Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Bingo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 4, 2024

What is it with dogs in movies whose names begin with the letter "B?" There is, of course, Benji and Beethoven and Bruiser, and now here is Bingo. He's the star of a film about a pooch who finds himself on an adventure to reconnect with a young boy that befriends him. It's a putrid little film, sad to say, tonally wayward, and despite its PG rating really pushing the edge for themes and language of what would be expected for a movie that is advertised with a warm and tickly image of the dog sporting sunglasses in the promotional material. Parents should be warned that it's not as sweet as it looks, as funny as appears to be, or as warm and family friendly as advertisers might want parents to believe.

Official synopsis: Unleash the laughs with this outrageous, over-the-edge comedy! When Bingo, a runaway circus dog who escapes the Big Top, saves the life of Chuckie, a young boy who's having trouble fitting in with his pals, the two quickly become best friends skateboarding, playing pinball and doing math homework together. But Chuckie's parents (Cindy Williams and David Rasche) discover the stowaway pooch, and make no bones about the fact that Bingo will not accompany them on their cross-country move. What follows is a heartwarming 1,000-mile adventure of puppy love and loyalty as Bingo and Chuckie encounter nutty characters and hilarious situations in their quest to be reunited. Dog catchers, kidnappers, hospitals, even prison, can't keep the two lovable misfits apart!

This is the story of a boy and his dog. Boy falls in love with dog, boy tries to hide dog from his family, boy and dog are separated because dad is an NFL punter who has just been traded to Green Bay, boy is sad over losing dog, and dog goes on an adventure to reunite with boy. It’s a simple premise and one that would seem to fit the mold of wholesome family friendly fare like The Adventures of Milo and Otis and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, but it's really anything but. Rather than sweet and simple, the film is surprisingly dark (at times) and a bit more vulgar (at times) and with a bit more human (and canine) sexual innuendo than audiences might expect. It's really all over the place, and kudos (sort of) to the movie for doing something other than the "nature adventure" angle. But when Bingo finds himself trapped in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre-like slaughterhouse where the dogs are surreptitiously turned into sausage for people to eat, it grows a bit too dark. And the bad guys are mean without the "family fair charm" from villain duos in movies like Home Alone. It's not what is expected, for better or for worse, and mostly for worse.

The tonally wayward narrative is not helped by direction or editing, for even at 90 minutes, almost on the dot, the film feels a good 20 minutes longer. The dogs are cute, but that's really the highest praise that can be given to the movie. The lead dog is well trained, and Bingo is always on cue and on mark and adorable as any dog ever in a dog movie. The human actors give little substantial effort but are afforded no real opportunity to stretch or build character, because everyone is as flatly two-dimensional as possible. The movie builds an efficient framework with adequate production values, but this is just a disappointment in its sum. It leaves no legacy other than remind viewers of better dog movies and to go with Homeward Bound or Milo and Otis again rather than return here.

Bingo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bingo looks very good on Blu-ray. Sony's 1080p presentation is attractively filmic, holding to a mild, but satisfying, grain structure that offers a nicely film-like look and supports what is a crisp cinematic appeal. Textures are a delight throughout the film, obviously starting with dog hair, which is well defined and clear in practically every shot in which the title pooch, or a variety of others, appear. The transfer offers wonderfully supportive content as well, displaying effectively crisp and nicely textured skin, clothes, and environmental elements, with some close-up shots looking tactile and touchable. Look at a mailbox at the 55:23 mark for a great example of a texture in the film that just demands for the viewer to reach into the screen and touch it. The film is full of environmentally dense locations, with complex textures abounding and always holding to that touchable level of clarity. Colors are punchy and well saturated, maybe lacking absolute precision nuance but holding to boldness and vitality across a full spectrum of color tones, from natural greens to Packers yellow to Broncos blue and orange. Skin tones look fine, whites are good, and black level depth and density satisfy. The only real downside here is some print wear and tear. It's usually light with the heaviest levels coming during scene transitions, but there is no missing the fairly steady barrage of pops and speckles. At least there are no encode issues to report. Most viewers should be satisfied with this presentation.

Bingo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bingo barks onto Blu-ray with a very satisfying DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. There's plenty of verve and engagement across the front to the opening score, delivering impressive separation, fidelity, and width, characteristics that hold throughout the film. These qualities hold to a nearly identical pattern for the duration; it's not simply a case of the opening title music being amplified for immediate impact to be followed by a downturn of volume and engagement. It's potent from start to finish. At reference volume, the track is loud but not overbearing, offering a very fun and pleasing movie presentation. Elemental separation is commonplace in music and ambience alike. The fronts stretch wide to carry a nice array of ambient details across the various locations seen in the film: a circus, woodland areas, neighborhoods, a prison laundry room, and the like. A few more forceful effects, like a barrage of gunfire partway through the film, erupts with good channel separation and aggression, not to mention solid enough clarity. Dialogue is firmly grounded in the center (as are various dog barks). Even in the two-channel configuration with an active center channel, listeners might very well be fooled into believing that the channel is active. Imaging is seamless, the spoken word is well prioritized, and conveyance is lifelike. Even within the two-channel limit, this one is living and active and sounds much bigger than its core configuration suggests.

Bingo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, this Blu-ray release of Bingo contains only one supplement: the film's Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:44). Aside from this trailer, the basic, static menu screen only offers options to "play" the film and "setup" the presentation. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Bingo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bingo struggles to find much in the way of charm and appeal. It's a curious blend of dark and weird and over-the-top silly, and none of it meshes together. It's a disappointing experience that is definitely the "B" movie of B-named dogs and their flicks. Sony's Blu-ray is all but featureless beyond a trailer, but fans can rest assured that the studio has provided a quality A/V presentation for the Blu-ray debut.