Blockers – Blu-ray Review: A Well-Written Female-Centric Comedy

If you are looking for an R-rated comedy with a lot of heart that talks about some important issues while delivering laughs then Blockers is for you. Starring John Cena, Leslie Mann, and Ike Barinholtz as the concerned parents of three teenage girls, the Blockers Blu-ray and DVD will be released on July 3, 2018. It is currently available on Digital and Movies Anywhere.

I was provided a Blockers Blu-ray release for review. The opinions are my own.

The premise of Blockers deals with three teenage girls making a pact to lose their virginity on prom night and their parents trying to stop them from making such a mistake. On paper, such a premise sounds like another low-brow comedy about policing female sexuality and emphasizing the trope of parents, especially fathers, doing what they can to stop their daughters from losing their virginity. However, Blockers handles everything in a very satisfying manner.

The three young girls are mature enough to decide when and how they want to have sex. There’s no peer pressure involved and they have agency over their bodies. Furthermore, the different reasons the parents don’t want their daughters to complete their prom night sex pact is understandable.

Blockers also offers a well-handled arc involving a lesbian main character. It doesn’t shame her for even a second or make her feel inferior to her two best friends. I wasn’t expecting such commendable queer representation from an R-rated comedy about stopping young women from having sex. It could have easily turned into teenage girls kissing each other for the male gaze and thankfully it didn’t. No wonder this film was appreciated by both the general audience and critics upon release. Kudos to director Kay Cannon for treating her film’s characters with respect.

Even if you aren’t a fan of gross-out humor, Blockers has a lot to offer. It talks about the double-standards which exist when it comes to young men and women losing their virginity. It also drives home the idea of how it is okay to wait and not have sex due to peer pressure because true friends don’t force you to do something you aren’t comfortable with.

Coming to the Blockers Blu-ray release from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, it comes in your standard packaging with the main title on the front and the synopsis along with a list of extra features on the back. It features a digitally sourced 1080p image, offering high-quality textural qualities. You can easily notice details such as the makeup, stubble, hair strands, facial lines, etc. The environments are visible even during scenes occurring at night.

The Blockers Blu-ray features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Dialogue delivery is clear. A lot of music can be heard playing in the background during scenes. I didn’t experience any issues with the audio quality.

Along with the DVD copy and a Movies Anywhere code, there is a lot of extra content for you to enjoy if you pick up the Blockers Blu-ray release.

• Deleted Scenes: Three deleted scenes which I would have been okay with if they were part of the final film. Titled, ‘Old’s Blocking The Beam,’ here’s one of the deleted scenes for you to enjoy!

• Gag Reel: An approximately two and a half-minute highly enjoyable gag reel.
• Line-O-Rama: A seven and a half-minute long extra feature showcasing numerous ad-lib takes from many scenes. You can tell the cast had a lot of fun making Blockers.
• Rescue Mission: An approximately five-minute long recap of the main characters, a discussion of some stunts, scenes, etc.
• Prom Night: Think of it as a recap of the girl’s pact to have sex at prom night and the characters they want to do it with.
• The History of Sex with Ike Barinholtz: A quick little recounting of the world’s history of sex.
• John Cena’s Prom Survival Kit for Parents: A fun little feature showcasing some tools required by parents during prom night.
• Chug! Chug! Chug!: A look at how the butt-chugging scene involving John Cena.
• Puke-A-Palooza: A look at the vomit-scene from the film.
• Audio Commentary: We have director Kay Cannon talking us through the film by offering insights into the story, the characters, production design, etc.

Blockers will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand on July 3, 2018. It is currently available on Digital and Movies Anywhere. I highly recommend you watch it!

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(Update June 3, 2018): A deleted bonus scene has been added to this review.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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