Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Emoji Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

"Meh" would be an improvement.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 29, 2017

This could probably be said of something from just about any generation, but it would have been borderline inconceivable to imagine walking into a store just a few short years ago and finding a stuffed "emoji" in the shape of a pile of poop for sale. It would have been like walking into some crazy alternate dimension...poop? Really? But there they are in 2017, plush poopies that people supposedly want to cuddle up with or put on display somewhere. They are, of course, much larger replicas of the little digital "emoticons" or "emojis" that are meant to express emotions or responses or gestures or physical states or environmental conditions like "love" and "meh" and "thumbs up" and "tired" and "rainy." And today's smartphones will even suggest the proper emoji when writing a particular word in a text message or some other form of communication where an emoji might be appropriate. Of course, The Emoji Movie is a little late to the party; the iPhone text message app, for example, is now filled with little gifs featuring celebrities face palming or cats dancing or other little expressive second-long repeating clips that are on their way to usurping the smile and the poop. But that's the state of today's technology: always evolving with something hot and new right around the corner, and usually something that means less effort on the part of the user. And, surprise, emojis have now spawned a movie that's required less effort on the part of the filmmakers. The Emoji Movie is a spirited yet, for the viewer, demoralizing movie that would, if it weren't for true masterpieces like Dunkirk propping up the industry, speak volumes about the state of the movie union.

Alex (voiced by Jake T. Austin) is a normal high school boy who lives and dies with his phone in his hand and by the emojis he sends to his friends. He's part of a generation for whom it's easier to show a picture than write a word (and heaven forbid a sentence). It's critical he respond with the right one to a girl he really likes. Unbeknownst to him, inside his phone is not just a bunch of code and graphics and circuits but an entire digital world where emojis live and communicate with one another as they await being chosen by the user. One such emoji is Gene (voiced by T.J. Miller), a "meh" emoji whose sole purpose in his digital life is to hold a singular expression of indifference. But Gene is not like the other emojis who thrive on existing as crying faces or lovestruck eyes. No, he wants to express himself in any way that suits his true mood. And when it's finally time that Alex selects him, he blows it. He cannot hold pose and transmits the wrong facial expression, which leads Alex to believe his phone has malfunctioned and in need of being wiped clean, which will, of course, kill off all the emojis inside. Gene is deemed a malfunctioned emoji and targeted for termination by the smiling emoji in charge (voiced by Maya Rudolph). He barely escapes and teams up with two other rogue emojis -- Hi-5 (voiced by James Corden) and Jailbreak (voiced by Anna Ferris) -- and traverses through the digital world inside Alex's phone in hopes of saving himself and proving his worth to his fellow emoji and his user.

Since they've made a movie about most everything else, pixels in a phone at least seems somehow logical in the "if it exists, make a movie out of it" mentality. The Emoji Movie, however, isn't a good film. Not in the least. Oh, it's well made on a superficial level. The animation is impressive, the voice acting is fine. But it's otherwise an empty film that tells a crude, generic story of self discovery where the end result is a sense of self-worth and expression as one sees fit. Mild adventure and peril through an imaginary world that amounts to little more than a face(palm)full of travels into and out of various applications on the phone propel the narrative forward. These applications are not generic ones made for the movie, of course, but the real deals that every sponsor hopes will get downloaded en masse as the thrilled and satisfied zomb, er, shee, er, audiences roll out of the theater and eagerly stare down and fiddle with their phones for the first time in 90 minutes. The movie is a sad commentary not even on the lack of imagination in Hollywood, because the movie's world is at least something of its own creation, but rather the absolute destitute status of characterization and storytelling. The film couldn't be more vapid if it tried. It's constructed of extremely tired nuts-and-bolts mechanics and themes in a world and around characters nobody ever asked to know.

