Terminator Salvation

Terminator and Terminator 2 were ground breaking movies, they were movies that had us gripped to our seats and left us with that uncomfortable feeling that nuclear devastation and a fight against machines was a mere hair breadth away. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machine for me was not such a good ending to the franchise and the chance to give a truly superb ending was missed; now 6 years on we have Terminator Salvation that will, hopefully, give us a different take on things.

It is 2018 and john Connor (Christian Bale) is fighting the machine as a member of the resistance, he is constantly listening to old tapes of his mother, Sarah Connor in an attempt to glean information in his quest to bring down skynet, so far everything that his mother had predicted has come to pass. He is also aware of the name of his father, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) and tries to find him.

In the meantime a new man comes on the scene, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), he had already teamed up with Kyle and his mute sidekick Star but after a fight with the machines Reese and Star are captured and sent to Skynet, Wright finds Connor through a downed pilot Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood). Not is all as it seems and Connor needs to trust his heart and a machine in order to find Reese and take the battle to Skynet.
I feel that they really got the balance right with Terminator Salvation. We are treated to some fantastic special effects that don’t dominate and strange the screen like they do on the 2nd transformers film and yet the action is almost relentless from beginning to end, but not so much so that there is no storyline to follow. Christian Bale is typical Christian Bale, putting in a performance that is excellent and brooding.

Sam Worthington I think was on par with Bale in this film, in fact it is he we see at the very beginning of the film where he signs his body over to Cyberdyne systems years before the events shown in the film, this scene sets the ground into us thinking he is a bad guy. When he reappears in 2018 we are not sure what kind of character he is and he lives on this edge for the first 3rd of the film, I think he runs that line quite well and certainly has been given enough screen time with which to prove himself.

Anton Yelchin is an excellent Kyle Reese, he actually looks similar to Michael Biehn in many ways but also has what I would say are his mannerisms too, he shows multiple character traits ranging from a knowledgeable fighter who is aware how to avoid Terminators to protector of a small child, although a fairly small character in the film in terms of screen time his role is actually extremely important to the franchise.
If there is anything negative about the film it is the ending. It all feels like is has been wrapped up too quickly and I must admit I was hoping that with this the 4th instalment in the series that we would finally get some closure on the whole thing, however with “Salvation” being the first in a new trilogy the only thing that we can be sure of is that he’ll be back.

Extras

Reforging the Future: (20 mins approx)
Essentially a making of documentary,  why decisions were made, ideas behind what appeared on screen. Basically everything to do with choices made throughout the film.

The moto terminator: (10 mins approx)
A look at the motorbike terminators that make an appearance in the film.

Focus Points

Digital destruction, enlisting the airforce, molten metal and the power of simulation, building the gas station, crating the VLA attack, exploding serena’s lab in miniature, hydrobots, an icon returns, terminator factory, Stan Winston shop, napalm blast.

Small experts that concentrate on one portion of the film at a time.

Picture & Sound

As should be expected of a new movie the picture is fantastic, night scenes are dark and rich and yet do not lack details, day time shots are bright and clear. Soundtrack is punchy and the dialogue is clear and concise, altogether a great soundtrack and visual feast.

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Terminator Salvation Blu Ray Review

The Damned United

Even if you only have a passing interest in football the chances are that you would have heard of Brian Clough. He was an immensely successful football player and manager having scored 197 goals in 213 appearances for Middleborough and 54 Goals in 61 appearances for Sunderland before being injured in 1962, an injury which essentially retired him as a player. In 1965 he became manager of Hartlepool and with the help of his assistant Peter Taylor was extremely successful with them as well as Derby County and Eventually Nottingham Forest where he took the small team on to win the  European Cup in 1979 and successfully retain it in 1980.

The Damned United is interesting in that it shows us two periods of time, firstly when at Derby County with Peter Taylor it shows us their enormous success taking a club from near the foot of the 2nd Division all the way up to the 1st Division and Secondly it explains the unsuccessful 44 days when Clough became manager at Leeds United. This position was surprising in that Clough had for some time been critical of Leeds United style of play as well as their Manager Don Revie. Clough took over from Revie at Leeds when he became the England Manager.

But onto the film itself.

I was wondering what to expect with this film, I like football, and I was familiar with some of the names (mainly from the Panini sticker books from my youth) but I would not say that I am a massive football fan, however Michael Sheen is an actor that I enjoy watching and with him having some success at playing other famous public figures I hoped that the film would be entertaining and something that I would enjoy.. I wasn’t disappointed although I do think that opinions will be split over the movie. On one hand the purists will be spitting bullets at the historical inaccuracies in the film, indeed Johnny Giles actually successfully sued the publishers of the book stating that many of the things that were portrayed in the book, and hence the film, never actually happened. But for those people that see it only as an entertaining movie will for the most part enjoy it, and I don’t even think you have to be a football fan to like it.

