DVD Review: Bee Movie

Writers: Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten
Directors: Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith
Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates
Rating: PG
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: March 11, 2008

I have been listening to news about Bee Movie since it was out in the theaters. My son and nephew had a chance to go see it and they both loved it. They raved about how great it was and for weeks they would recite the lines to me as children often do. I was happy when I got a chance to finally see this because I had heard so much about it that by the time it got here, I had to see it just to see if it matched up to what everyone kept telling me.

In most cases, the hype kills a movie and in all honesty, I figured that would be the case here, too. However, I opened the box, took out my nifty bee headband (and I might I say I look good as a bee) and honey (being considered press gets you plenty of extras) and I popped the movie into the player.

One of the best parts of this film is the star power behind it. Some of the most expressive, pop-oriented actors and actresses are in this film. Right from the get-go you hear at least a handful of voices that you know and probably love, or at least I did. I laughed as I heard the voice of John Goodman playing the over-stuffed attorney, hell bent on bringing the bees down. I also found Renee Zellweger to be an interesting choice for the human love interest for Barry the bee. It was a lot cuter than I anticipated it would be. It offers humor suitable to both children and adults, which is nice for obvious reasons. The random bits of adult humor will likely brush right over children’s heads or at least that was the case with the kids that had a chance to see this with us.

While all of this is great there are two specific things that are important to note right off the bat. If you don’t get Jerry Seinfeld you won’t get this. This movie IS Jerry comedy with bees. It’s safe to say that he did not stretch his joke writing ability too far with this, but if you’re a fan you won’t mind a bit. The other thing you need to realize is that this is animated with a male lead bee. It’s a bee, people! So, when you head into the little bee world you might notice that things are fairly illogical. This is animated so you can expect that. It’s kind of like a rat becoming a chef. It’s not likely to happen, but it still can be cute if you suspend logic for the sake of some laughs and a good storyline.

Release Information:
Bee Movie is the first full length movie to be penned by Jerry Seinfeld. This certainly explains the irreverent comedy. The film often is reminiscent of Seinfeld in bee form. There were more than one trailers released with Seinfeld in a bee suit, making it look like the movie would be a live action bee movie. The real trailers with animation were eventually released closer to the theatrical release dates for the film.

There could have been a number of reasons why this film was successful. Seinfeld being the creator certainly doesn’t hurt. Add in the fact that it’s a suitable family movie and you are set to have a hit on your hands. The first week of the release the film came in second in ratings only to American Gangster, but soon surpassed it in the second week. The overall domestic gross as of February 2008 was well over $126 Million.

Bee Movie was made available on DVD on March 11, 2008. There were originally plans for an HD release though these plans have been canceled. The movie is available in widescreen, fullscreen, and in a 2-disc special edition. The two disc edition is available for $27 through Amazon with the full and widescreen versions selling for under $20. This review is for the two-disc special edition. If you prefer to shop off of the Internet you should be able to find this movie in one form or another, at all major retailers that offer DVDs.

The Bee Movie Plot
The visual qualities alone make Bee Movie worth watching. Once again, Dreamworks has put out a movie that is just visually stunning. It is bright, colorful, and kids will love it. The problem will not be the visual quality for anyone. Instead, people may have problems with the film. Kids won’t, but parents might not find it too amusing. While I felt it could have been funnier, I found the story cute enough to secure a spot in my collection.

Barry the Bee (Seinfeld) is the star of the show. He’s just graduated from the hive and it’s time for him and his best friend Adam (Matthew Broderick) to choose the jobs that they will have for the rest of their lives. Now naturally, some will complain that male bees are only drones and there aren’t many in a hive. That is true. Of course, most hives don’t have bees driving in cars, momma bees prohibiting flight in the house, or coffee drinking bees, but that’s why this is an animated feature. If you want realism with bees, watch the Discovery Channel.

