Warner Archive Collection

Selena Blu-ray Review

Long Live the Queen.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III, May 18, 2020

Murdered at the young age of 23, Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla had a brief but memorable career as "the Queen of Tejano music". Prior to her tragic death in 1995, she won a Grammy and performed extensively with her siblings in a band managed by her father Abraham, and her posthumous crossover album was the first mostly Spanish-language album to debut atop the Billboard 200 charts. Gregory Nava'soffers an authentic dramatization of her life and career: produced by her father (who had extensive creative control), it celebrates the talented singer's early years, pop culture impact, and legacy. For just over two hours we get to know Selena (Rebecca Lee Meza as a child, Jennifer Lopez as an adult) and her family including Abraham (Edward James Olmos), mother Marcela (Constance Marie), brother "Abie" (Jacob Vargas), sister Suzette (Jackie Guerra), and band mate-turned-husband Chris Pérez (Jon Seda) as they face the challenges of being accepted by Mexican and American audiences. Released just two years after her death,was initially made to counteract the sensational media coverage surrounding her murder.does not carve out any new territory in the biopic genre but has strong fundamentals and terrific leads. Jennifer Lopez shines in her breakout role and is well-suited for the part: she's a natural performer and has more than enough stage presence and the right look, even though the Mexican press initially balked at her starring role (she is, after all, of Puerto Rican descent). More importantly, Lopez also handles most of the dramatic scenes very well. Edward James Olmos is even better as her father Abraham, whose controlling presence drives the band -- and the film -- further still. His obvious commitment to the role, which also required a weight gain of 40 pounds, is one of's secret weapons. Another is the warm and inviting cinematography of Edward Lachman ( Far From Heaven I'm Not There ), which evokes a lot of nostalgia for the family's early years, 1960s and 1980s culture, and a celebration of youthful energy.

Nonetheless, Selena occasionally dips into made-for-TV territory, as a few personal interactions -- mostly involving the younger actors, but occasionally Lopez and Jon Seda -- play out like a very special episode in true 1990s fashion. While this might contribute to some of its charm in the eyes of die-hard fans, the film also struggles a bit with pacing and the difficult tone surrounding its sensitive source material. There are several moments where on-screen events feel rushed or glossed over, while the climactic event hits somewhat awkwardly and is given very little resolution. (An obvious and probably appropriate attempt to focus on Selena's life instead of her murderer, but it still doesn't flow very smoothly.) Even so, the wide majority of Selena's 127 minutes is time well spent and the film as a whole has aged reasonably well, especially when viewed as a semi-authentic time capsule made only two years after its final events.

Selena was released at an unfortunate time for definitive home video packages: first as one of Warner Bros.' early "snapper case" flipper DVDs (and on VHS!) soon after its 1997 theatrical release, and then again for a 10th Anniversary DVD...but was snubbed for the fledgling Blu-ray format in favor of "higher priority" catalog titles like, uh, Swordfish. Luckily, picking up dropped balls is the unofficial mission statement of Warner Archive, who once again knocks it out of the park with a terrific A/V presentation and the same retrospective extras created for that 10th Anniversary DVD.

Much like that 2007 disc, WAC's new Blu-ray also includes an optional Extended Edition of the film available via seamless branching. It's not a drastically different experience overall, adding in just over six minutes of mostly small character moments, and has been the more common version shown on TV since 1997. A list of the extended scenes is available here, and this footage appears to be in the same great A/V condition as Selena's theatrical cut.





