BLU-RAY REVIEW

Whip It

Featured In Issue 148, May/June 2010

Picture5
Sound3
WSR Score3.5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
2264207
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Sexual content including crude dialogue, language and drug material
(Retail Price):
$39.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
111
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2009
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
01/26/10
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Drew Barrymore
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Tired of following in her family's footsteps, Bliss Cavendar (Page) discovers a way to put her life on the fast track when she lands a spot on a rough-and-tumble roller derby team. Her journey comes full-circle as she reconnects with her family and finds her own path in the world. Based on the novel "Whip It" by Shauna Cross. (Gary Reber)

Special features include nine deleted scenes (HD 16:14), a soundtrack spot (SD 0:32), Fox Movie Channel Presents "Writer's Draft: Shauna Cross Of Whip It" (SD 03:04), and a digital copy of the film.

The 1080p 2.39:1 AVC picture is terrific! Vivid colors with fully saturated hues deliver a lot of brightness. Greens, reds, pinks, and blacks are punchy and contrast with one another. Babe Ruthless' (Page) helmet adorns a yellow star. The team uniforms are so colorful, as well as the girls' heavy applied makeup. Fleshtones are perfectly natural. Contrast is excellent as well with deep, solid blacks and revealing shadow delineation. The imagery is crisp and sharp, and though the girls' facial features are slightly soft other features and object textures in uniforms, helmets, and clothing are finely rendered. The film is cinematic and warm, with the slightest natural film grain evident but not distracting. This is a visual treat that flashes bright colors that are sure to please. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is punchy but conventionally produced, with production dialogue that is less than convincing, with compromised spatial integration and forward-sounding dialogue. Much of the sound is frontal focused and misses opportunities for soundfield envelopment. The music score, which sounds undistinguished in terms of recording quality, does provide, at times, an aggressive surround presence, but unfortunately sound effects and atmospheric effects remain at low levels and provide unimpressive surround presence. Even the roller derby action fails to stir the emotions as one would expect of such a high-energy sports event with a gang of "she-male" skaters engaged in body brutality against a roar of hard-wheeling skating. Still, audience excitement and extended .1 LFE bass is lifting. While the soundtrack is undistinguished, it is a fun ride. (Gary Reber)