Bee Movie Blu-ray delivers stunningly beautiful video and great audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Bee Movie is a comedy that will change everything you think you know about bees. Having just graduated from
college, a bee by the name of Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) finds himself disillusioned with the prospect of
having only one career choice - honey. As he ventures outside of the hive for the first time, he breaks one of
the cardinal rules of the bee world and talks to a human, a New York City florist named Vanessa (Renée
Zellweger). He is shocked to discover that the humans have been stealing and eating the bee's honey for
centuries. He ultimately realizes that his true calling in life is to set the world right by suing the human race.
That is until the ensuing chaos upsets the very balance of nature. It is up to Barry to prove that even a little bee
can spell big changes in the world.
When I'm done the humans won't be able to say 'honey I'm home!' without paying a
royalty.
I have no idea what Jerry Seinfeld's shtick is. I've never watched his popular sitcom or heard one
of
his stand-up comedy routines. About all I could do is pick the man out out of a lineup, so it was
with great interest that I screened Bee Movie, hoping to discover his supposed comic
genius and see what I've been missing out on all these years. As it turns out, I don't think I've
missed much. Bee Movie misses the mark, its funniest moments coming in scenes that
seem forced into the movie with little to no bearing on the story. The movie focuses on the
global
importance of bees, our lack of appreciation for what they do, and their own failure to recognize
their importance to society, all with an animated and "comedic" twist. If anything, Bee
Movie can be seen as film that parallels human
existence. We're all "buys bees" in one form or another, and even if we hate our jobs or don't
know
why we do them, they still contribute to society, and society would most certainly crumble if
something or someone stepped in and forced us to stop working, whether we see the benefit of
our jobs or not.
I can't bee-lieve that Jerry Seinfeld is in my kitchen!
Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld, TV's "Seinfeld") has just graduated with a perfect report card
(straight "Bs," naturally). After his 10-second graduation ceremony (there are tens of thousands
of
graduates per day, you see), Barry and his friend Adam (Matthew Broderick, The
Freshman)
tour the Honex Corporation and must choose the job they will work for the rest of their lives (and
their bosses will certainly try to work them to death). Even though all of the work done in the
hive
takes place at Honex and involves honey production, the hive is alive with cars, roads, houses,
digital cameras, and even a newspaper publication. Barry fears the monotony of performing the
same job until death and yearns to venture out with the "pollen jocks," the most respected and
daring
bees in the hive. Raised
from birth and highly trained for just this task, they're the ones that go out and collect pollen and
brave the outside world. Barry finds himself invited to go with them and
his
trip turns into an adventure -- from becoming stuck on an in-play tennis ball, to finding his way
through a running automobile engine, and to avoiding the wrath of an angry human with size 10
1/2 Timberland boots at the ready to squash him. Barry barely escapes with his life thanks to the
kindness and perfect timing of Vanessa Bloome (Renée
Zellweger,
Me, Myself & Irene),
a
florist who is a friend to all living creatures who befriends Barry (who wouldn't want to get to
know a talking bee!). When Barry goes
to the supermarket with her and sees shelves of honey, he becomes furious at mankind for
stealing the honey the bees work so hard to make, and sues humanity (with Vanessa's help).
Will Barry win the case,
freeing bees everywhere and returning honey to its rightful owners, and if so, what impact will
the influx of honey to beehives everywhere have on bees, humans, and the planet?
In a society where frivolous lawsuits have become the norm and the easy way of achieving the
American Dream, it's no wonder that bees suing humans over "stolen" honey is the next logical
step in societal evolution. The movie is a rather fine satire on the American mindset insofar
as the current state of the legal system and a commentary on the importance
of work and the state of harmony required to keep the world moving forward. As a comedy,
however,
the movie just doesn't work all that well, save for a few scattered laugh-out-loud moments,
perhaps the
funniest being the end of Barry's dream about Vanessa, seen in chapter six. Having no
background on Jerry Seinfeld's sense of humor and the quality of his routines, I cannot say if
Bee Movie is representative of the comedian's repertoire or not. The premise is a good
one, and certainly different. We've seen many insect-centric movies in the past (A Bug's
Life, Antz), but their stars have never become so involved in human society as they
are here.
The problem here is that the film's target audience, small children, probably won't understand the
nuts and bolts of the movie's second and third acts (especially the courtroom proceedings which,
by the way, completely
ignore standard judicial procedure. Tell me why, again, the lawyers pander to the jury, but the
judge decides the case on a whim, completely ignoring the jury's presence and role?), but will
probably find
themselves entertained by more talking creatures and some of the film's attempts at humor.
