Mean Girls Blu-ray offers solid video and audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
Raised in the African bush country by her zoologist parents, Cady (Lindsay Lohan) thinks she
knows all about the "survival of the fittest." But the law of the jungle takes on a whole new
meaning when the home-schooled 15-year-old enters public high school for the first time.
Trying to find her place among jocks, athletes and other subcultures, Cady crosses paths with
the meanest species of all - the Queen Bee, aka the cool and calculating Regina (Rachel
McAdams), leader of the school's most fashionable clique, The Plastics. When Cady falls fro
Regina's ex-boyfriend, though, the Queen Bee is stung - and she schemes to ruin Cady's social
future. Cady's own claws soon come out as she leaps into a hilarious "Girl World" war that has
the whole school running for cover.
For more about Mean Girls and the Mean Girls Blu-ray release, see the Mean Girls Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on March 28, 2009 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.5 out of 5.
All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you.
Is Mean Girls the Heathers for a new
generation? It would seem so, though the comparisons end before the whole "shoot your
classmates" and "blow up the school" plot lines of Michael Lehmann's and Daniel Waters' 1988
Black Comedy classic, or at least they stop there in the literal definition of the terms. Despite the
differing scenarios, the tone is essentially the same in each
film.
"Heathers" have been replaced by "Plastics," a more modern and perhaps even more polarizing
version of the classic "glamorous girl" clique that seems to get under everyone's skin simply
through their very presence. Walking down the hall in tandem or sharing the same lunch table,
in coordinated outfits and colors, of course, sets them apart as something mysterious and oddly
desirable, their group one everyone dreams of being a part of but could never join, if for no other
reason than for the stability of whatever moral compass they may possess, wayward as it may
already be. Each film sees a pretty but misunderstood girl enter school and find herself torn
between allying with the group that accepts her as she is or sacrificing her very essence to join
the in-crowd. Both Mean Girls and Heathers arrive at the same conclusion,
though they take drastically differing paths within what is basically the same setting and
structure.
They so should have painted these stalls a different color.
15-year-old Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan, I Know Who Killed
Me) is the new girl at school -- and the new girl to school. She's been home
schooled her entire life, having been raised by her parents deep in the heart of Africa. She
quickly comes to realize that life in a typical American high school is a jungle, where survival of
the fittest takes on
a whole new meaning as she discovers a world of separation and hatred, where every clique
is distinct but equal in their dislike of anything -- and anyone -- not as they are. Cady finds
herself lumped in with a pair of friends, one boy and one girl, who despise the school's hottest
clique, the "Plastics." Rich, snobby, and popular, the Plastics rule the school -- until Cady and her
friends decide to tear them apart from within. Cady finds herself the newest member of the
Plastics by day and their saboteur by night, but will life in the school's upper class turn her on her
genuine friends and tear the school apart?
A viewing of Mean Girls raises the question, "just who are the true mean girls?" Here is
a film where the title characters aren't readily identifiable. Audiences are led to believe that it's
the "Plastics" who are the "mean girls," at least during the film's opening act, but which group
truly brings about all the
trouble at school? Is it the clique with the glamorous trio of girls that coordinate their clothes, sit
together at lunch, and generally keep their bad-mouthing and gossiping amongst themselves? Is
it Cady and her crew that do their best to tear the clique apart? Or is it everyone, each girl in
school, that is somehow and some way "mean" to themselves or to one another?
There is no clear-cut answer, and if there was, the smart money would be on the latter choice of
the list, for it seems that nobody at school is free of the label. Regardless of who is guilty or who
innocent, who is mean or who is nice, Mean Girls offers a morality lesson along the way,
as
force-fed as it may be into the story. It offers several lessons, really, amongst them the inherent
wrongs in superficially judging others and spreading rumors and gossip behind people's backs. It
also delves into the downside of stepping in front of a bus and, perhaps most importantly, that
some things just never change.
It should come as no surprise that Mean Girls is directed by Mark Waters (The Spiderwick
Chronicles), brother of Heathers Writer/Director Daniel Waters. Mark Waters
captures the zany yet dangerous world of modern High School to both humorous and chilling
effect. It seems no coincidence that Cady is, in essence, a product of the rough-and-tumble
animal kingdom where survival of the fittest and only the most basic of instincts rule the day.