As mentioned earlier rather than concentrating on one period of time the Damned United is a film that focuses mainly on two opposing periods of time in Cloughs management career, firstly the overall successful period of time he and Taylor had at Derby County and secondly the torrid 44 days he had with Leeds United in 1974, but outside of this the film is more about Brian Cloughs relationships, be it with the Chairman and board of directors within clubs that he manages, his players or his assistant Peter Taylor and I think it is here that the film gets its charm, and also the reason why you don’t have to be a football fan to enjoy the film. The real life Clough was known as “ol big ead” he was outspoken and this often got him into trouble with his bosses and although Sheen shows glimpses of this fiery nature for the most part he plays him as a likeable, if sometimes cocksure guy.

The Damned United

Timothy Spall is also good as Peter Taylor, in fact Clough was not as successful a manager without Taylor and this is seen in the on screen relationship between these two actors, where Spall and sheen have a good rapport with each other that gives credibility to their characters.
The other main actors are the brilliant Jim Broadbent, who plays Sam Longson, the Derby Chairman and a very good Colm Meaney who undertakes the part of Don Revie the Leeds/England Manager Both (I think) are underused in the film, particularly Meaney who is firmly on the sidelines whilst Broadbent gets a little more screen time and is particularly good when at loggerheads with Clough which happens mainly of the transfer of players that Clough buys without Longson sanctioning them.

I do not really know where to place this film; it isn’t really a biopic as such because we don’t find out masses about Brian Clough the man. You will see some of his faults, you will see his cocky nature and get glimpses of the obsession he had with Don Revie and Leeds United and why that obsession came to the fore but it is a little bitty in that respect so people unfamiliar with him will not get the whole story, and it also isn’t a football film as we don’t see much actual football, additionally although the film is called The Damned United indicating the 44 days he spent at Leeds the movie doesn’t really spend much time with him at Leeds either. The common theme seems to be his initial respect and then ultimate dislike for Don Revie and I suppose the Dammed United is a snapshot of that more than anything else.

Something I personally found endearing and indeed made me want to find out more about the man himself was his statistics as a player and a manager come up toward the end of the film and they are pretty impressive, and after witnessing those I for one have to agree that Brian Clough was indeed the best manager that England never had.

The Damned United

Extras:
The disc comes with a decent amount of extras. He have the almost obligatory commentary with Director Tom Hooper, actor Michael Sheen and producer Andy Morris, we then have a set of 9 deleted scenes. These can be viewed with or without the directors commentary; I viewed then with it on, you can also choose to play all or view each individually.

We then have “cloughisms” which I believe just shows us the interviews that Michael Sheen did as Brian Clough for the TV shows within the film. After which there is a 16 minute making of; this was quite interesting as all the main actors get their say about the film. Creating Clough :  Michael Sheen takes on “ol big ead” is my favourite extra, Michael Speaks about how he researched Clough and speaks a little about the man himself whereas remembering Brian is another short extra that shows us the man himself, the odd interview and such like. Lastly we have changing game which is almost an add on documentary with a few 70s football players and they discuss how the game has changed since the days of old and how football these days is simply a money gravy train.

Picture:
I found the picture quality was superb, the hue has a little of that washed out feeling that 70s TV was all about and yet everything is crystal clear and bright. The night shots, for example when a football match was played at night in the rain looked beautifully clear and daytime shots were full of detail.

Audio:
My AMP isn’t compatible with HD specific audio streams so I listened in 5.1 Dolby Digital which was beautifully clear and concise. Not that there is a massive amount of dynamic range needed in the film the dialogue and soundtrack were evenly balanced.

The Damned United

Overall:
An extremely enjoyable snapshot of an interesting man’s life, It may help to know about or be interested in football but certainly not a pre requisite (My missus doesn’t like football and she enjoyed this film) and although not the greatest football film around, I do think it is in the top one.

