Plot: What’s it about?
The S.A.T. exam is one of the most important, stressful tests for young students, as the score often dictates which schools one can enter. But for some students, the S.A.T. scores reveal more than standard intelligence, as a hidden code is buried within the examination. The hidden test within the test reveals traits with a darker edge, ones that would be of use to a secret agent. Whenever someone scores high enough on this hidden section of the infamous test, the recruitment process begins. The qualified girls are taken to a top secret training facility and soon become part of D.E.B.S., an elite squad of female assassins and spies. The latest mission for some of the newest D.E.B.S. involves an arch enemy of the group, Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster). She is a wicked woman who uses her powers of seduction on the girls who come after her and of course, she would love to add a D.E.B.S. team member notch to her bedpost. When Diamond kidnaps D.E.B.S. team leader Amy (Sara Foster), a rescue mission is mounted to bring her back safe and sound. But is Amy in as much danger as the team thinks, or has she found a new place to call home?
Now this is what I call high concept. A movie about a bunch of hot young women, dressed in schoolgirls’ uniforms, some of whom happen to be lesbians. Add in a squad of top secret female agents, guns, brawls, and of course, romance and you have D.E.B.S. This was first a short film, a great one at that, but soon director Angela Robinson was able to bring her vision to feature length fulfillment. The movie doesn’t work as well as the short, but then, that is kind of expected. The result is not that original, but has some unique ideas and in the end, we have a fun movie. The cast is wonderful and includes such hotties as Jordana Brewster, Devon Aoki, Jill Ritchie, Sara Foster, Meagan Good, and Jessica Cauffiel, all in bold roles that really let the stars shine and have fun in their performances. This is just a fun movie, a spy spoof with more beautiful women than you can count and a great sense of humor to boot. I had a blast with D.E.B.S. and while the movie has its flaws, it is so much fun, I have to give this release a high recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
D.E.B.S. is presented via Sony with a 2.35:1 AVC HD encode. The source print is almost pristine and shows minimal grain, which means the visuals come across in sharp and ever impressive form. The colors stream across the screen in vivid hues and no signs of flaws, while flesh tones seem natural and consistent also. No issues in terms of contrast either, as black levels are razor sharp and no visible detail loss is evident. The transfer is also free from compression errors – it’s a nice-looking film.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is basically a dialogue driven movie, but the film also has some action, which means the DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack has to earn its keep. The action is never intense, so don’t expect thunder from the speakers, but you will notice some added power at times. Aside from the action driven moments, this is a solid treatment that lets the film have a smooth, natural presence. The dialogue is clean and never muffled, so no vocals are lost in the slightest. The music also adds in some kick from time to time and overall, this is a competent soundtrack that never disappoints.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentary – The first of two commentary tracks starts off with Director Angela Robinson who delivers a much more technical and focused track. The standard faire is covered here, though I recommend the cast track.
- Audio Commentary – The cast commentary is certainly the more lively of the two and it has a much more relaxed and casual vibe to it. Given the tone of the film, this one seems to be the favorite of the two.
- Deleted Scenes – Nearly ten minutes’ worth of deleted and alternate scenes can be found here, though nothing that really blew my mind.
- Infiltrating D.E.B.S. – The only featurette is a surprisingly interesting one which chronicles the project from the late 90’s origin of the project and into the casting process for the film and so forth. All you ever wanted to know about D.E.B.S. can be found here.
- Animatic – Shown in very rough form, we get the genesis of the project which (if memory serves) was surprisingly missing from the old DVD.
The Bottom Line
This one surprised me. I’d heard of it. Which is to say that I recognized the cover when it arrived, but had never sat down to watch it. It has some moments, but I enjoyed it much more than I’d anticipated. Sony’s disc gives us the same basic stuff that their original DVD did, so if you’ve been waiting for this to make the leap to Blu-ray, you’re more patient than I.
