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Bratz: Desert Jewelz
By Sandie Angulo Chen,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Less fashion/boy-obsessed than others, but still not great.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
Where to Watch
Community Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
I hate bratz. they are porn!
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What's the Story?
The four main Bratz dolls -- Cloe, Jade, Sasha, and Yasmin -- accompany their friend Katia to her father's homeland, where they're supposed to deliver her family's heirloom carpet to a museum. Although Katia's father insists she take the carpet straight to him, she decides to use it as a prop for a fashion show the girls enter. Meanwhile, a ninja-like young woman steals a mysterious ring that activates the magic carpet. When she calls the rug to her, the girls fly to a secret cave, where the robbery's mastermind -- a nefarious professor -- tries to buy the carpet from Katia. When she refuses, the professor kidnaps her on the carpet. The remaining girls band together to figure out how to save Katia before the professor forces her to use the ring and the carpet to unearth a genie in a bottle.
Is It Any Good?
None of the Bratz movies are really good, but this one at the very least has a slightly imaginative plot that doesn't involve the girls flirting with boys or obsessing about their hair and make-up. The girls embark on an adventure for the sake of saving their friend, and their ability to stay optimistic and intrepid in the face of rather frightening circumstances is commendable. There's some innuendo (the professor is quite creepy and menacing when he interacts with Katia) that's a bit off-putting, but most of the movie is about the four girls as they try to track down their kidnapped friend.
The animation is amateurish and dull, and at times the girls look so identical that it's hard to tell them apart, even though they have different hair and eye colors. While the girls have appropriately young-sounding voices, Katia's father and the thief Alla have distracting, over-the-top accents. Katia's dad sounds like Apu from The Simpsons, when he's clearly supposed to be from the Middle East. Second- and third-grade girls may find the movie delightful despite all its shortcomings, but parents who want more substantive choices should probably find a title that isn't a 74-minute commercial.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the ongoing popularity of movies that advertise toys to children. Parents: Do your kids ask to see movies based on commercials? Kids: Does watching this movie make you want a Bratz doll?
On one hand, the Bratz dolls purportedly promote "diversity," but despite their different shades of hair color and skin, they look exactly the same: large almond-shaped eyes, puffy bee-stung lips, tiny noses, lots of long hair. Do you think the dolls actually support multiculturalism when their features are nearly identical?
Why do the Bratz dolls have a more negative reputation than Barbie dolls? Aren't both sets of dolls concerned with fashion, make-up, and attracting boys?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: January 10, 2012
- Director: Mucci Fassett
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Friendship
- Run time: 74 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 25, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
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