Film:	★★★★★★★★☆☆
Video:	★★★★★★★★★☆
Audio:	★★★★★★★★☆☆
Extras:	★★★★★★★★★☆
Overall:	★★★★★★★★☆☆

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The Damned United – Blu Ray Review

Labyrinth

Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is a teenager who lives in a word of dreams, magic and fantasy. And this particular evening she is supposed to babysit her baby half brother, something she doesn’t really want to do. He is crying all the time and so Sarah tells him a story, a story whereby she will wish him away to the Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie). Unbeknownst to her the words she uses awakens a horde of muppets…erm I mean Goblins as they along with Jareth whip the child away as she recites the magic words. Confronted by Jareth she decides that she needs the get Toby (The Baby) back and so the oh-so-fearsome Goblin king gives her 13 hours to get through the Labyrinth after which the baby will become his and live in the castle forever. As time slips by Sarah enters the maze and meets across a plethora of different characters, some who help and some who hinder her way to the Goblin Kings castle.

If I told you that this movie was directed by Jim Henson of The Muppets fame you will probably understand exactly what this film is like and to whom it is aimed and so anyone who remembers the muppets and that silly humour would warm to the concept. Although it has to be said that it was an overwhelming failure at the box office on release, and only over the years has it earned a bit of a cult following. Personally I remember it as an entertaining movie that was typically watched on a Sunday afternoon and before the disc went in I was wondering if it had held its charm like The Goonies which I watched again recently.

Sadly the answer was no.

I think that there are a few reasons for this. Let’s look at the two actors. Jennifer Connelly was a young teenager when this was made in 1986, I believe this was her 4th movie and so she was still finding her feet as an actress. Bowie of course is an iconic Rock musician and Henson’s first choice to play the Goblin king, he also wanted Bowie to do the soundtrack and I think that we can see one of the main issues with the film right there, Inexperience on the part of both parties. Connelly’s lines seem forced and wooden in places, especially at the beginning of the film. And Bowie looks and sounds decidedly awkward doing pretty much everything that doesn’t involve singing. And these things are very much apparent in this movie when watched today.

Image from Standard DVD Release

The other reason was the length, it was an immense chore for me getting through to the end and seemed infinitely longer than the (approx) 100 minute running time and I will admit to being more than slightly relieved when the credits started to roll. I wonder if toddlers and small kids who may still enjoy this movie today will bored and wander off.

There are some nice touches to the movie; for the most part the special effects are quite good. There were a couple of scenes were you could tell that the background was a matte painting but overall the production values were pretty good and that certainly holds the film in good stead. The “good” characters are also quite endearing. Ludo who reminded me in many ways of Sully from Monsters Inc would be a favourite amongst youngsters. Initially looking quite scary he is soon shown to be a big softie. Didymus whom is a manic, hyperactive character in an energetic little fella who likes to pick fights way above his station; his humour gets a little tedious but generally he is the punch to Ludo’s Judy and Hoggle who when you analyse it is your worst type of person to have as a friend as he wants to be good, but his “fear” of the Goblin king often leads him to betray you. Although in the end we see his heart is in the right place.

But apart from these characters and the special effects the film was a bit of a miss for me, and it didn’t play out as I remembered it all those years ago. Something to watch out for though is a cameo from Yoda? Don’t believe me? Just check out the character that seems like a woman with a ton of items on her back. Its Yoda with a wig on, I swear.

Image from Standard DVD Release

Audio/Visual
My AMP doesn’t play HD specific audio steams so I had to listen to it Dolby Digital 5.1 and it was pretty good, dialogue and soundtrack came across as clear and concise from the front array, although I cannot remember any specific stand out audio from the surrounds. Picture wise the studio will be pleased with the transfer with a movie that is over 20 years old the details are nice and the colours seem natural and balanced.

Special features:

There are five extra features to tuck into on the disc. I think the best of these is “Inside the labyrinth, making of documentary” The “storytellers picture in picture” is just an occasional commentary speaking about the film in general whereas the “Commentary with Brian Froud” is ok in that it imparts a fair bit of information but it all seemed quite dull and monotone to me. The other features are “Journey through the labyrinth”,” kingdom of characters” and “Journey through the labyrinth, the quest for goblin city”

Overall:
I do not think that the film has aged well; unsuccessful when released I think I now understand why. It is too long and the dialogue was bad in places although I appreciate that toddlers may like it (if they have the patience to sit through it). But for me it took all me will power not to throw it into the Bog of Eternal Stench.

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Labyrinth – Blu-Ray Review

Paul Blart: Mall Cop brings Kevin James to the silver screen in a leading role for the first time. Sure he shared the credits with Adam Sandler in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, but this is his first time out there on his own. Not satisfied with the leading male role, he’s also gone for producer and writer as well!

For those that aren’t that aware of Kevin James, he started out his career as a stand up comedian and moved to TV sit coms from a few appearances in Everybody Loves Raymond to his own vehicle King of Queens. It was only a matter of time before he took a swing at Hollywood. His first role was quite a successful turn in Hitch as the hapless Albert Brennaman and the role of a chunky guy, hopeless with affairs of the heart is essentially the role that he’s repeating here.