John Goodman, as usual, is a bright spot, voicing the high-powered
lawyer representing the honey companies (with a wonderful deep South Mississippi accent in New
York, reminding me of one of the gubernatorial candidates in Oh Brother Where Art
Thou?). Seeing his character flop around in the courtroom after being stung proves to be
the
funniest moment of the movie (and the next time we see him in a baby walker is rather funny,
too). A few pointless scenes featuring Sting and Ray Liotta (whose "Private Select" label of honey
looks more like the label you'd find on a high-dollar bottle of Scotch whisky) on the
witness stand are also quite funny but serve no purpose in the grand scheme of the story. The
remainder of the voice cast is solid, performing well with the material they have at their disposal.
Bee Movie is likely to be a love-it-or-hate-it movie (I merely tolerated it, my wife quit 40
minutes in).
Funny or not, Bee Movie is a visual feast for the eyes. DreamWorks brings this
brand-new
animated film to Blu-ray in a "bee"utiful 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 framed transfer. The
digital
artists are certainly to be commended; they have nailed the visuals, and every frame is a
pleasure
to look at. Not only can we look at it, but it cries out to be studied and analyzed, so intricate are
the
fine details and information to be discovered. Not only are environments and backgrounds
intricately rendered, but close-ups appear visually striking as well. From the fine representation
of
hair on Barry's head, to the stitches in the sweater he wears, this Blu-ray brings them all to life,
larger than life, in fact. We are also treated to some nice foreground object details, such as
fuzzies
on a tennis ball. Colors are incredibly vibrant and rich. From the yellow and black of the bees to
all
the colors imaginable that are scattered throughout the movie, viewers will be amazed at the fine
array of shades, each one decadent. If colors were sweets, you'd have eye cavities after watching
this one. The digital animators have gone above and beyond the call of duty in Bee
Movie,
bringing a fantastic-looking image that is three-dimensional and a pleasure to look at, made all
the
better thanks to the brilliance of the first-rate effort from DreamWorks and the wonderment of
Blu-ray high definition.
DreamWorks presents Bee Movie on Blu-ray with a solid Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless sound
track. I found the track to be slightly underwhelming from a volume standpoint, forcing me to
turn up the volume knob a few clicks, but otherwise clean and concise. Dialogue is excellent,
discernible, and focused in the front, a perfect replication of each actor's voice work. Surounds
are put to nice use throughout the movie, such as when the "Pollen Jocks" first fly out of the
hive. Sound flows effortlessly from one speaker to the next. Sometimes the rears seem dead,
ambience missing in a few key scenes, but when they are active, the soundtrack makes for an
interesting and lively listen. Sound placement is also excellent. In chapter 14, a TV broadcast is
heard in the front right channel, and as the camera pans around to center the television on our
screen, the sound flows naturally to the center. There are several instances like this one
throughout the movie where sound is perfectly placed around the soundstage, making for a
pleasurable listening experience. The subwoofer occasionally rattles and rumbles, a scene in
chapter seven where the humans at the honey farm walk around, their heavy steps
reverberating nicely as though we were hearing them as a bee would, stands out. A subsequent
scene
where the walls of the fake hive are removed is equally momentarily boisterous. Thunder during
the film's climax booms, as does the sound of a jet flying through our listening area. While
not quite as impressive as the video quality, Bee Movie's lossless soundtrack is
nevertheless a solid one, complimenting the film very well.
Bee Movie buzzes onto Blu-ray with a seemingly endless set of special features. This disc
also offers users a choice of menu styles through the "My Menus" listing of the extra features,
customizing the look between four themes.
Beginning
the proceedings is a commentary track featuring Jerry Seinfeld, co-writer Barry Marder,
co-directors
Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner, producer Christina Steinberg, and editor Nick Fletcher. For
such
a large number of participants, the track is remarkably easy to get into, but at times the
participants talk over one another (as is to be expected when you cram this many participants
into
a room). They do provide some good information, but often find themselves ooh-ing and ahh-ing
over the film (this is the first time many have seen the completed product). The majority of the
track is a self-congratulatory party where they discuss the interactions between the characters,
the animation, changes in the story, and generally laugh at and discuss their favorite scenes.
Barry's Trivia Track continues on the theme of the commentary, providing more bee
trivia and facts from the ways the animators could convey emotion to the history and uses of
honey, the real-world lives of bees, and information on items seen throughout the movie.
