DVD Corner

Free Birds Blu-ray Review

“Free Birds” is a woefully unfunny animated comedy.

After being pardoned by the President, Reggie (a turkey) finds his world being turned upside down when he goes from living at a farm (where death potentially awaits him on a daily basis) to the luxurious Camp David. Just as he’s adjusting to a cozy new life, however, Reggie becomes abducted by Jake (a member of the Turkey Freedom Front). Jake was told by “The Great Turkey” that Reggie was needed to “travel back in time to the first Thanksgiving to get turkeys off the menu.” Naturally, this ambitious plan is easier said than done as the turkeys face constant dangers (including human hunters). Oh, and there’s a tacked on love story (of course).

While the animal rights and “true meaning of Thanksgiving” messages are meaningful to be sure, they are lost amidst a strangely humorless script. One would think that with the writing and producing talents of the hilarious writer/producer/podcaster Scott Mosier that this unique time traveling turkey story would be worth watching, but the script never comes together like it should. The characters lack depth, the premise is never fully utilizied, and the humor always falls flat. I don’t know if changes were made to the shooting script during production, but repeated lines, mispronounced things, oddball characters, an “Angry Birds” reference and George Takei’s ship character Steve saying “Oh my…” are going to make more people cringe than laugh.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? “Free Birds” may contain cheap looking CGI animation, but the hi-def transfer is crisp and clear.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD. How does it sound? This track is not going to blow your hair back, but it’s solid nonetheless.

Extras:
* DVD copy and Digital HD copy.
* Fox film trailers and a theatrical trailer for “Free Birds.”
* A musical ad titled “Shake A Tail Feather.”
* “Talking Turkey With Composer Dominic Lewis”- A featurette about the score.
* “Winging It: Animators In Action”- A piece on acting references,
* “Animating Free Birds: The Main Course”- Director Jimmy Hayward among others talk about the creation of the dance off sequence.
* “Birds Flipping History”- A short stage play version of the ending of “Free Birds.”

Overall Thoughts: Unless you absolutely need to hear Owen Wilson as a whining turkey, I would steer clear of the utterly boring “Free Birds.”

February 7, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Free Birds Blu-ray Review, George Takei