Paul Blart is a chunky middle aged single father. He’s a security guard at a local mall, but has ambitions of becoming a state trooper. For the last eight years he’s taken the entrance exam and for the last eight years he’s failed the physical. Will this year be lucky number 9? Weeelllll……..No. Paul suffers from hypoglycemia and literally stumbles a few inches short of the finishing line after a stellar performance. It seems that Paul is destined to shepherd people around shops in a dead end job.

Dead end it may be, but Paul approaches his job with diligence and a seriousness that his fellow colleagues don’t share, they’re essentially clock punchers, while Paul genuinely feels he has a duty to maintain order within the mall.

On a day like any other in the mall Paul comes across Amy (Jayma Mays) for the first time. She’s just opened a hair extension stand in the mall and it’s love at first site (for Paul that is). Reasonably successful initial flirting is followed by a disastrous bar incident that leaves Paul thinking he stands no chance with Amy at all. What he doesn’t reckon on, is the mall being taken over by an armed bunch of X-gamer bandits and Amy being taken hostage. Paul is the only other person left free in the mall. He’s the only man who can foil the crime and rescue the girl. Is he man enough for the task? Will his sugar levels hold out? Watch and find out.

Financially Paul Blart was a cinematic success with a worldwide gross of nearly $183 million from a $26 million budget. Critically it was pretty universally panned and I really can’t see why. No, there’s not too much depth here and as a comedy it won’t have you rolling in the aisles, but I thought it was pretty entertaining and definitely had enough funny moments to make it a decent comedy. Kevin James made the character of Paul Blart slightly too much of a sad case for me (I think he could’ve still generated the sympathy for the character without making him quite as pathetic as he is), but this is a small issue and easily forgotten. The rest of the cast are pretty good Jayma Mays seems to have ‘extremely cute girl’ roles pretty much nailed. If there’s a role that requires a girl to be extremely cute it’s pretty much a straight fight between her and Amy Adams. There are a few other faces in there that you’ll recognize (a happy Madison regular in Erick Avari amongst others) and the X-gamer bandits (BMX riders, skateboarders and free runners) are all real sportsmen and women, not actors at all, which I only found out during the extras, so they can’t have done that bad a job (they did have very limited lines though, most of the time they were doing what they do best chasing Paul around the mall).

The picture quality of this Blu Ray version was pretty damn good. Presented in 1.85:1 MPRG-4 1080p that is clear with good whites, blacks and colours, very little grain and no real digital artifacts to mention it’s pretty much as good as you could hope for for a comedy. We’re also treated to a full Dolby True HD soundtrack which holds its own as well. In a pretty empty mall there isn’t really that much call for a booming soundtrack so I can’t really say that it’ll rock your house or push an HD surround setup to its fullest but it does its job well and the audio is always crisp and clear (always vital in comedies lest you miss the jokes).

The extras on this disc are pretty much the usual fare. There’re the now obligatory deleted scenes (and you can generally see why they hit the cutting room floor), the commentary with Kevin James and Todd Garner and a whole load of featurettes that cover the stuntwork done by the X-gamers.

If you’re in the mood for some light hearted, easy to follow, won’t tax your brain too much, feel good comedy then look no further. Worth a watch in my opinion.

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Paul Blart: Mall Cop Blu Ray Review

At the moment within banks across the world being scrutinised due to their gross mismanagement this film would always garner a little more interest than just a standard film of this genre, however we need to look back into the late 1980’s/early 90’s for the inspiration around this particular film. This being BCCI (Bank of Credit & Commerce International) which, if you read the entry in Wikipedia, seems to draw more than just a slight resemblance to the fictional IBBC as portrayed in “The International”.

Whereas banks these days are being investigated due to bad management and excessive bonuses the IBBC seems to have gone several steps further by getting involved in arms dealing, be that supplying African rebels with small arms, or supplying both Palestinians AND the Israelis with weapons all the way up to purchasing missile systems and assassination.

Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and his partner are close to exposing the IBBC by meeting with a high ranking executive from the bank however things get awry when Salinger’s partner is killed in front of him via mysterious means. With the stakes now personal he teams with assistant district attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) and together they try and get enough evidence against the bank in order to expose what it does.