Waters depicts high school life as a jungle all its own, where predators, prey, and plenty of
insignificant creatures roam about in hopes of lasting one more day, where the pecking order
begins and ends at the very top. Past the morality of the
film, the questions it raises, and the world it examines is an easygoing, interesting, fast-paced,
witty, and fun movie. Waters balances the seriousness and levity of the film with precision,
never letting one supersede the other. At his disposal and making it happen is a collection of
actors that both embrace and devour their roles. Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams make the
most of their characters; the confrontation between the two plays naturally and with an
engrossing fervor as they do all they can to squash the life the other has built. They are
surrounded by a strong supporting cast with Tim Meadows delivering a fine performance as the
school's principal.
Mean Girls arrives on Blu-ray with a decent-looking 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. This
film sports that now-standard looking Comedy look to it with warm and vibrant colors.
It's a solid transfer overall, one that isn't necessarily demo-worthy, but does make for slightly
better-than-average high definition material. Visible levels of detail are adequate; whether in the
high-dollar clothes worn by the girls, facial details and textures, or the many objects scattered about
classrooms, cafeterias, mall boutiques, or bedrooms, viewers will find plenty of information to
absorb. The
transfer sees some heavy noise over the open, but is otherwise mostly clear and pleasant. Flesh
tones are slightly reddish in appearance and blacks are stable and dark. Mean Girls is
another one of those transfers that looks just fine in high definition, but won't overly impress those
that have seen dozens of other Blu-ray titles.
Mean Girls' Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack is just fine for what it is, which is a
front-heavy and completely generic mix. The film is primarily dialogue-driven and
features only the occasional burst of sound, generally coming from the film's pop-rock soundtrack.
The music is clear and loud, flowing effortlessly from the front channels with the support of the
subwoofer on several occasions to drive home the beats. A party sequence in chapter twelve is
about as active and immersive as this one gets, with the soundstage filled nicely with the loud
music. Dialogue reproduction is uniformly strong. Mean Girls makes for a bland listen, but
there is nothing inherently wrong with the soundtrack; it simply reproduces all it has to offer
with satisfactory results.
Mean Girls comes to Blu-ray with several bonus features. First up is a commentary track
with Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer and Actress Tina Fey, and Producer Lorne Michaels.
This track is fairly standard, the trio sharing basic information on the filmmaking techniques, the
locations, actors, the book on which it is based (Queen Bees and Wannabes), and more.
Only the Strong Survive (480p, 24:52) looks at the
life of teenage girls and how each character fits into the world of American high schools. The
Politics of Girl World (480p, 10:33) examines the importance of self-image to high school girls
and the problems that plague campuses. Plastic Fashion (480p, 10:25) takes a look at the
importance of costuming to the film. Word Vomit (480p, 5:44) is a series of outtakes.
So Fetch - Deleted Scenes (480p, 7:01) is a series of nine excised scenes with optional
commentary from Mark Waters and Tina Fey. Interstitials (480p, 1:39) are a trio of brief
promo pieces for the film. Concluding the special features is the film's theatrical trailer (1080p,
2:35).
Mean Girls and Heathers have more in common than meets the eye. While Mean
Girls sees no gun play and bombs strapped to one's chest, the film does indeed show the very real
and very damaging destructive power of all the high school faux-pas it rails against. They are in
many ways the same film, with Mean Girls updated for a new generation and featuring far
less in the way of subtle dark humor and manipulation in getting its point across. It's more
glamorous, more inviting, but not quite as powerful or poignant as Heathers, but it's
still a timely film that is also well-made and rather fun to watch. Paramount's Blu-ray release of
Mean Girls should please both newcomers and longtime fans. The disc features a good high
definition transfer, a bland but accurate soundtrack, and several worthwhile extras. Recommended.
For a limited time only, Amazon and Paramount Home Entertainment are having a special deal on the Mean Girls Blu-ray. Customers who purchase the Blu-ray are eligible to receive an additional $3 discount; entering the promotional code "PLASTICS" during the checkout ...
In an early announcement to retailers, Paramount Home Entertainment has revealed that they will bring 'The Last Kiss', 'Mean Girls', and 'Strange Wilderness' to Blu-ray on April 14th. Technical specs and special features have yet to be announced at this time, but ...
