Spice World

The fifteen-minute clock is ticking for the Spice Girls, but to be fair, their first--and probably last--feature film is not the fiasco their detractors might have anticipated. Emma, Geri, the two Melanies and Victoria come off better than, say, Rick Springfield in Hard to Hold or Herman's Hermits in Hold On! The Fab Five spice up this Hard Day's Night-esque romp with fleeting cameos (Elton John, Absolutely Fabulous's Jennifer Saunders, Roger Moore), fantasy sequences and disarming self-deprecating humor. After one rehearsal, the girls are told, "That was perfect without actually being any good." The same could be said for this movie, but the price is right, and the Spice's "Girl Power" should make this a popular pick with their legion of adolescent fans. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD Review—Dec. 11, 2007—Sony, 93 min., PG, $14.95—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1997's Spice World sports a nice transfer and DVD extras including a bonus musical performance of “Mama” (4 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a disappointing extras package for a film that was only re-released on DVD to coincide with the Spice Girls world reunion tour.]