Becky Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Becky Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 28, 2022

Note: Becky is as of the writing of this review a Ronin Flix website exclusive, but will go into "wider release" on February 7.

Rainn Wilson has often portrayed relative "good guys", even if sometimes on the dunderheaded side of things, and so his turn as an unrepentant villain in Don't Tell a Soul may have caught some fans by surprise. Something at least a little similar may be at hand for fans of Kevin James, since the avuncular "everyday Joe" sort of actor does a feral turn in Becky as a neo-Nazi convict who escapes imprisonment and takes a family in a rural location hostage. While James is the main bad guy as a character named Dominick Lewis, it's actually the film's title character, portrayed by Lulu Wilson, who is front and center, as by the vagaries of fate (and/or the necessities of screenwriting), she's a disaffected teen who is out moping in the countryside when Lewis and his acolytes show up to take Becky's Dad Jeff (Joel McHale), Jeff's girlfriend and potential new wife Kayla (Amanda Brugel) and Kayla's little boy Ty (Isaiah Rockcliffe) captive. That then sets up Becky as a veritable avenging angel (or demon, depending on your point of view), with Becky more or less discovering she has her own "particular set of skills" which allow her to take out her nemeses one by one in rather spectacularly gory fashion.

There's a pull quote on the back cover of this release which compares Becky to "a blood splattered. . .take on Home Alone", and in fact our own Brian Orndorf made just such a comparison in his review of the film's theatrical release, and while I guess you could look at the basic plot outlines that way, Becky actually struck me as being a (more?) blood splattered take on entries like Straw Dogs, in that an apparently "powerless" person is pushed to the edge of feral vengeance when (in this case) her family is attacked. Directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion and co-writers Ruckus Skye, Lane Skye and Nick Morris keep things hopping, having already established a fraught family dynamic between Jeff and Becky which includes a recent tragedy, which then plays into Becky's sullen reaction to seeing Kayla and Ty, which probably only further establishes her character as "powerless".

There's some brief lip service given to assumed psychological issues Becky may be experiencing in brief bookending segments featuring a policeman and what I assume is a psychologist, so that the main tale is a flashback. But, really, isn't Becky's reaction to the horrifying events that transpire (and I'm not even detailing a couple of very disturbing occurrences) almost "natural" in a way? The film makes no bones about letting this teenaged force of nature loose to wreak havoc on the team of nasty interlopers, and there is of course a certain comfort in watching villains get their comeuppance, even if several of the deaths and even initial injuries are incredibly graphic.

Lulu Wilson discloses in an interview included on the disc as a supplement that she's been attached to Becky for several years, and in a way it's a good thing that the film wasn't actually shot until Wilson was in her mid-teens, as I'm not sure the already somewhat incredible plot machinations would have worked with a truly "little" girl ( Home Alone's tradition notwithstanding). Fans of James may be surprised by the intensity he brings to his characterization of Dominick, even if some will be waiting with bated breath for Leah Remini to show up and smack him into a behaving better.

Becky Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Becky is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Ronin Flix with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb has some patently odd "technical" data points that I think are probably typos, but a bit of digging through the nooks and crannies of the internet revealed a couple of online sources mentioning Alexa Mini cameras, and I'm assuming this had a 2K DI (as always with my reviews, if someone has authoritative and verifiable technical information, private message me, and I'll happily update things here). This presentation has a bit of what I've termed "Alexa murk" in some of the interior house scenes in particular, but on the whole is a nicely sharp and extremely (to the point of squeamishness at times) well detailed transfer. The outdoor material especially pops with considerable authority, and everything from gruesome wounds to things like Becky's hat (which will no doubt remind some of Bob's Burgers) offer typically excellent fine detail levels.

Becky Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Becky features boisterous DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 audio options. I'd definitely opt for the surround track if you have the setup for it, as it provides a much more immersive experience, both in terms of the glut of ambient environmental noises in the many scenes outside, but perhaps just as importantly with a source cue drenched soundtrack that keeps things hopping sonically. A number of the kill scenes also offer some fun (?) sound effects. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Becky Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by Director Jonathan Milott (HD; 00:19) can be accessed as a standalone supplement under the Bonus Menu, or under the Play Menu, where it proceeds on to the main feature.


• Introduction by Director Cary Murnion (HD; 00:13) can be accessed as a standalone supplement under the Bonus Menu, or under the Play Menu, where it proceeds on to the main feature.


• Two Heads are Better than One: Directing Becky (HD; 40:44) is an in depth look at the partnership between Milott and Murnion.


• No Laughing Matter (HD; 13:47) is an interview with Joel McHale.


• The Fight of Her Life (HD; 14:28) is an interview with Lulu Wilson.


• Fan Art Gallery (HD; 4:27)


• Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery (HD; 8:52)

Additionally, the keepcase features a reversible sleeve and packaging features a slipcover.

Becky Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Becky features a great performance from Wilson, and in fact I'd say she actually easily outshines the two better known names in the cast, James and McHale. The plot pushes credulity to the breaking point, but the film is brisk and relentless, kind of like Becky herself. Technical merits are solid, and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.