Featured DVD Review: Bratz: 3-Movie Collection

November 12, 2011

Bratz: 3-Movie Collection - Buy from Amazon

Bratz started as a toyline a decade ago and they are still going strong. A number of cartoons, TV shows and movies based on the toys have come out over the years and recently a 3-Movie Collection came out. What are the three films included? And are they worth picking up for fans of the franchise?

Genie Magic

The film begins with a POV shot of something trying to escape from an underground complex. After being surrounded, it uses some sparkly things to escape into the air vents and get away. Afterward, a very angry man, Kon, tells Zell that he's greatly disappointed in this escape and his Project G is now at risk. He wants Zell to personally oversea the search for whatever escaped.

Meanwhile at the Cafe Mambo, the Bratz, Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha and Jade, are singing on stage and attracting the attention of a famous movie star, Matt Rock. It is about this time when a stranger, Katia, walks into the club. While Kirstee and Kaycee make fun of the way she's dressed, Dylan hits on her. Looking for a place to avoid so much attention, she wanders backstage. It is here she meets the Bratz. Katia acts rather strangely, she can't recognize a guitar, she doesn't understand idioms, etc. The next day they meet again in school, but Katia sees men following her, she quickly runs off. The Bratz follow her and help her avoid her these men, which is when Katia tells them what's really happening.

Well, not really. It seems her father hasn't exactly been truthful to her. She doesn't know her father is working for a mad man bent on taking over the world. She's part of Project G, a project designed to create a Genie. It worked, but if she doesn't get back to her bottle within three days, every wish she's granted will be undone. Zell and her men will stop at nothing to get her back. And when they learn the Bratz might know of Katia's powers, they decide to eliminate them.

The Extras

There's a bonus episode from the TV series, Pet Show.

The Verdict

I've reviewed a number of these DVDs and this one is better than average for the franchise, but that's not really a big compliment. It certainly feels bigger than the average episode of their TV series and there's much more to the story than just music, fashion and dating. It does have all three of those, but there's also a sense of mystery and danger. The movie does suffer from a lot of the same flaws as the series, including animation that is stiff and the characters are too shallow. The plot is more in-depth than most episodes, but it is also jumbled and confused. If you are a fan of the Bratz, this is a good movie to watch. But if you are not, this one won't convince you otherwise.

Rock Angelz

The Bratz, Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha, Jade and Roxxy are rock stars. We then flashback to how their dream came true. It starts with Jade getting the student internship with Your Thing magazine. It's a great opportunity, but her boss, Miss Burdine Maxwell, and her two nieces, Kirstee and Kaycee, are such monsters. She's fired in short order after offering ideas that contradict Burdine.

To recover, the four Bratz engage in some retail therapy, but the real breakthrough comes when they decide to start a fashion magazine of their own, Bratz. They get they their big break when they grab an invite that was supposed to go to Miss Burdine. While Jade was working there, she was told to throw them all out, but she kept them instead. They use her invite to go to London for the opening of Pinz, a trendy new club. (When Miss Burdine realizes this, she follows them.) While in London, the girls also check out the music scene, the sites and some boys. It's this last thing that's puts a strain on their friendship, as they pay more attention to romance instead of each other.

Will their friendship survive?

The Extras

There is a bonus episode from the show, Crush in a Rush and a music video for "So Good". There are also two ads, one for the video game and the other for the soundtrack CD.

The Verdict

This movie is weaker than the first, as it focuses too much on the most shallow elements of the show without giving us anything really new. It's also an origin story and it falls for a lot of the same cliches that most of these do. It doesn't have the same strength as Genie Magic, but it does have the same weaknesses, including stiff / cheap looking animation.

Starrin' and Stylin'

It's getting close to the time for prom and the Bratz are getting ready to go. However, their art teacher, Mr. Del Rio, gives them a major assignment for their art class on self expression. He does allow the Bratz to work together as a team, as long as they have equal time in the spotlight. At first they are excited to work on the project, till they learn the assignment is due at the beginning of the next week, it's worth 25% of their semester grade and he won't budge on that due date. This means the Bratz have to choose between the prom and school work. Unless, they combine the prom and their art assignment.

At first it goes great, but after the school newspaper starts printing personal stories about the girls and they start encountering some setbacks, they really start to get frazzled. Will the prom be everything they dreamed it would be? Or will their friendship not survive the stress?

The Extras

Extras include a deleted scene with the girls freaking out over a ghost story, there's a minute of faux-bloopers, a jukebox / karaoke with six songs and a horoscope.

The Verdict

This 60-minute movie is 2-D animated, unlike the previous two movies, so it has a different style and that helps it stand out a bit. The animation is smoother as a result and I was digging the more stylized backgrounds. The story is again rather simple, but at least it tackles some friendship issues along with the pure consumerism that normally dominates anything Bratz related. That consumerism is still there, but it isn't the only thing here. I think fans of the franchise will enjoy the movie.

The Final Verdict

Along with the three movies, the Bratz box set includes some silly bandz type rubber bracelets and at just $18, the Bratz: 3-Movie Collection is about half as much as buying the films individually. That's a good deal if you are a fan of the four girls, but there's not a lot here to convert newcomers.


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Filed under: Video Review, Bratz: Genie Magic