Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Teen Spirit Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 9, 2019

In this film, Teen Spirit is a fictional television show in the same vein as American Idol or The Voice or any of those singing competition shows that are so prominent and dominant within today's television landscape. And, unfortunately, the movie is just as rote. Despite its name, it's largely spiritless, going through the motions and achieving little character depth, story creativity, or narrative engagement. It's a simple story of big dreams, escape from a routine life, and the protagonist's journey to stardom from unlikely beginnings. The film covers a good number of its structural shortcomings with a catchy soundtrack and good physical and vocal performances, but forget anything with real dramatic pull or narrative tentacles. It's a straight up generic construct that works well enough in isolation but doesn't even attempt to build anything of value beyond its superficial journey.

Violet Valenski (Elle Fanning) is a shy and quiet 17-year-old who hails from the Isle of Wight. Her escape is her music, but it's also her talent. She's a gifted singer who performs at her local church and to small crowds for no recognition in local bars. That changes when a man named Vlad (Zlatko Buric) hears her perform and praises her abilities. He was once a prominent Opera performer whose best days are behind him. Violet sees in him only a disheveled old man, but her perception will change when she asks that he accompany her to a tryout for Teen Spirit, a prominent talent search and musical discovery television program, and pose as her guardian. He does so on the condition that should she win the show, she'll split her earnings with him, 50-50. As their relationship grows and Violet advances through the show's very real and very draining rigors, she encounters a number of personal challenges, professional opportunities, and social temptations along the way to stardom.

Teen Spirit is so generic that there's really little room for further critical expression or expansion. It builds a routine story shaped by the expected character arcs and the predictable challenges they face, the obstacles they encounter, and the decisions they must make. And the result is a story populated by hopelessly flat characters who are not unlikeable but who are entirely transparent. There's little soul searching; Violet is a stock character who hails from the classic out-of-the-way upbringing. She's shy and not particularly expressive in the spots she has to shoot promoting herself and the show. She's not glamorous, and if she's going to win, it's going to be on talent and not image. And there's nothing wrong with any of that in a vacuum but the script never deviates, never takes any risks, never challenges its characters to stretch outside of its bumper bowling linear path. Violet's rise through the ranks sees her encounter a number of obstacles, both personal and professional, none of which comes as a surprise challenge to the audience, that threaten to push her away from the success she seeks and tempt her with giving up on her mentor, the has-been performance artist who knows best but whose sage advice is not always taken to heart. The movie plays with an air of inevitability to it, not even so much whether Violet will win the competition or not but in the path she'll have to walk to make it to the end.

The performances are not as spiritless as the movie, but there's little opportunity for the actors to stretch, to break out of the stock characters they are charged with bringing to life. Elle Fanning plays the lead part with the quiet reflectiveness and drive necessary to shape the story. She's limited by the rather crude machinations that define the character in the script, and while she's capable of handling assigned duties she never can break out of the mold and explore the character with more detail, more energy, more passion. The same goes for Zlatko Buric's Vlad, a character built around a semblance of complex humanity but who, for the purpose of the movie, only captures the written basics of the structurally critical but narratively flat mentor. The character is built to play a part, and any backstory is simply fodder to drive the relationship he builds with Violet. Both actors are capable of so much more, but there's absolutely no opportunity to deviate off the very well beaten path on which the movie has built its foundation.

Teen Spirit Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Teen Spirit was digitally photographed and crafted with a particular aesthetic in mind that doesn't necessarily translate into a typically "gorgeous" 1080p presentation. It's a very diffuse looking movie, soft and dreamy rather than sharp and edgy. Details are fine within the movie's visual structure but viewers should not expect a typically eye-popping experience. Core facial textures are fine in close-up, but much of the frame in many shots appears vague and velvety. Lighting is often harsh but complimentary to that tone as well. It's certainly a departure from traditionally oriented visual constructs, and colors are also reflective, favoring a feel of soft pastel rather than firm and contrasty explosions. Black levels appear a little light. Noise appears frequently but rarely intrusively. No other obvious source or encode artifacts are apparent. The movie looks fine within its structural vision but fans should approach it knowing to expect something a little off the visual beaten path.

Teen Spirit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Teen Spirit features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The Pop soundtrack is mesmerizingly pure and technically efficient. It's highly detailed through the complex tones, the extensive range, and the challenging need for immersion. The track presents it all with precision, with perfectly attuned balance and stage presence. Though limited to a 5.1 channel configuration, the track plays perfectly large and with seamless fill; there's never a void in coverage. Tremendously powerful bass makes for the perfect compliment. The track folds in healthy and immersive atmospherics as the situation warrants, such as when Violet arrives in London in chapter 12 and tours the stage where the bustle of set-up fills the listening area and transforms it into the location. In the next chapter, during some dance practice, sneaker squeaks and background chatter and music pleasantly define the environment. Outside of the dominant music, there's almost always some level of sophisticated, immersive environmental effect to draw the listener into the film's worlds. It's captivating in all areas. Dialogue is pure, well prioritized, and true to a natural front-center location.

Teen Spirit Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Teen Spirit's Blu-ray release contains music videos, two featurettes, and an audio commentary track. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Music Videos (1080p, 11:02 total runtime): Included are "Wildflowers," "Dancing on My Own," and "Little Bird."
• The Story Behind Teen Spirit (1080p, 1:42): A quick plot and character overview.
• Creating Music for the Film (1080p, 1:25): Training Elle Fanning to sing.
• Audio Commentary: Director Max Minghella, Producer Fred Berger, and Executive Producer Jamie Bell discuss the film obviously well beyond the limitations of the brief featurettes. Discussions include inspirations, characters and performances, story, music, the film's structure, technical details, setting, and much more. It's a good, balanced presentation with enough insight to satisfy fans.

Teen Spirit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Teen Spirit works well enough as a genre time killer but audiences shouldn't expect to watch a movie that takes risks, takes its characters in new and interesting directions, or takes the time to construct a story beyond formula. It's well acted, the photography is a strength, the music is catchy, and the editing is smart (it's quick to move without too much wasted motion, critical for a film as stock as this one). Universal's Blu-ray delivers a few supplements, good video that's a product of its source and structure, and a rousing 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Worth a look on a slow day and on a good sale.