The Animator's Corner is wonderful feature that shows the movie played, frame by
frame, in a rough state in a box that overlays the final product. We see the rough animation and
storyboards that accompany each scene. The World of Bees is a feature that is accessible
by pressing the "red" button on your remote or by selecting it in the main menu. Users can
select characters from a list and read that character's biography and discover facts about each
one, including their favorite books, songs, movies, foods, hobbies, and heroes (which provides
insight into the quantity and quality of pre-production character development). Next are three
deleted scenes (1080i, 5:00) with an introduction by Jerry Seinfeld. The scenes are not
complete, presented here in pencil-drawn form. Six alternate endings (1080i, 14:39) to the film
are next, again presented in only pencil-drawn form.
Inside the Hive: The Cast of 'Bee Movie' (1080i, 14:41) features interviews with the
cast, focusing on Jerry Seinfeld. He discusses the origins of the idea and his role in the making of
the film, while the supporting cast and crew talk up his contributions to the movie, as well as the
plot of the movie. TV Juniors (1080i, 23:20) is a series of 16 comedic shorts that spoof
the process of getting the movie up and running, pitches for animated movies, more Ray Liotta
fun, cheap Spanish-language knock-off DVD versions of Bee Movie, and other
assorted nonsensical vignettes. These shorts are hilarious, easily besting the movie in terms of
laughs per minute. Next are two live-action trailers for the movie (1080i, 4:12) followed by
Jerry's Flight Over Cannes (1080i, 3:03), showcasing Jerry Seinfeld's unique promotion
of the film at the Cannes Film Festival.
Meet Barry B. Benson allows viewers to ask eleven questions of the famous bee. The
developers of this feature use clips from the movie to provide the answer to each question.
Tech of 'Bee Movie' (1080i, 7:33)
examines the computing power involved in the movie, Jerry's "virtual" involvement in the movie,
and other assorted technologies used in the film. Next is a music video entitled We Got the
Bee (1080i, 2:13) which is inspired by We Got the Beat by the Go-Gos.
DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox shows musical clips form the Shrek films,
Flushed Away, Over the Hedge, Madagascar, and Shark
Tale. Finally, 1080p trailers for Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar: The Crate
Escape, and The Spiderwick
Chronicles are included.
Separate from the extras is DreamWorks Kids, a series of four kid-centric extras.
Build-A-Bee allows viewers to create their very own Bee Avatar which, upon completion,
can be seen floating on the screen. The Buzz About Bees (1080i, 7:08) is a short
feature on the lives of bees, humans' fear of them, and how you can help the bees that live in
your own back yard. The Ow! Meter (1080i, 33:46) looks at how badly it would hurt if
five separate species of bee were to sting you (we also learn a bit about each species).
Conversely, the feature examines how badly human weapons used against bees hurt, such as
boots
and rolled up magazines. Finally, the feature informs viewers how to avoid being stung.
Concluding the DreamWorks Kids features is That's Un-Bee-Lievable, a true/false
game meant to educate players about the lives of bees.
Bee Movie is a somewhat entertaining kids' movie. I generally find myself enjoying
animated movies as much as the target audience, but this one fell mostly flat. A few genuinely
funny moments are scattered throughout the movie, but the remainder plays mostly straight,
neither funny nor serious. The story itself is fine, if not a bit out of left field (even for a kids'
movie) with a decent life lesson, but one that may well go straight over the younger
audience's heads. Bee Movie receives an "A" for effort but a "C" for execution, and if you
average those out you get a "B"ee Movie. DreamWorks has produced an absolutely
first-rate disc. Bee Movie may represent the pinnacle of animation on Blu-ray, easily
equalling
the likes of Happy Feet and Ratatouille, and
arguably surpassing them. Regardless, this is first-rate demonstration material, and for the
moment should be the de facto "go to" disc in Blu-ray displays around the country. The audio is
solid as well, a bit underwhelming, but the overall presentation is acceptable. This disc is also
crammed with high-quality and high-definition supplements, easily enough to keep any Bee
Movie fan busy for the better part of the day. Even though Bee Movie will never be
a favorite of mine, it's an easy watch, entertaining at times, and fantastic to look at. This disc is
a winner from DreamWorks and should earn a spot in your collection. Recommended.
Paramount Home Entertainment today revealed further details about their upcoming Blu-ray plans and in addition to releasing 'Bee Movie', 'Face/Off' and 'Next' on May 20th, they will also be releasing 'Blades of Glory', a quirky comedy about the competetive world ...
Paramount Home Entertainment have finally unveiled their long-awaited first wave of catalog and recent hit titles that they'll begin releasing May 20th. "We will have a strong slate of titles for Blu-ray release throughout the year, worldwide, and are enthusiastic ...
All countries
