Gamernode: Columns - DVD Review: Enchanted

DVD Review: Enchanted

(This was originally posted about a week and a half ago, but some reason was lost in the far reaches of the server. If you suffer from deja vu when you see this newly posted up, that's why.)

Every now and then I'll see a chick flick that I'll admit isn't totally terrible; you know, you can watch it and it's okay, but you won't want to watch it again anytime soon. Enchanted is one of those movies.

While it's not the greatest movie I've seen (or even remotely in any Top X lists I'd make for this year), for a chick flick it's solid enough. The movie tells the tale of Giselle, a stereotypical Disney soon-to-be-princess looking for her prince charming. While singing and cleaning with animals (and making a lifesize figure of her beloved yet-to-be-met Prince Edward), Giselle is attacked by a troll. Edward comes to the rescue, the two meet, and instantly decide to wed the next day.

Of course, Edward isn't ready to be king yet, and his step-mother is serving as temporary queen. She doesn't want Giselle to marry Edward and cause her to lose her power, so she sabotages the marriage by pushing Giselle into a magic pit which opens up somewhere in some cosmic space, and then apparently two feet under a manlid cover on 4th in New York City.

The movie focuses on Giselle as she's forced to deal with modern New York City with her stereotypical Disney Princess behavior. She breaks out into song, talks to animals, cleans while singing, sews her own dresses, and believes in the good in people, ignorant of the hostile environment around her. While in the real world she meets a man named Robert and his daughter Morgan, and the confused divorce lawyer spends the movie trying to take care of this crazy lady and help her find her way back home. (Of course, the daughter knows she's a princess right away.)

If that was all there is to Enchanted, I would hate it. What makes it actually worth a watch is how blatantly the Disney movie pokes fun at its own conventions. Enchanted acts as if it were based off a "Top 100 Signs of a Disney Movie" list, and it does so proudly. It's great to see the conventions prodded like that-and by their own creators, no less.

The only downside is that it's STILL a Disney movie, so you'll know exactly how it ends about 20 minutes in. (Likely sooner.) Much like an Oreo, Enchanted is filled with goodness in the middle, but sandwiched by generic material you'd rather do without. Still, for a chick flick it's not bad.

CONTENT - 3/5

Without the satire, it would be flopping around like a dead fish, and serve as further proof that the Mouse is dead. Instead, it's a mix between the blissful Disney movies of yesteryear, and the current trend of poking fun at past trends. It's an odd mix, but it works out. Unfortunately, even though it's making fun of Disney intentionally, parts of it are unintentionally to Disneyish.

VIDEO - 5/5

The film begins with an animated sequence in the 1.85:1 ratio of regular Disney theatricals, and easily shifts into the 2.35:1 format we're used to. While most movies suffer from grainy colors or off-kilter blacks, Enchanted doesn't seem to be plagued by any real issues other than not being in HD. It serves as an amazing demo for DVD picture.

AUDIO - 3.5/5

Unlike almost any other modern Disney DVD, Enchanted uses DTS audio. You can really hear the surround and bass, and it brings the larger-than-life film to life. I'm sure there are plenty of people who enjoyed the soundtrack (it was ridiculously nominated for three or four Oscars, after all) but I'm not one of them. I found the songs boring and too cliched; the way they're done technically is impressive, though.

EXTRAS - 1/5

This is Disney's biggest film in how many years, and this is all we get? We get a few short making of pieces which really show nothing worthwhile, a few deleted scenes with only one or two memorable lines, an animated game that even a five year old would find boring, a Carrie Underwood music video, and a minute long commercial for Disney Blu-ray? Come on, Disney, I know Enchanted was high-budget, but there had to have been SOMETHING more you could have put on the disc!

REPLAY - 2.5/5

It's not as memorable as classic Disney films, and without the humor of the first watch, the second watchings will likely be less enjoyable. If you really like the film or want to have other people watch it to enjoy the satire with you, then I suppose you'll do it. Most likely, though, once you watch Enchanted you won't put it in your DVD player again for quite some time.

OVERALL - 3/5

The actual movie Enchanted is surprisingly decent given my previous inclinations before watching it. It begins and ends in a way that will make any normal, non-Disney fanatic groan, but the middle has some spot-on commentary on the Disney Way of Life as it would work in the real world. Is it a little too cutesy for my tastes? You bet. But I've seen much worse.

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