And Patrick Stewart voices poop. 💩

The Emoji Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Emoji Movie features the expectedly colorful and buoyant 1080p transfer. The movie is packed with bright, vivid colors, with the classic yellow emoji hue the dominant shade but surrounded by a multitude of brilliant and well saturated tones. Digital green barriers and bathroom tiles, red lips, various shades of blue, purple, anything and everything, really, springs to life with an abundance of dense and detailed saturation. Environments are well defined, with sharp, very clear details throughout the film. Emoji characters can often appears very smooth and some environments a bit glossy, but there's no mistaking the textural stability and clarity on display. That's really all she wrote on this one. Rich colors and clean, highly defined details are the key cogs and the transfer's centerpiece elements. No serious bouts of noise or aliasing are evident. This one's definitely good-to-go.

The Emoji Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Emoji Movie features a fairly standard animated film-style soundtrack. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack (note that the UHD receives a Dolby Atmos soundtrack) handles duties admirably, pushing music and effects into the home theater with clarity and efficiency. Music is appropriately wide and detailed with pleasant surround and subwoofer engagement. Effects open up when the characters traverse larger environments. City din fills the stage in a few exteriors and larger effects like a helicopter buzzing over the city moves organically from one position to another across the soundstage. Light ambient support fills in empty spaces in quieter scenes, including dialogue reverberation as it's needed. Some raucous action scenes featuring the killer robots chasing after Meh and Hi-5 offer good laser blast traversal and pop, crashing environments, and the like. Dialogue is clean and detailed with positive prioritization and positioning.

The Emoji Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Emoji Movie contains a number of mostly frivolous extras. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Audio Commentary: Co-Writer/Director Tony Leondis leads a commentary that also includes Head of Story Mark Sperber, Production Designer Carlos Zaragoza, and Head of Layout James Williams. The track is both insightful and humorous, a complete 180 from the movie.
• Puppy! An Original Hotel Transylvania Short (1080p, DD 5.1, 5:00): Dennis wants a puppy but when he gets one he gets more than he and the family bargained for.
• Jailbreak Decoded: The Untold Story (1080p, 1:56): A very short scene, simply animated, that tells a little more of Jailbreak's background story.
• "Good Vibrations" Dance Along (1080p, 2:38): A couple of kids dance to a song from the film.
• Gimmie a Hand! Guess the Emoji Game (1080p, 5:37): A couple of kids (along with the audience) try to guess an emoji's identity based on verbal and visual clues.
• Express Yourself: Meet the Cast (1080p, 6:45): Quick interviews with the voice cast in addition to brief film and recording studio clips.
• Sweet App-etite: Make your Own Candy Crush Saga Cake (1080p, 6:24): A brief tutorial on baking a yummy looking cake.
• Girls Can Code! (1080p, 5:40): Anna Ferris introduces a piece that focuses on some young female computer programmers.
• Choreographing Emoji with Matt Steffanina (1080p, 3:33): A closer look at the movie's Just Dance sequence.
• Creating the World Inside Your Phone (1080p, 4:38): A short piece that explores the complexities of the digital world the filmmakers have created for the film.
• Bringing Emojis to Life (1080p, 3:22): A discussion of how the filmmakers designed the characters.
• How to Draw Poop (1080p, 3:35): Character Designer Andy Bialk shares the secrets of drawing one of the film's, and emoji's, most recognizable figures.
• How to Draw Gene (1080p, 3:17): Andy Bialk returns to draw the film's main character.
• "Good Vibrations" Lyric Video (1080p, 3:49): Sing along to the song as the lyric appear on-screen.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

The Emoji Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Emoji Movie is the latest movie that exists because it could exist, not because anyone had any real reason to make it. Sure, the filmmakers will talk up themes of expression, acceptance, and being true to oneself, but the problem is that the movie lacks even a hint of dramatic creativity. It's a mindless animated adventure film built on the very sort of soulless, expressionless, rote content that the film's story fights against. It'd be funny and ironic if the movie weren't so demoralizing. Sony's Blu-ray at least offers a quality viewing experience considering video, audio, and supplemental content. For all but the most ardent fans (who should be getting the movie on UHD), skip it. 👎