Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		2.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.0

5ive Girls Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 3, 2024

There's long been a certain fascination with Catholic school girls in cinema, literature, video games, and most entertainment mediums. One can only imagine the reasons why, and best to steer clear of most of those reasons because, really, they're all manifest in some form or fashion in most every entertainment vessel centered in that world, and they are certainly here as well. Writer/Director Warren P. Sonoda's 5ive Girls (notice the stylized titled) follows a group of, yes, five (or 5, or 5ive, or fi5e) girls who are the only students at a hazy, cavernous girls' Catholic school where they all discover that they are part of a special group of girls with unique abilities to combat the demonic forces within the school. The film treats the plot as much as a vessel for indulging in light fantasy of various kinds as it does a real narrative. The film is rather poor overall and something of a stagnant, forgettable entry into the genre. It's a film that will likely tickle the fancy of fans who enjoy these softer exploitation sort of films, but it will also do nothing to really sell the genre to newcomers.

Strange things are afoot at St. Marks, a Catholic boarding school for troubled girls. Things are strange because, first, one of the students, Elizabeth (Krysta Carter), is drawn to the demonic and is seemingly taken by it, leaving nothing but blood and a distraught Father Drake (Ron Perlman) behind. Soon thereafter, Alex (Jennifer Miller) is dropped off at the same school, a school where students are, strangely, locked in. She is the fifth of five girls in the school, joining Mara (Jordan Madle), Cecilia (Terra Vnesa), Leah (Barbara Mamabolo), and Connie (Tasha May). There, they are made to perform strict religious practices, are given routine blood and urine tests, and prohibited from doing much of anything but growing in instruction and enduring harsh discipline at the hands of the stern headmistress, Miss Pearce (Amy Lalonde). Soon, each girl learns that she possesses a unique power that may help them to battle against the demonic spirits that are infesting the school.

Genre horror+Catholic school setting+skimpy clothes+demons=just about what one would expect for the preceding equation to equal. This is a movie of no surprises, no twists or turns, no deviations from stock thinking or low budget filmmaking. It's competent in every way but, really, very much a product of the playbook from which it was borrowed. It's about as absent of any real creativity as a film can be, and while it has its own unique touches, it's very much just a stock film that is largely predictable and not particularly entertaining or engrossing. All of that is to say that fans of films like this will probably find it a good late-night indulgence, but it's not likely to be a repeat viewing or the film fans will eagerly line up their friends to watch to try and sway them to the genre.

The technical side of the ledger is equally bland. The film is "atmospheric" to a point, but the limited budget and limited range for the cinematography prevent the film from finding that higher gear for its visual acumen and squeezing the most from its setting. The place itself is good, but there are clear limitations to lighting and technical artistry that keep the film from enveloping the audience in its setting. The script is adequate and the direction sufficient, but the film's lack of finesse is very much apparent in practically every arena. That is evident in the acting, too, which is solid enough across the board, but none of the actors make a mark, and even Pearlman never really musters up any meat on what is a barebones sort of performance.

5ive Girls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This Blu-ray release of 5ive Girls could stand to be better. There is no denying that this is a low budget film and made without the benefit of the highest (or even higher) end equipment with which studio films are shot, never mind superior finishing and Blu-ray authoring, so all of that must be taken into account before really diving into the finished product. But the finished product, for any or all of those reasons, and maybe more, is simply not all that attractive. The picture is, for starters, home to some obvious flickering, various compression related issues, and some noise. All of these together give the image the look of a lower end Blu-ray. The issues do not end there. The picture is hopelessly flat and lifeless. the 1080p resolution can only muster up a picture that looks marginally better than an upscaled DVD. It's dull and ordinary with very little in the way of clothing or skin textures on display. Only very cursory clarity is on display, disappointing considering the opportunity in the various clothes and faces, never mind the dense and textured appointments around the school. Detail is bare minimum for the 1080p resolution. Colors are faded and boring. There's no life or spunk to any of them, and part of that could reasonably be attributed to the intended atmosphere of the film, but the suspicion that colors are just bland is confirmed by pale, light, and at times even dark gray blacks. Whites are soft and creamy and skin tones are pasty and dull. This is simply not a good-looking image.

5ive Girls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Blu-ray release of 5ive Girls features a rather paltry DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack Much like the video can be described as "flat" and "pedestrian," so too can the audio be described with those same words. It's good enough to convey the basic structure and core details, but listeners will not find much excitement at work. Even the most action-packed elements struggle to land with much clarity, authority, or spatial awareness. The presentation is very lackluster in terms of offering more than simple sonic signatures and basic beats. There's little sense of body and most everything is thin apart from dialogue, which is certainly not muscular or beefy but at least does have some body and definition to it. Dialogue is also well prioritized and centered for the duration, but listeners should expect a very stale, uninteresting, and limited listening experience with this track.

5ive Girls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Though not an official supplement, playback begins with a brief video introduction to the film (1080p, 0:37) with Writer/Director Warren P. Sonoda and Actress Jordan Madley who discuss the film's re-release to Blu-ray 13 years after its debut. Other than that, two "official" extras are included. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Filmmaker Commentary: Writer/Director Warren P. Sonoda and Actress Jordan Madley discuss the film for this Blu-ray release 13 years after its debut. It's a solid track with quality insights and good anecdotal banter.
• Photo Gallery (1080i): Autio advancing stills from the shoot. No audio accompanies.

5ive Girls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans can do worse than spend 90-some minutes with 5ive Girls, but there are countless films that offer a similar experience with much greater bang for the buck. This is a serviceable time killer but not much else. It's the sort of movie that plays best at 1AM, lying on the couch, drifting off to sleep. It's not a primetime sort of experience. The Blu-ray is just as lackluster, offering subpar video and audio but, at least, a decent commentary track. Worth a look for hardcore genre fans on a very steep sale price of around $7.