6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A twist on the slasher genre, following two death-obsessed teenage girls who use their online show about real-life tragedies to send their small mid-western town into a frenzy and cement their legacy as modern horror legends.
Starring: Brianna Hildebrand, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Hutcherson, Craig Robinson, Kevin DurandHorror | 100% |
Dark humor | 3% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (384 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
There’s going to be a generational divide when it comes to the audience for “Tragedy Girls.” There will be those who understand, possibly even relate to the modern depiction of teenagedom, which is showcased here as a marathon of social media anxiety, bullying, and insincerity. Older audiences will likely spend the viewing experience being grateful they are no longer adolescents, forced to compete in a ferociously connected world. Thankfully, “Tragedy Girls” isn’t a documentary, but a horror comedy, offering satiric touches and exaggerated performances to help viewers ease into the challenges of juvenile life, which, for this endeavor, include murder. Co-writer/director Tyler MacIntyre pulls off a bit of a miracle here, finding ways to connect to unpleasant characters, while the rest of the movie speeds ahead with macabre twists and turns, and shares a love for bloody mischief.
The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation retains the qualities of the feature's HD-shot look, with digital softness and sharpness maintaining position. Detail emerges with facial textures, preserving rough adolescent skin and age, while set decoration is available for study, keeping high school visits active with background information. Colors are satisfactory, managing more natural hues for greenery and costuming, while party particulars and killer mask designs deliver a bit more black-lit pop. Skintoes are adequate. Delineation isn't problematic, securing the feature's substantial evening activity. Mild stretches of banding are detected throughout the viewing experience.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix is, obviously, a bit of a letdown, lacking a sharp ferocity befitting a feature this mischievous. What's here is acceptable, delivering an enveloping listening event with some surround activity, best explored with directional car chases and atmospherics, finding high school life present. Dialogue exchanges are commanding, securing teen sarcasm and serial killer wit. Scoring offers synth-y crawl and depth, and soundtrack selections provide heavier low-end response, bringing a beat to the dance music mood.
MacIntyre eventually slows down the exaggeration of "Tragedy Girls," trying to transform Sadie and McKayla into relatable human beings with typical teen problems, including romantic interest from Jordan, who's also the Sheriff's son, putting Sadie in a difficult position. There's a Big Dance finale that's on the tired side, forcing the material to fight cliché and still massage sociopathic behaviors. MacIntyre remains satiric (the movie has fun with media pantsing and political posing), but he's reaching by the end, as any softening of the characters only robs the picture of bite. Performances by Hildebrand and Shipp are bright, creating vivid depictions of self-absorption, and they keep the macabre details of "Tragedy Girls" alive, but a little of this film goes a long way, making any plan to give the effort a sense of honest emotion unwelcome. The feature is much more effective with unbearable teen behavior and candied ruthlessness.
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