, too, is portrayed as a nerd, but she's not all that bright either. At least, we get to see her in a library rather than the internet or texting on a cell phone like so many other hipster flicks. She's actually reading a physical book instead of learning the "4-1-1" from Wikipedia.

By the way, did you know there's an occult section in the school library with instructions for how to kill a person possessed by a demon? Or at least, a person you think is possessed.

Once we finally arrive to the inevitable showdown between the two girls, it fails to utterly impress. After sitting for nearly two hours, I was really expecting some hardcore CGI, fire-and-brimstone type of extravaganza, but instead . . . Oh, wait a minute. I get it! Stab her in the heart! 'Cause, you know, there like BFFs and stuff, and like there's only one way to really hurt your best friend, you know. How fetch! Er . . . I mean, wetty. No that's not it. It's salty. No, that's not it either. Ah, forget it. That joke is a complete hellish disaster much like 'Jennifer's Body' - both the movie and the character! The entire narrative can't seem to decide which genre to push harder, the comedy or the horror. And it never really locates a good balance between the two either. Adding injury to insult, the musical choices are also one of the worst selections around and very irksome. You know, like having your ear scraped across a cheese grater. Like, yeah. And no, I'm not lime-green Jell-O, so don't go there.

'Jennifer's Body' aspires for B-movie status with smarts, a drive-in trash lampoon that explores the high school pecking order within a contaminated relationship of two lifelong friends. Unfortunately, like the tease the title implies, the movie doesn't have much to offer beyond the surface. Or like the title character's personality, it's too shallow to ever be taken serious or even reach the cult status it so badly begs to be a part of. Jennifer will likely never join the cool kids table during lunch, but she'll sit in the far distance dreaming and hoping of maybe someday. It lacks the smarts and creepiness to ever be associated with 'Carrie', the dark humor to hang out with 'Heathers', the cheeky goofiness of 'Ginger Snaps, or the feminist angst of 'Teeth'. Even 'Mean Girls' ignores Jennifer as they pass each other in the hallway.

In her review of 'Jennifer's Body', Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post sums it up best as "the stuff of lurid adolescent distraction". "Watch it, forget it, move on."
Rating: 3/10

The Presentation:
I suppose this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. As in the real world when something is artificial and shallow beneath it all, the more attractive and appealing features are all on the surface. And this freshly-minted transfer is quite a looker. Presented in its original 1.85: aspect ratio, the AVC MPEG-4 encode shows off with a warm color palette that's lush and varied. Black levels are accurate and deep throughout, giving the image good depth. Contrast is spot-on which allows for great visibility in the distance and strong clarity detail of finer textures. The entire picture is displays sharp defining lines of random objects, articles of clothing, and tree foliage. Even in dimly lit interiors and dark shadows, arbitrary items in the background are clearly outlined and visible. Equally revealing are the healthy facial complexions of actors, especially in close-ups. While 'Jennifer' is nothing special, the picture quality proves it's more about the looks than anything else.
Rating: 8.8/10

The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack also puts on a first-rate, entertaining show though the majority is located in the front soundstage. Despite being front-heavy, the lossless mix exhibits a sharp and expansive dynamic range with clean separation and welcoming imaging. While interior acoustics are persuasive and engaging, low-end frequencies afford plenty of appropriate impact and resonating bass. Vocals are "salty" clear and well-prioritized so that fans can hear every emotional inflection of Megan Fox's "expert" acting. Discrete effects are used on occasion for ambiance, but they're never really convincing or immersive. In fact, the crummy music selection does more to enhance the soundfield than the rest of the design. All in all, the track is enjoyable and serves the video presentation appropriately.
Rating: 8.0/10

Overall Presentation: 8/10

** 9 - 10 = Reference / 8 = Excellent / 7 = Good /
6 = Satisfactory / 5 = Average / 4 & under = Below Average **

The Extras:
Fox Home Entertainment debuts 'Jennifer's Body' with a good collection of bonus material. Included in the package is both the Theatrical and Unrated versions of the movie.

Audio Commentary with director Karyn Kusama and Diablo Cody (Theatrical Version Only)
Audio Commentary with director Karyn Kusama (Unrated Version Only)
Deleted Scenes (HD, 14 min)
Gag Reel (SD, 5 min)
"Jennifer's Body: The Dead Pool" (HD, 14 min)
Video Diaries (HD, 13 min)
"Megan Fox is Hot (HD, 1 min)
Megan Fox "Peer Pressure" PSA (SD, 1 min)
Fox Movie Channel Presents Life After Film School with Diablo Cody (SD, 27 min)
Trailers (HD)
Digital Copy for portable devices

Rating: 6/10

Final Thoughts:
'Jennifer's Body' is Diablo Cody's follow-up to the much better and funny 'Juno'. With very little humor or horror to accompany the intended plot, the movie is a lame duck of forced dialogue which frantically calls attention to itself and desperately wants to think of itself as cool and hip. But beneath it all lays a hollow empty shell of potential undermined by pretentiousness. The Blu-ray edition of the movie, on the other hand, arrives with a strong A/V presentation and a nice supplemental package. Fans will surely be pleased with the purchase while horrors fanatics will likely avoid like the cooties. Unless they watch it due to some sick fascination.
Rating: 6/10