“The International” is a competent thriller rather than an action film; it was originally geared to be a period piece set in the late 70s early 80s however after some heated discussion that idea was forgotten and due in no small part to the current banking crises they made it a  contemporary film, one that could even be accused of being a little slow in places with the one best action scene taking place inside the Guggenheim Museum in New York towards the later half of the film, (which was actually a massive recreation of the museum that was set up in Germany) however the toned down nature struck me as being more realistic and that for me was a welcoming change to the “blow everything up” rule that permeates this genre.

This is helped in no small part by the male lead, Clive Owen. Owen is an actor that I have always felt was on the brink of doing great things, and he has indeed been in some pretty good movies; a while ago I even thought that he would make a good James Bond before Daniel Craig took that and made it his own. But here he seems to be in his element as a tough Interpol agent who is out to do well, but is frustrated at almost every turn. he fleshes out his character with a suggestion of some haunted past which he brings into the character just enough to make you think that those events still plague him.

Naomi Watts as DA Eleanor Whitman seems to have been shoehorned in so that we have a pretty, blonde female in scene, that isn’t to say she didn’t bring anything to the role at all because she did and she did compliment Owen well, but I always felt she was there for the look on the screen rather than any necessity for the story indeed it states in the extras that the character was originally going to be a man, which would have been a guy too many in the movie, so I am glad that they kept with a female in the end.

For the bad guys the three standouts for me were Jonas Skarssen (Ulrich Thomsen), Wilhelm Wexler (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and the Consultant (Brian F. O’Byrne). Skarssen comes across as every inch the CEO of a large bank, but also as someone that makes those tough decisions without the experience of having been the one carrying those decisions out, he comes across as all business and quite ruthless when in the comfort of his large, state of the art HQ in Luxemburg but reveals his true self when caught outside of a comfortable (for him) situation.

Mueller-Stahl strikes me as a ruthless man, although someone that was not always that way, he gives a speech in the film to indicate (to me) that he was pushed by others into being the man that he was today, and that he would have been a good man had he been able to control events, this off course is just what I took from it, you may think something else entirely.

Lastly I liked the whole idea of the consultant played by Brian F. O’Byrne whom is essentially an assassin. He looks totally non descript and yet is quite deadly and it certainly made me think that there must be so many people around that look so harmless and yet are not what they seem be it on your train or walking to work, even in your workplace. although saying that he is non descript is not 100% true as there is something you find out about him during the film that would make him a person who is not that inconspicuous, but from a normal person in street giving a casual look he is non-descript.

Overall I liked the film, the main male lead very good in the whole and all the supporting actors were believable from corporate lawyers through to New York detectives. There are some good set piece action sequences that hold up well, the best of which was set in the Guggenheim and it is all about bad bankers who are people we all love to hate at the moment.
7/10

Audio:
The score adds real atmosphere to the movie, giving it a sense of dread in the places where it is needed, I played this via 5.1 Dolby Digital and thought it very good, there was a nice balance between fronts and rears with lots of effects being heard through the surrounds. The dialogue was clear and when needed the bass was punchy and clean.
8/10

Visual:
I found the visuals to be stunning, the pictures when in the cities seems to take on a gun metal, tungsten look which sets itself off brilliantly against the architecture that is portrayed, and again when out in Istanbul the sandy look of everything lends a fantastic contrast to what we have seen before, I just wish that I had a Blu-Ray capable drive in the computer so that the screen shots could show the superb clarity of everything.
10/10

Special Features:
There are a number of extras including the almost obligatory commentary, but I think the ones that stand out are the making of and shooting at the Guggenheim. If you do manage to sit through all the extras then you will see that the same material crops up in certain parts. I also found the commentary to be quite taxing to listen to.
7/10

Overall:
An above average thriller, with stunning visuals and a decent audio track the special features seem comprehensive enough although they do repeat in places
7/10

Film:	★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Video:	★★★★★★★★★★
Audio:	★★★★★★★★☆☆
Extras:	★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Overall:	★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Reviewers set up:
32” Sony Bravia
Harman Kardon AVR7300 through KEF Q Series Speakers
PS3 via HDMI Connection (Video) and Optical connection via the AMP (Audio)

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The International – Blu-Ray Review

The Wrestler has been heralded as Mickey Rourke’s big comeback film, it was called the film of 2008, and many viewers and critics alike were surprised that it didn’t receive any Oscars, or even more than the two nominations it was given, but now that the hype has died down, and the DVD and Blu-ray have been released, it’s the perfect time to revisit Darren Aronofsky’s Golden Globe winning epic.

As the title suggests, the films plot revolves around a professional wrestler, Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson (Mickey Rourke), who was a wrestling superstar in the 80’s but has completely run out of luck and has gone from headlining major shows at Madison Square Garden to performing in independent shows at local halls, for a handful of cash that doesn’t even cover the rent on his trailer-park home.

