Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef Blu-ray Movie Review

Monster High: where the same lesson is taught day in and day out.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 21, 2016

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef is the latest pun-filled Monster High -- that empire of dolls, lunch boxes, and other branded merchandise featuring trendy teenage monsters -- entry, and it's about learning to face fears. Some people are afraid of the spotlight (as the case may be with this film's central character, Lagoona Blue). Some people are afraid of death, spiders, aliens, or maybe opening a package and finding the next Monster High Blu-ray inside, waiting to be reviewed. The point is that everyone is afraid of something, and as Monster High might say, it's sometimes beneficial to face that fear head-on and learn that, hey, it's not so scary after all. It's made all the easier when one has a bunch of ghoul-friends like Draculaura, Clawdene, and Frankie to help out. So, with that in mind, does Great Scarrier Reef manage to impart a good life lesson on those who watch, or are the takeaways drowned out by more tired puns and high school antics?

Enemies.

Summer is just around the corner, but school is still in session at Monster High. Draculaura (voiced by Debi Derryberry), Clawdene (voiced by Celeste Henderson), and Frankie (voiced by Kate Higgins) are rehearing for a dance recital. Things aren't going well, particularly not with Toralei (voiced by America Young) in charge. Near the end of practice, Lagoona (voiced by Laura Bailey) catches a glimpse of the fun. The girls invite her to dance, but she refuses. It turns out she's actually a great dancer, but she suffers from a severe case of stage fright. The girls' recital doesn't go well, but when Toralei sees Lagoona dancing backstage, she lifts the curtain and humiliates her. Her "performance" is caught on video and becomes an Internet sensation, much to her dismay. Toralei and Lagoona face off at a poolside party but are sucked into a vortex where they meet Poseidon's daughter, Posea Reef (voiced by Paula Rhodes). She informs Lagoona that she must face her fears or face something much more sinister if she doesn't.

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef literally opens with the words, "be yourself, be unique, be a monster" heard in voiceover and printed on a poster that's placed within Monster High's hallowed halls. Nothing like putting the mission statement right up front for the world to see and hear. The series has always been about the importance of individuality, acceptance, and friendship. Every movie seems to offer a variation on the same theme, about being comfortable in one's own skin and putting aside the fears of rejection. That's certainly the theme here, and it's presented in a very straightforward manner. Great Scarrier Reef feels much more focused on the task at hand than some of the other Monster High films that have previously hit Blu-ray. That doesn't make it much better -- it's still home to repetitive character banter, themes built around interchangeable stories, and that awful animation style -- but it does make it tolerable. The "stage fright" angle feels a little more relatable, like something even adults can get behind because it's a more universally tangible concept than some of the other hurdles the girls must usually overcome.

The story itself, and the execution thereof, is a mix between straightforward storytelling and maddening fluff that serves little value other than to stretch the already minuscule runtime a few minutes farther. Nowhere is this more evident than when the characters get sucked into the swimming pool vortex and find themselves transformed into...half monsters, half seahorses? There's not much in the way of meaty characterization or sense of awe as the movie instead plows forward along its prefabricated trajectory. There's some interesting little concepts and details with monsters and gods of myth, but for the most part it's just the same old Monster High reworked into a new environment. Voice acting is fine but production values are below par, which is one of the major hurdles the series seems reluctant to fix, a shame considering how lucrative it must be across a wide spectrum of merchandise beyond the movies and how much better of an experience it can be when it actually looks like a cartoon rather than some third-rate CGI concoction tossed together by the lowest bidder and on outdated hardware and software.

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef's scary 1080p transfer is more a result of the source's cruddy animation than it is any technical shortcoming of Universal's presentation. Colors are many but lack even a hint of vibrance or pop, even the typical onslaught of pinks and purples, whether seen around the more dreary-colored Monster High or the more cheerful underwater locations. Details are flat, soft, and unattractive. Attention is given almost exclusively to characters, leaving backgrounds clumsy and absent more than the most necessary or cursory detailing. Characters, at least, reveal a good bit of crude accentuating highlights on hair, clothes, and accessories, but there's precious little information in the animation itself. Aliasing and banding are regular occurrences. Anyone disappointed with previous entries will find this transfer equally unappealing.

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack presents the series' Pop-Rock beats with just enough verve to capture the upbeat essence of, and clarity to distinguish, lyrics and instrumentals alike. There's good front end space and enveloping surround support. The track features a few good moments of well defined directionality in aid of both minor and major sound elements alike. Something as simple as footsteps maneuvering off to the side, following the characters walking out of frame, can be surprisingly impressive and effective. Bats flutter around the stage with tangible placement, and mild applause trickles out of the back channels after the girls' flop of a dance performance. There always seems to be something happening beyond what the front-and-center portion of the stage has on offer. Dialogue is always clear and focused with commendable clarity and prioritization, even considering all the underwater segments in the movie.

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef contains no program-related extras. All that's included is an Ever After High Special titled Way Too Wonderland (1080p, 1.78:1, Dolby Digital 2.0, 45:48, with English, French, and Spanish subtitles). The Blu-ray package also contains a DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy.

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Monster High: Great Scarrier Reef fails to add any real creative spark to the franchise. It's essentially the same movie as several released before it, only re-skinned and built around the recycled themes of individuality and identity and, here, facing fears. But isn't fear part of what makes an individual, an individual? Who knows, but know that with Monster High platitudes prevail, empty and narrow sighted philosophies rule, and it's all just a big marketing push, anyway. In short, fans will love it, detractors won't find anything that will change their minds. Universal's Blu-ray is likewise interchangeable with most of the other franchise releases, featuring unattractive source material combined with a passable 5.1 soundtrack. The only extra is a special from the sister franchise Ever After High. Fans happy with previous releases should have no hesitations about picking this up.