Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Barbie: Video Game Hero Blu-ray Movie Review

Barbie Goes Minecraft.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 23, 2017

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 is building her latest video game. A couple of her friends are beta-testing alongside her. When the game crashes, Barbie struggles to find the solution. Her sister comes in and gives the game a go, too, but finds it disappointing. It's a linear game, but she wants to play as she sees fit, not as the developer (her sister) has dictated. Alone again, Barbie is suddenly, and seemingly magically, pulled into her tablet when she agrees to be part of a beta test for a new game. She find herself in a world that's being overrun by a dangerous emoji virus. She has no choice but to traverse several video game worlds, along with a few new friends, to try and find a way to stop the virus and prevent the game's destruction.

Most of the fun to be had with Barbie: Video Game Hero comes in identifying what games definitely, or maybe, inspired various segments and scenes and styles. There's the big elephant in the room, of course -- Minecraft -- which dominates much of the film's second half, with characters walking around all blocky-like in equally blocky environments. The game Barbie is building and testing in the film's first minutes looks like something out of the Little Big Planet series. "Level One," which features things like a dunk tank and whack-a-mole in the shadow of a carnival atmosphere in a 3D world that also contains power-ups is kind of reminiscent of Nintendo Land meets a 3D Mario game. Level two is fairly distinct with its animation style, but the characters are depicted as being paper-flat, much like Paper Mario. An on-foot and on-track racing level is included, which, slightly more off-the-beaten-path of popular games, is like a similar part of the Monsters vs. Aliens video game adaptation, though it otherwise has the basic set-up and feel of a more traditional family-style racer, like a Mario Kart or the dedicated races in Skylanders Superchargers.

The movie, then, is at least fairly fluent in its games. Maybe those were all inspirations, maybe none of them were, but it's at least capable enough that the average gamer might find some inherent value in the film beyond its core story. Even the Pop theme song weaves in some video game highlights, mentioning things like glitches, the start button, and power-ups. There are even some references for the parents, too, from movies like The Warriors to music like TLC's Waterfalls (it's crazy, by the way, that it's going on a quarter of a century since that song released). Beyond all of that, though, is all of those basic Barbie themes that don't get the same sort of diversity as its video game adventures. It's all standard stuff, from how Barbie works as part of a team to save the day, and how she thinks outside the box, remembering something her sister told her at the beginning, as the jumping-off point for defeating the movie's "final boss," as it were. The film, then, really has nothing new to say, and it's just as colorful (read: pink and purple) as other Barbie films, too. It really is just window dressing with a video game theme.

Barbie: Video Game Hero Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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.

• Music Video (1080p, 3:23): "Change the Game." This is the same sugary-pop song that plays over the disc's menu.
• Barbie Video Game Hero Bonus Shorts (1080p, 4:21): Several short films. In the first, Barbie is playing a Minecraft-looking game. In the second, the puppies play a Just Dance-style game. In the third, Barbie works out a "glitch" in her game. Finally, various video game characters dance and drive off.
• Barbie Dreamtopia: "Theme Song" (1080p, 1:08): Barbie's sister dreams of rainbows, colors in the sky, talking rocks, etc. in the full version of the series' theme song.
• Barbie Dreamtopia: "Sweetville" (1080p, 4:34): Chelsea and Honey arrive in Sweetville, but the Candy Bridge is broken! They will need help -- and they have to overcome an obstacle -- to get it fixed and get to the Innovation Celebration!
• Barbie Dreamtopia: "Sparkle Mountain" (1080p, 4:30): Chelsea and Honey arrive at Sparkle Mountain where Barbie greets them and tells Chelsea about a gem hunt she is on to become a Glitter Queen. Chelsea offers her services to help in the hunt. But an old adversary gets in the way.

Barbie: Video Game Hero Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.