Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Daphne & Velma Blu-ray Movie Review

Girls Will Be Girls

Reviewed by Michael Reuben May 28, 2018

Daphne & Velma is a live-action, direct-to-video spinoff/reboot/origin story of two-fifths of the Scooby-Doo! franchise. It reimagines the female members of Mystery Incorporated as mismatched teenage BFFs in a hi-tech high school that's just slightly ahead of our time. D&V was produced by High School Musical veteran Ashley Tisdale and her older sister, Jennifer (Bring It On: In It to Win It)—which tells you a lot about the film's sensibility.

After solving a few mysteries as internet pen pals, Daphne Blake (Sarah Jeffrey) and Velma Dinkley (Sarah Gilman) finally meet in person when Daphne matriculates to Ridge Valley High School, a high-tech institution funded by the mysterious Tobias Bloom (Brooks Forester). Bloom is a reclusive Jobs-like billionaire-inventor whom no one has ever seen up close (and there's your first clue right there). Daphne quickly discovers that the school's top students are being turned into mindless shells after they're lured into secret passageways concealed behind the student lockers. Though initially reluctant, Velma agrees to help investigate. As one might expect, there are nefarious plots, secret identities and a ghostly figure that is eventually unmasked as . . . well, that would be telling.

D&V is as ridiculously comical as any Scooby-Doo! adventure, and one's reaction will greatly depend on the degree to which one accepts its reinterpretation of the two leads. Here, Daphne is smarter, more proactive and a self-styled paranormal investigator; Velma is the Scully to Daphne's Mulder and a nerdy recluse who chooses to underachieve (she has her reasons). But however one views the characters, it's hard not to be hypnotized by the film's visual design, which is as psychedelic as anything conceived by Sixties' flower children. From the school's deep blue lockers, to Daphne's ever-evolving wardrobe, to the candy-colored devices in the principal's office and the mysterious lab where the pair uncovers the villain's secret plan, the film is a demented kaleidoscope from first to last.

Daphne & Velma Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Daphne & Velma was shot digitally by Meena Singh (Netflix's The Confession Tapes). Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray is sharp, detailed and gorgeously colorful, with a profusion of rich primaries contrasting with intense pastels. Earth tones are nowhere to be seen. The film is short enough that Warner has managed to attain an average bitrate of just over 23 Mbps on a BD-25, which is high for the TV/direct-to-video division.

Daphne & Velma Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The film's lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack has punch, good dynamic range, deliberately exaggerated effects and a few memorable surround moments of echoing voices. The only negative is that lines of dialogue are occasionally buried in the mix, usually Daphne's, because she chatters at superspeed. Sasha Gordon (Lovesick) provided the appropriately goofy score.

Daphne & Velma Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Daphne & Velma: A New Ambition (1080p; 1.78:1; 4:58).



• An Updated Classic Mystery (1080p; 1.78:1; 5:22).



• Iconic Styles of Daphne & Velman Reimagined (1080p; 1.78:1; 6:11).



• Gag Reel (1080p; 1.78:1; 5:39 ).



• Introductory Trailers: At startup, the disc plays trailers for LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High, Scooby- Doo! and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Alex and Me and Dirt.

Daphne & Velma Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Die-hard Scooby-Doo! fans may or may not approve, but D&V should prove appealing to a young audience, especially the female half. It's G-rated; so parents needn't worry. The disc is technically proficient and, on that basis, recommended.