SYNOPSIS:
Sexy temptress Megan Fox is hotter than hell as Jennifer, a
gorgeous, seductive cheerleader who takes evil to a whole new
level after she’s possessed by a sinister demon. Steamy
action and gore galore ensue as the male student body succumbs
to Jennifer's insatiable appetite for human flesh. Now it’s
up to her best friend (Amanda Seyfried) to stop Jennifer's reign
of terror before it's too late!
MOVIE REVIEW:
Here’s
a thought we had after watching this movie- were Megan Fox
not in the lead role as Jennifer, we doubt the film would
have been called “Jennifer’s Body”. After
all, there is but one draw in the entire movie, and that’s
seeing gratuitous shots of Megan Fox doing what she does best-
act sexy and sultry in as little clothes as would still be
considered decent.
In our introduction to this gorgeous high-school cheerleader,
Megan Fox is seen lying in bed in only a t-shirt and knickers.
That was something you didn’t get to see in Transformers
or its sequel. Neither did you get to see Megan unzipping
her top right down the middle to reveal the shape of her curves
in front of a horny football jock. Yup, “Jennifer’s
Body’s” greatest achievement is getting you to
admire Megan Fox onscreen in more than one suggestive posture.
Of course, we haven’t forgotten that the brains behind
the “Body” is none other than Diablo Cody, who
became one of Hollywood’s most watched screenwriters
after her surprise hit “Juno”. Here, Cody apparently
attempts a horror comedy with a twisted sense of humour, a
somewhat of a genre subversion as it was called- the result
however is nowhere near as inspired.
As a horror flick, “Jennifer’s Body” barely
qualifies. There is nary one scene that will make you squirm,
let alone jump, in your seat- and perhaps the most frightening
thing about it is watching Megan Fox widen her jaw to reveal
her sharp incisors right before she starts feasting on her
boy victims. We don’t know about you; but we’d
rather not have our wet dreams of her interrupted by that
image.
If it succeeds better as a comedy, that achievement is only
ever so slight. True, there are flashes of wit in the glib
teen-hip dialogue reminiscent of “Juno” that we
have come to expect from Cody. There’s also her keen
observations of adolescence in “Jennifer’s Body”,
which here consists mostly of the teenage pangs of sexuality
that afflict not just the hot jocks and cheerleaders, but
also the nerdy bespectacled geeks like Jennifer’s best
friend Needy. But unlike the cooler-than-thou “Juno”,
Cody’s witticisms here are few and far in-between, and
when the characters aren’t engaging in some intelligent
Codyspeak, it really does get dull.
Cody’s failing also lies in her by-the-numbers plotting.
We’re not sure what kind of subversion was supposed
to happen here, because everything unfolded in an almost pedestrian
manner from start to end. Coupled with director Karyn Kusama’s
lifeless direction, there just isn’t enough going on
to sustain your interest for long- sans a mildly entertaining
explanation how an indie band of rockers turned Jennifer into
the cannibalising blood-thirsty creature she becomes.
Just as in “Mamma Mia” and this week’s theatrical
release “Dear John”, Amanda Seyfried continues
to steal every movie she’s in. As Jen’s bff, her
transformation from nerdy Needy to empowered demon-killer
is simply relishing to watch. While this was touted as Megan
Fox’s sophomore outing after hitting it big with Transformers,
the real star here is no doubt Seyfried and if anything, she
proves that she is certainly going to be more than just a
flash in the pan in Hollywood.
Indeed, Seyfried certainly deserves more credit than she’s
been given in “Jennifer’s Body”. Some may
disagree but we’d much prefer Seyfried’s unadulterated
beauty than Megan Fox’s sexed-up, amped-up, glammed-up
image anytime. Of course, if you think otherwise, “Jennifer’s
Body” is just the movie for you to ogle and indulge;
if not, we’d suggest you give this a miss.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
There are a total of 7 deleted scenes that
play out really more like extended scenes of what’s
already in the movie. Let’s just say that they were
even more inconsequential than the movie itself and therefore
wisely excised from the theatrical cut. There’s also
a 4-min “Gag Reel” that really isn’t amusing
enough to justify your time.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The
Dolby 5.1 audio does its best to give your bass and back speakers
a good workout when scenes permit. Visual transfer is clear
and sharp, giving good contrast even during the film’s
night scenes.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Gabriel Chong
Posted
on 22 February 2010
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