Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Becky Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 20, 2020

“Becky” is being sold as the dramatic debut for comedian Kevin James. I’m not sure if that’s accurate, as I saw “Grown Ups 2” on opening night in a half-full auditorium, and nobody was laughing. But who am I to get in the way of marketing? The great news is that James tries to be steely and humorless here, and he does a fantastic job playing a menacing character. Even better, “Becky” is an absolute blood-drenched joyride of a film; a revenge picture that’s lean, mean, and unexpectedly interested in the bodily harm a 13-year-old kid can inflict on the Nazi goons looking to destroy everything she holds dear. Directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion don’t pull any punches with their endeavor, offering a nightmarishly graphic descent into feral outbreaks of grief, going wild with B-movie bedlam from an unlikely source of rage.

A little while ago, 13-year-old Becky (Lulu Wilson, “Annabelle: Creation”) lost her mother to cancer, and her life hasn’t been the same. She’s angry, with no interest in communicating her pain, trying to avoid time with her father, Jeff (Joel McHale). Palling around with dog Diego, Becky is requested to join her dad on a trip to the family’s lake house, only to realize her parent is hoping to settle in with his girlfriend, Kayla (Amanda Brugel), and her son, Ty (Isaiah Rockcliffe). Rejecting the news of an engagement, Becky runs to a tree house to cool off and keep reality out of sight. During her absence, white supremacist leader Dominick (Kevin James) arrives at the house, fresh out of prison and on the hunt for a special key hidden on the property. Joined by other brutes, including Apex (Robert Maillet), Dominick is ready to murder anyone refusing to help him, and when he takes his threats too far, Becky is triggered, using her knowledge of the area to help pick off the overwhelmed villains.

Milott and Murnion are no strangers to scrappy, provocative cinema, previously helming “Cooties,” which featured the wrath of zombie kids, and “Bushwick,” a picture about the end of America. With “Becky,” scale has been reduced to the anger brewing inside a teenage girl, with the titular character introduced as a young person unable and unwilling to express her darkest feelings to anyone, caught up in her own private world of art and angst. Jeff is exasperated, trying to make some connection to his child, but she won’t budge, scarred by the medical decline of her mother, spending weeks by her side trying to comfort her parent. She’s a time bomb of emotional fury, and the filmmakers make a direct comparison between the prison of her life and literal lockup for Dominick, who’s about to embark on an escape plan he’s been working on for a long time, setting him and his Aryan soldiers free.

There’s a domestic crisis for Becky to confront, with Jeff proposing to Kayla, hoping to bring the two families together. Once the girl is out of sight, dealing with her fears, Dominick enters the lake house, initially posing as a neighbor searching for his dog. James doesn’t commit to a crazy transformation in “Becky,” but he projects hardness as Dominick, with the camera making sure to highlight a swastika tattoo on the back of his shaved head numerous times. The prison escapee is looking for a special key in Becky’s possession, and he’s willing to do awful things to persuade her to surrender it, including a firepit torture routine with Jeff. Violence cranks up significantly once Becky and Dominick declare war on each other, and the helmers are happy to explore the gore zone, including an extreme shot of a character forced to remove their own eyeball after being stabbed by the boiling adolescent. Another weapon of choice is a broken ruler, and the junior high brutalizer is also skilled at creating booby traps for her pursuers.

Becky Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It appears nobody really paid attention to the release of "Becky," with the AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation squeezing the 93- minute-long feature into a 12GB file. Artifacting is a common sight throughout the viewing experience, with banding detected and blockiness. Detail is acceptable with the HD-shot feature, which does okay with skin particulars, picking up on hairs and open wounds, and decorative additions, including the art-laden walls of Becky's room and fort. Costuming is passably fibrous, with textured kitted wear and flannels. Colors are periodically lively (end credit art pops), but this is a darker feature with a good portion of the action set at night. Golden flames have presence, along with clothing choices, including the brighter hues in Becky's world. Delineation isn't ideal, with some solidification issues.

Becky Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix is an acceptable listening event for "Becky," which often leads with a pounding electronic score. Low-end isn't quite as powerful as expected, but beats have presence and synth stings are sharp, also exploding into chaos at times. Dialogue exchanges are clear (even Maillet, who's known for his deep, accented voice), supporting actors and their emotional exchanges. Agonized screaming is balanced, never slipping into distortion. Surrounds aren't frenzied, but atmospherics are satisfactory, offering a sense of outdoor pursuit and indoor room tone. A few, brief panning effects are provided. Sound effects are distinct, selling gruesome, violent encounters with compelling emphasis.

Becky Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:00, HD) is included.

Becky Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Comparisons to "Home Alone" are obvious, but "Becky" isn't that type of entertainment. It's grisly, proudly so, with Milott and Murnion getting rowdy with the adventure, not cutesy, and the writing offers some psychological shading with Apex, a hulking minion who can't deal with the death he's delivered for Dominick. There are a few extremes that dent the viewing experience, including a fascination with animal-based violence, and the synth score Nima Fakhrara is simply too much, overwhelming the movie instead of supporting it. However, the essentials of the endeavor are energizing, as Milott and Murnion are completely focused on the task at hand, constructing a thrillingly nasty piece of work without any narrative distractions or visual restraint. It's a blunt instrument, and for those in the mood for such a cinematic pummeling, the feature is eager to deliver.