‘The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster’ Blu-Ray Review – A Fresh & Effective Update Of A Classic Story

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Vicaria is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. After the brutal and sudden murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to bring him back to life. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER thematically challenges our ideas of life and death. Bomani J. Story, the film’s writer and director, crafts a thrilling tale about a family that, despite the terrors of systemic pressure, will survive and be reborn again.

For in-depth thoughts on The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, please see my colleague Tristian Evans’ review from its original theatrical debut here. 

Video Quality

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original aspect ratio which brings this to life faithfully. The crisp cinematography allows for a jaw-dropping amount of clarity and texture within the various environments. There is no damage or digital noise observable in this transfer. The movie has deep black levels which hold steady outside of some occasional banding in some of the darkest moments. Objects hold up great in any shadowy moments and retain their depth throughout. There is a fine amount of detail and clarity even in the darkest sections of the frame. The movie has a mostly natural color palette with elements of the clothing and production design that jump off the screen. The entire viewing experience is spotless and stable thanks to a solid presentation from RLJE Entertainment. 

Audio Quality

The film comes to Blu-Ray with a fabulous DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that executes this one as necessary. Environmental sounds provide an immersive atmosphere for the story. Dialogue and sound effects stay in harmony with the music where nothing gets lost in the mix. Surround channels do not always get the most potent workout, but they do allow the world to feel more three dimensional. The low end of the track adds some appreciated texture in key moments. This track will not bring your house down, but it is precise and as effective as it needs to be. There are English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles provided. 

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc. 

Final Thoughts

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is a rather good update on the classic Frankenstein concept which brings in a fresh perspective that allows new social issues to be woven into the fabric of the narrative.  There are certain moments when the commentary seems to be taking focus over telling an effective story, but by and large the two goals work together really nicely to make an engaging whole. All of the performers do a really fantastic job, but rising talent Laya DeLeon Hayes especially makes herself known as someone that needs to be on your radar moving forward. RLJE Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation but no supplemental features. Recommended 

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster will be available to purchase on Blu-ray and DVD on August 8, 2023. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: RLJE Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.