Jennifer's Body

The sophomore jinx hits in screenwriter Diablo Cody's follow-up after Juno. Directed by Karyn Kusama, this horror-comedy stars Megan Fox as Jennifer, a reigning high school princess whose tendency to tear classmates to pieces takes a literal turn when she's accidentally transformed into a succubus as a result of a run-in with a sleazy rocker who mistakenly believes she's a virgin and sacrifices her to the powers of darkness. From then on, she seduces male classmates and devours them while her BFF, Needy (Amanda Seyfried), tries to stop the carnage—especially when she fears that her own boyfriend is in Jennifer's sights. Obviously, Cody meant to turn the teen-horror template full circle by making guys the victims (with a subtext about female empowerment), and she does contribute a few sharp, knowing lines (often with pop culture references and current slang), while also occasionally constructing an entire scene that cleverly riffs on conventions (a sequence at a deserted swimming pool, for instance, is a brilliant spoof of horror film inanity). But much of Jennifer's Body just seems ordinary—little different from the movies it's supposedly sending up, and while Cody deserves credit for trying to pump new blood into a stale genre, the odd moments of inspired cleverness aren't sufficient to make this movie a new Heathers. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include both the theatrical and unrated versions, audio commentary on the theatrical version with director Karyn Kusama and writer Diablo Cody, a second audio commentary on the unrated version with Kusama, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the Fox Movie Channel “Life After Film School” featurette (27 min.), deleted scenes (14 min.), various cast and filmmakers behind-the-scenes video diaries (13 min.), a making-of featurette on “The Dead Pool” scene (14 min.), a gag reel (5 min.), a brief “Megan Fox is Hot” featurette, and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)