Randy works at a local supermarket to supplement his income just enough so that he can continue wrestling, and despite detesting the menial job, and the way he is treated by the store manager, he sticks at it because he is desperate for the money. Yet a good deal of the money he earns, goes on medical bills (as he needs treatment after every match), drink and dances at his local strip club, and steroids so that he can maintain his bulky physique and keep wrestling.
 
Randy dreams of a return to his heyday, and early on in the film a possible opportunity to achieve that goal is presented via the form of a potential wrestling match with ‘The Ayatollah’ which first occurred twenty years before, and was regarded as Randy’s greatest ever match, and career high point. However in a more minor weekend match Randy is severely hurt after pushing himself too far; in a match that involves staple guns, glass panes, steel chairs, barbed wire and even a crowd member’s prosthetic leg; and after 14 minutes of torture and a crowd pleasing victory, Randy’s body finally gives in and he suffers a near fatal heart attack.

Doctors then inform Randy that he should stop wrestling, and that any exercise he conducts should be kept to a minimum, but as there is next to nothing in Randy’s life that gives him pleasure, he is left with possibly the most difficult decision he will face; to try and adjust to a life without wrestling, stuck in a dead end job with a horrible boss, or attempt to return to wrestling greatness, but risk another fatal heart attack.

It’s hardly surprising that Randy craves the limelight, as the only people that treat him with any respect are younger wrestlers, very young children that live in his trailer park, and a stripper named Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) who insists that he is just another customer, and yet despite the fact that these people treat him the best, they all seem to idolize and admire, yet simultaneously pity him.

Randy’s efforts to stay away from the squared-circle lead him to chase a relationship with Cassidy, and reform the one he lost years ago with estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood), and all of these efforts lead to some truly emotional and heartfelt moments that perfectly showcase the acting talents of all three main stars. Evan Rachel Wood (of ‘Thirteen’ fame) is completely believable as the daughter that Randy has failed time and again, perfectly blending strength, weakness and the desire to cut all ties with her father, despite obviously loving him; she and Rourke have an excellent chemistry, that really makes it seem like these two characters have had a past together and, despite all outward appearances, do care for one another.

Marisa Tomei as Cassidy/Pam, the stripper, also plays her part extremely well (as evident by the Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress) as the everyday lady/stripper who, not unlike Randy, is constantly staggering on the line between fantasy and reality. Marisa acts superbly, seeming in a constant state of confusion, inner turmoil and bewilderment as she is unaware of the direction she should be taking (just like Randy) as  her aging body is failing her (once again like Randy) and she knows she cannot continue in the line of work she is in. Her character obviously cares for Randy, and there are some very intimate moments between the two, although she is constantly on guard and doesn’t want to mix work with real-life.

Most importantly, Mickey Rourke, plays titular character Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson, and the whole film is basically one depressing event after another for him; his career fails (although we never see exactly how), he is flat broke, he has lost ties with everyone he loves, and finally, after one particularly gruelling hardcore match, his heart gives in and he is forced away from the one thing in life that gives him pleasure, wrestling. There’s no questioning the fact that Mickey’s performance here was utterly brilliant, and well deserving of not just the Oscar nomination for Best Actor (which he received), but also the win (which sadly he did not); he literally becomes Randy, in every scene he is in, the ballsy F-you attitude, the seedy nightclubs and the huge amount of emotional heartbreak he suffers can all be seen, and sincerely felt through Mickey’s enigmatic performance.

Mickey Rourke has always been a great actor, standing out in just about every film he has appeared in, yet The Wrestler wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch for him as almost all of the trials and tribulations experienced by Randy, Mickey has also experienced; he was snubbed by the very industry he loved (wrestling/Hollywood), largely forgotten by people that claimed to be fans of his, broken and beaten with a failing body (also reflects Mickey’s boxing career), experienced failing relationships and the loss of people close to him, and both men also worked menial jobs in anticipation of their one big comeback. Randy was so much like Mickey that Mickey actually rewrote huge chunks of dialogue, and personally wrote Randy’s heart-warming speech near the end of the film about himself!

The resemblance between the two is striking, and used to full effect, and the entire film is littered with metaphors and similes that perfectly mirror what is happening to Randy; the case of the aging stripper being a perfect example. The stage and fantasy aspect is also mirrored, with a camera shot of Randy entering the wrestling arena being recreated for Cassidy entering the strippers’ stage, and Randy later entering the Deli-counter. Music also plays a large part in the metaphor, as music from Randy’s heyday (the 80’s) is always presented as being good, whilst modern music (heard in the seedy strip club) is generally presented as being bad, or even foreboding. The 80’s songs also perfectly reflect Randy, as they are very good, catchy, songs that have probably been forgotten by most people.

