6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When Barbie magically gets pulled into her favorite video game, she transforms into a roller-skating character and must use her smarts and skills to save her new friends.
Starring: Erica Lindbeck, Sienna Bohn, Shannon Chan-Kent, Michael Dobson, Alyssa SwalesFamily | 100% |
Animation | 86% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
There's formulaic, and then there's Barbie. The famed staple of the girls' toy aisle and one of the most popular and prolific dolls of all time hasn't grown up, but she's matured into, now, a staple of the home video department, too. Mattel and Universal are cranking out several films per year, all of them -- whether they be about puppies or spies or Rock 'n' Roll -- pretty much variations on the same themes, particularly the theme of "you can be anything," which has become the brand's mantra. Indeed, the films might put on a new skin and come up with a catchy new theme song, but at its center it's more or less indistinguishable one from the other as lessons of teamwork, trust in oneself, understanding, and love always come to the forefront. Nothing wrong with any of that, but it does grow a little repetitive. The companies don't shake up the material all that much with Video Game Hero, a story in which Barbie must use not just her video game creation and playing skills to save the day. She must also learn from and make use of her life experiences, too. It has some nice little touches for gaming fans but it's familiar enough under the hood -- even when it's anything but on top -- that all the gaming stuff amounts to little more than window dressing.
Barbie: Video Game Hero's 1080p presentation is largely in-line with the series' previous HD releases. Aliasing is occasionally a concern, particularly on character hair, but otherwise source or encode issues are kept to a minimum. Colors are unsurprisingly bright and varied, with shades of pink, purple, and blue dominating. They're literally everywhere, regardless of game world or real world. They're dense and showy but not very varied in terms of nuance and shading. But they fit in with the movie's tone very well. Detail and clarity are fine. The digital animation can be a little crude and lacking the precision of more expensive productions, but basic definition impress more often than not. And that's really all there is to know. It's colorful and adequately clear and detailed to about the level, it seems, that the animators could work towards.
Barbie: Video Game Hero features a healthy and active DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music clarity is fine, with the Pop beats pelting the stage with enough energy and verve to please. Spacing is good, surround usage is balanced, and the low end kicks in as-needed. Various effects around the game worlds are impressive. A tornado power-up, for example, sends a ferris wheel spinning around the stage with excellent movement and weight. A big roar and quality reverberation accompany the final boss' introduction near film's end. Smaller environmental details and video game beeps and bloops accompany, too, as part of the larger whole. Dialogue is clear and center-focused, playing with prioritization over all surrounding elements. Of course it lacks the precision of bigger films, but it makes good use of the tools at its disposal and isn't afraid about pushing as far as the material will allow.
Barbie: Video Game Hero contains a music video, a bonus short, two Dreamtopia episodes and a longer version of the
Dreamtopia theme music. A DVD copy of the film and a
voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.
Barbie: Video Game Hero will please its target audience so long as they're familiar with Minecraft, and with that game's immense popularity, there's a good chance that that's the case. Barbie fans should like it, too, because underneath the graphics it's more of the same, thematically and colorfully alike. Universal's Blu-ray is par for the course. Supplements include a music video and Dreamtopia episodes. Video is very colorful and audio is appropriately wide and immersive. Recommended to Barbie fans, and gamers might want to give it a look, too.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Special Edition
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