A little panicked about having the same job for the rest of his life, Barry finds a way to escape. He goes out flying with the pollination team and ends up getting lost. On his stint out of the hive he meets a woman named Vanessa (Renee Zellweger). While Barry has somewhat of a thing for Vanessa the story does not lead us down that strange road because Barry is sidetracked when he realizes that humans are stealing the honey from the bees. Considering how long and hard those bees work to create all that honey, he does not take this theft lightly.

Despite the fact that humans are never supposed to know that bees really can talk, Barry throws caution to the wind and sues the honey companies to stop the bee slave labor and put them out of business. Make sure to watch for a hilarious performance by John Goodman as the honey company attorney. He is only one of the supporting actors in this that offers plenty of laughs. Everyone from Kathy Bates to Oprah has a part somewhere in this film.

A slight lesson comes into play when all the honey is taken off the shelves and the once productive race of bees become lazy slugs that do nothing to help the planet. When plant life starts to die off, it is up to the bees to put the Earth back together again, if it’s not too late.

The main problem is that the humor is not always consistent. There are plenty of funny moments and it’s always fun to watch, but it’s not laugh out loud funny all the way through. While this didn’t bother me any and the kids didn’t seem to notice, it is worth mentioning. In the end, it’s definitely worth checking out and kids will love it!

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Sporting an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 this is a Dreamworks Picture in all of the best ways. The animation is stellar. The colors pop out and touch you because they are so vibrant. The picture quality is nearly perfect in every way. I did not notice any soft spots or visual errors throughout the entire film, which seems rare. Whatever they did to this they should work on doing it to every other film that comes out in the future because it looked simply beautiful.

The audio was just as good as the video. The DVD offers your choice of Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1. The dialogue came through perfectly and the sound effects were wonderfully handled. Little things like the bees flying were heard crystal clear. No volume toggling was ever necessary and there were no issues when it came to hearing anything. In addition to standard audio, there are subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
Filled with special features, Bee Movie has offerings on both the first and second disc. If you purchase the one disc set you will still receive a few options such as the commentary with Jerry and a few of the other cast members, though there are some things that you will miss out on. Beyond the commentary, the first disc offers storyboards, a feature about Jerry dressing as a bee for film festivals, behind the scenes clips, and tons more. There are also some live promo pieces and the TV Juniors that originally aired on NBC. A set of alternative endings and lost scenes rounds out the majority of features on the first disc.

The second disc offers plenty of extra satisfying bee moments though there are a few things that could have been passed up with little complaint. The features included are the “We Got the Bee” music video, a video game called Pollination Practice, “The Buzz About Bees”, “The OW! Meter”, “Meet Barry B. Benson”, and additional features such as a video jukebox are also included. All in all, it’s not a bad set. However, if you are not all about the bees, the standard disc should be more than suitable for purchase and it will save you around $10, too.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Bee Movie is going to be a winner with younger kids. Adults and older children may have a harder time loving this. It all depends on your feelings about Seinfeld and his comedy. If you like it, you will love the one-liners and the funny story here that might even teach a lesson or two about science if you look close enough into things. Then again, with bees driving around in cars and drinking coffee, it might not! Any way you cut it, unless you’re a diehard Seinfeld crony, you are going to want to rent this first. For fans, this comes highly recommended for both children and adults. It’s a great family friendly movie that adults should not have too much trouble sitting through.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: The Bee Movie, Jerry Seinfeld, Bees, Comedy, Hive, Flowers, Kids DVD, Review, Family

Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn lives in her home state of Michigan with her life partner, Dominick, her 14 year old son, and her baby, the Shih-Tzu, Oliver Twist. Ashtyn is in college, going for a degree in Criminal Justice. She eventually plans to intern with the FBI, if she can. Ashtyn is an experienced and talented chef. She also excels at writing and has worked as a professional writer for the past five years. Ashtyn enjoys spending time with her son and four year old nephew, watching movies, listening to music, and writing works of fiction.

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