The attention to detail, shown in the use of metaphors and songs, also plays out perfectly with another metaphor, where Randy and a young kid play a N.E.S. (Nintendo) wrestling game (a playable game actually created from scratch for the film), and discuss the much more modern Call of Duty franchise, which Randy knows nothing about, highlighting the fact that he is clearly stuck in the past.

There are surprisingly few wrestling matches in a film about a professional wrestler (with Randy only participating in three), however no more are really needed, as this is more of a drama than a sports epic, and instead of relying on glitzy matches the Wrestler prefers to tell an emotional story about a troubled wrestler, that’s willing to do just about anything to reclaim his former glory. The acting is superb, the dialogue is spot-on and while overall this is a fairly depressing ride, it’s one with a huge amount of emotional impact, and one that comes highly recommended.

Picture:

As with most Blu-rays nowadays, the Wrestler comes via a full 1080p transfer that actually holds up pretty well. Due to the films limited budget, and director Darren Aronofsky’s shooting style, the Wrestler was filmed entirely with handheld cameras, in a documentary style, and the 1080p transfer obviously heightens the level of grain on what would have already been a fairly grainy picture. Having said that, while detail may not be pristine, it is still very clear, with all the tears, scars, and drops of blood on Randy’s body being clearly evident, and there is no problem making out any important part of the picture. The film uses a fairly muted colour palette, which accurately reflects the tone of the movie, and successfully makes backdrops appear bleak yet real, and skin-tones naturalistic. Despite the grain, black levels remain consistently deep, which is an obvious plus in a film which contains a surprising number of low-lit scenes, including night driving and strip-club interiors.

Audio:

The Wrestler contains one of the finest DTS-HD-MA soundtracks to date, ambient noises such as seagulls and traffic heighten the experience and realism of the quiet scenes, whilst the booming music, pumping bass and ever present screams of cheers erupting from the crowd after every thumping body blow, completely surround and immerse the viewer in the arena, an experience which is further helped by the use of handheld cameras. The arena effect is also present in the strip-club scenes, which provide a good deal of surround sound, and immerse the viewer in the location.

Despite the thumping music and crowd cheers, the soundfield never grows too large, and thankfully the volume doesn’t need adjusting at any point during viewing, as dialogue is perfectly represented (even resonating from the rear channels when appropriate), and easily understood.
 
Musically the Wrestler has a very good soundtrack, from the moody modern hip-hop beats of the strip club, to the ever popular 80’s hard rock of the Wrestling arena, there’s something to impress everyone, and Clint Mansell’s minimalistic score (recorded by Guns N’ Roses own Slash) is well represented and accurately captures the tone of the film.
Overall this is a thoroughly impressive soundtrack that has the ability to easily immerse viewers in Randy’s world, and unlike most, actually enhances not only the experience, but the story as well.

Extras:

Extras for the Wrestler are fairly limited, and come in the form of a making of documentary titled “Within the Ring”, which runs for just under 45 minutes, a 16 minute interview with Mickey Rourke, and the obligatory trailer.
 
Within the Ring is an interesting feature that sees director, writer, producers, professional wrestlers/extras, and Evan Rachel Wood discussing almost every aspect of the filmmaking process, from devising the story, to choosing locations, and the ever important filming process and what it was like working with Mickey Rourke (although it’s clear that there were tensions on set that aren’t discussed here). There are several clips of unused matches, talk of on set improvisation and the perspective of some real wrestlers that were used in the film.

Mickey Rourke’s interview is the standard close-up shot of him talking to the camera, but fascinating nonetheless as Mickey is as compelling as ever, and extremely open about his experiences, sharing plenty of stories and anecdotes. It’s especially interesting to hear Mickey compare himself to Randy, how he looked down on wrestling before the film, how the filmmakers couldn’t raise any money on his name, and how Darren Aronofsky went as far as to make him believe that his dog had died in order to get a truly sad performance from him.

Whilst the trailer is HD, the other features are in standard definition, with 2 channel sound that on the Within the Ring feature is difficult to hear and requires constant volume adjustment. Having said that all of the features are worth watching as they are very interesting, yet it’s surprising that not one solitary clip of Marisa Tomei discussing her role and the filming process, or the sit downs with professional wrestlers, such as DDP and Rowdy Rody Piper, discussing the film, which were showcased on the Wrestler’s official website, were included.

