5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Honey Daniels (Jessica Alba) is a struggling hip-hop dancer who's got all the moves, talent and relentless passion to succeed. She's been waiting all her life to show the world her dance moves and now her dream is just a step away. Inspired by the energy and music of the streets, she risks her shot at the big time to reach out, take a chance and make it on her own terms. Pulse-pounding music and awesome dance moves ignite this exhilarating story of passion, determination and finding the courage to follow your dreams. Also starring Mekhi Phifer and featuring hip-hop sensations Missy Elliott and Lil' Romeo.
Starring: Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer, Romeo Miller, Joy Bryant, David MoscowComedy | 100% |
Romance | 97% |
Teen | 42% |
Music | 23% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Watching “Honey” today feels like stepping into a time machine, whisking viewers back to 2003, when CD sales were king, the average music fan knew who Jadakiss and Ginuwine were, and Jessica Alba was a fresh-faced actress working overtime to make a big screen impression in her first starring role. It was also an era when a young singer named Tweet had nothing to do with Twitter. Times have changed radically since the release of “Honey,” with its simplified let’s-do-it-for-the-kids exuberance and hip-hop worship, and while there’s a campy jolt to the feature these days, actual cinematic quality remains largely absent from the dance melodrama. As earnest as the movie is, it’s painfully overcooked and habitually corny, trying to capture the zeitgeist without much in the way of invention emerging from the script. It’s a colorful picture, terribly eager to entertain, yet it’s all so incredibly pedestrian, relying on crummy formula that felt outdated in the 1960s, back when Frankie and Annette were trying to save the world one hip thrust and blinding smile at a time.
Despite its clumsy dramatics, "Honey" is a vivid motion picture. The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation maintains the colorful appeal of the film, with dominant hues emerging from wild costuming and intricate lighting, hitting the viewer with bold reds and blues, while urban exteriors expose darker greens and browns. The palette is always comfortable and expressive, extending to skintones, which sustain an acceptable sense of life. Grain is subtle, flavoring the image. Fine detail is quite healthy, revealing textures on faces, while interiors successfully display Honey's contrasting worlds of neighborhood decay and music video decadence, with deep, satisfactory backgrounds contributing additional dancer activity to study. There are minor instances of crush during club adventures with difficult lighting, but blacks are largely controlled. The print is mostly clean, with only a few noticeable imperfections.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is dealing with an onslaught of bass-heavy hip-hop soundtrack selections, most worked into the storyline, rendering "Honey" quite alert with low-end activity and a fullness of frontal force. It's a crisp, clean track, keeping in step with the musical events onscreen, while dramatics are preserved with solid dialogue exchanges, losing nothing to overwhelming club interiors and busy street life. Surrounds wake up on occasion, filling out crowd sequences, but it's not as active as hoped, lacking a real sense of pinpoint dimension to bring music video sequences to life. Scoring is less pronounced but remains understood. The BD carries an expected bounce and performance life, providing the film with its intended groove, lacking an extra punch of circular intensity to truly enliven the proceedings.
While the DVD boasted a commentary track, outtakes, making-of featurettes, and music videos, they've all been removed for the Blu-ray release. Not even a measly Theatrical Trailer remains.
"Honey" wants to inspire, entertain, and bring the masses to boogie, but it's clueless on how to tell a simple story. A director with a little more experience with actors and actual scripted scenes should've been the major concern for the production, not the multitude of ways to wet down Jessica Alba.
2010
2015
2014
2007
2006
2004
2011
2006
Dance-Off Edition
2008
2010
Chucked Up Edition
2007
2007
2015
Lucía y el sexo | Unrated Director's Cut
2001
2010
2011
2013
2006
The Double-Shot Edition
2000
Unrated Version
2004