Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		1.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

Birdemic: Shock and Terror Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 15, 2023

As bad movies go, 2010’s “Birdemic: Shock and Terror” basically came out of nowhere. Writer/director James Nguyen was a struggling filmmaker with a defined Hitchcock fetish, trying to make a career out of “romantic thrillers,” channeling “Vertigo” with 2003’s “Julie and Jack,” somehow acquiring the acting services of Tippi Hedren in the process. The helmer turns to “The Birds” to inspire the violence of “Birdemic,” but Nguyen’s love of cinema doesn’t translate to filmmaking competence, emerging with…well, whatever “Birdemic” is. It’s not a fright feature, with attempts to scare viewers with deadly avian attacks using mid-‘90s computer effects always ineffective. It’s not a heartwarming study of new love, as the acting is amateurish, with the performers struggling to express a single human emotion during the run time. The effort is one huge question mark of intent and execution, with Nguyen aiming to be sincere with his offering of a climate crisis-minded romantic picture with a large body count, adding his bizarre vision to the hall of fame of goofball endeavors.

Rod (Alan Bagh) is a twentysomething man looking to make a difference in the world. He’s a software salesman who’s recently landed a major payday, looking to start his own solar panel business, trying to contribute to clean energy as he watches a climate crisis develop around the world. During his daily rounds, Rod runs into Nathalie (Whitney Moore), a former high school classmate who’s gone on to great things in the modeling business, recently becoming part of the Victoria’s Secret team. Hoping to take a chance on love, Rod and Nathalie begin to date, visiting areas around California, learning more about each other and their mutual interests. Things are going well for the couple, but nature has other plans, with a collection of eagles and vultures coming to attack the population, targeting fossil-fuel users with a range of violent means. As the predators begin to wipe out humanity and cause mass destruction, Rod and Nathalie search for safety, using weapons and their wits to keep the birds away as they look for peace in a world gone mad.

While marketing materials promise death from above involving vicious birds, it’s stiffness that largely dominates the viewing experience. Nguyen isn’t a seasoned helmer or even an instinctual one, delivering a series of scenes with “Birdemic” that highlight characters as they go about their business in a zombified way, with Bagh and Moore kept to the basics in human communication under the helmer’s watch. It’s a curious blend of bad acting and worse direction, watching Rod and Nathalie robotically go about their business, with the couple eventually falling in love, going on a series of dates that Nguyen likes to cover in real-time, making sure to reach a sellable run time with a whole mess of padding.

Not helping the cause is a general lack of filmmaking skill, as editing and cinematography threatens to sink “Birdemic,” while sound absolutely stops it dead at times, with Nguyen always unsure how to actually use microphones. The picture is mostly calamitous when it comes to supplying a professional viewing experience, but this is where it gets tricky. “Birdemic” is so terrible in nearly every way, but as junk, it almost succeeds in being watchable, as curiosity is triggered when it comes to seeing just where Nguyen is taking his endeavor and just how hard he'll stumble trying to pull off even the simplest of scenes. It’s a trainwreck, but a semi-endearing one, as the helmer truly believes he’s nailing romantic intent and horror happenings, ignoring the hard evidence of the movie itself, which is a deathly slow understanding of eco-terror mixed with passes at tenderness and awkward sexuality. And there’s something beguiling about the eye-crossing effort, which doesn’t give up. It just takes forever to get where it’s going.

Birdemic: Shock and Terror Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation from the 2010 Blu-ray release of "Birdemic" isn't working with the finest in filmmaking skills. Still, compression and encoding issues are persistent, with banding and pixelation present. Shot with older commercial grade cameras, the feature delivers a softer/blurrier sense of frame elements, losing any deep looks at skin particulars and town tours, which don't carry depth. Colors are screwy, with a muddled sense of primaries and greenery. Brightness is mostly blown out.

Birdemic: Shock and Terror Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix is an odd one, with issues perhaps inherent to the source, which isn't built in a professional manner. Most bizarre is the track's almost random use of surrounds, finding some bird attacks using the full soundstage with sudden engagement, while the rest of the listening experience is frontal. It's a little unsettling, and overall balance isn't great, with avian violence cranked up, while dialogue exchanges are dialed down, with the actors battling environments and terrible microphone placement. Scoring registers acceptably, with a lighter synth sound, and soundtrack selections are passable, with low-end activity periodic during beat-happy songs.

Birdemic: Shock and Terror Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features writer/director James Nguyen.

• Commentary #2 features actors Alan Bagh and Whitney Moore.

• Deleted Scenes (HD) include "Cave" (1:38) and "Taking a S%$t" (:18), with the latter more of an outtake than a snipped section of story.

• "'Birdemic' Experience Tour" (12:02, HD) follows writer/director James Nguyen (often clutching a clothes hanger) as he provides intros and Q&As for the feature around the world. It's not entirely clear if he understands the reaction "Birdemic" is receiving from viewers, but he soldiers on, trying to turn his accidental cult movie into a big career move.

• "Movie Close Up" (27:05, SD) is an undated episode of a San Francisco television show, with host Bonnie Steiger interviewing James Nguyen, exploring the burgeoning career of the filmmaker, with "Birdemic: Shock and Terror" going through post-production at the time of the appearance. Nguyen explores his filmmaking inspirations, including Alfred Hitchcock, trying to put his own spin on the animal attack feature, routinely reinforcing the horror elements of the endeavor. Steiger gets as far as a she can with "Birdemic" (she also appears in the movie), soon turning attention to Nguyen's other cinematic achievements, focusing on "Julie and Jack" and "Replica" (trailers are provided for both features). The interviewee also details his love for the production process and use of the San Francisco area for his shoots.

• A Teaser Trailer (1:52, HD) and a Theatrical Trailer (2:31, HD) are included.

Birdemic: Shock and Terror Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nguyen has his heart in the right place with "Birdemic," working on an overall message of planetary care, with the characters exposed to the dangers of climate change, meeting others, including a scientist and a tree-hugger, who offer their thoughts on ecological ruin. Of course, such earnestness is generally lost when the predators arrive at the 47-minute mark, which turns the movie into an action spectacle where the cast randomly shoot guns (or wave wire hangers) at poorly rendered CG birds. There's no production polish here, no sense of dramatic stakes or even a rudimentary comprehension of filmmaking. It's just "Birdemic: Shock and Terror," where James Nguyen attempts to master a thrill ride viewing experience, only he doesn't understand what he's doing. In a way, it's fun. In a way, it's torture. Your mileage may vary.