The Bottom Line:

This is clearly the film that is propelling Mickey Rourke back into the mainstream (although considering his talent he should never been away), and rightfully so, as this is a truly emotional journey that will leave any viewer emotionally strained and with a newfound respect for the sport, as it clearly showcases the lengths that these sportsmen go to in order to please the crowd, and highlights just how dangerous and ‘real’ wrestling is. It’s an extremely clever film that is multi-layered and littered with ingenious metaphors and perfect dialogue that makes the world seem all the more real, it manages to tackle big issues such as steroid abuse without making them too big a deal, and show some excellent displays of wrestling.

While the story maybe a tad depressing, it’s extremely engaging, honest, and true to life. The acting of all major characters is superb, with Mickey’s performance being as close to perfect as possible, the effects are brilliant and while picture quality isn’t prefect, the documentary look and immersive soundfield help to enhance an already great film. The Wrestler is unquestionably one of the best films of 2008, and it’s interesting to see a film that is essentially a Metaphor for Mickey Rourke’s struggle in returning to fame, it’s a shame that some of the interview footage from Marisa Tomei and professional wrestlers wasn’t included in the extras, but all-in-all the Wrestler is an astonishing piece of filmmaking, and one that is well worth picking up.

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The Wrestler, Blu Ray Review

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a film from an up and coming director starring up and coming young comedy stars. Peter Sollett puts in a credible stint directing Michael Cera and Kat Dennings in a rambling journey of discovery of two young teens across Manhattan in search of a secret gig.

Nick (Cera) is as mixed up as the next teenager. The fact that he’s recently been unceremoniously dumped just adds to his angst. In a bid to win back the woman he thinks he loves Nick composes a series of ‘mix CDs’ trying to convey his feelings. What Nick doesn’t realize is that his ex is such a callous b*?&h that she’s been binning the CDs.

Norah, another insecure teen has been retrieving said CDs and has marveled at their composure, whilst totally ignorant of the identity of the creator. The scene is therefore set for this little lot to come together in freakish coincidence. The place in question is at a gig for his high school band the Jerk-Offs. The rest of the band convince Nick to stop wallowing in self pity at his parents’ house and go play the gig. He does have an ulterior motive though, his favorite band ‘Where’s Fluffy’ (don’t know which is worse, the Jerk-Offs or Where’s Fluffy!) are playing a secret gig somewhere in Manhattan and Nick intends to find out where.

At his own gig Nick sees his ex, Tris, in the crowd with another guy and at the same time Norah is in the crowd with her eye on Nick. Norah, not knowing that Nick is Tris’s ex-boyfriend, asks him to be her boyfriend for five minutes to prove to Tris that she’s dating someone. When Norah kisses Nick Tris gets jealous. Norah’s friend Caroline then appears hideously drunk and needs taking home. Nick’s band mates offer, as they saw the kiss between Nick and Norah and think it might be healthy for Nick to spend some time with her. Nick and Norah then leave to find the elusive Where’s Fluffy gig while Nick’s friends manage to loose the paralytic Caroline. The rest of the film chronicles Nick and Norah’s quests across Manhattan to find the gig and also find Caroline. Whilst looking for these things will they also find love?

If you’re after a plot driven story that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat then look elsewhere. What we have here can be described with words such as ‘sweet’ and ‘nice’. It’s a romantic comedy for the youth of today. The plot ambles about a bit at times, but this film isn’t about the plot, it’s about the characters, it really doesn’t matter what the journey is, just that it happens and over the course of it they find each other after having both had bad relationship experiences.

Peter Sollett seems to have raided Judd Apatow’s gang of actors for the main roles here. Both Cena and Dennings put in subtle but endearing performances. There aren’t any onscreen fireworks between the two, but they manage to convey a connection that grows between them over the course of the night. In terms of a romantic comedy the onus is more on the romance than the comedy, but it does have its moments.

The picture on this 1080p Blu Ray is pretty good, if not reference standard. Detail is pretty strong throughout, whilst there is a bit of inconsistent grain. Blacks and contrast are pretty solid, which is good for a film shot entirely at night and the colour pallet, while a little limited, conveys a New York neon night quite well. For the sound we get a very nice Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. This is a character driven film, not action driven, so dialogue presentation is all important and there are no problems here. The rears don’t get too much of a workout, but do convey the crowd noise of New York at night. This is a film that, other than the characters, is dominated by music and some excellent indie tracks appear throughout the film and sound pretty damn good.

We get a nice selection of extras on the UK Blu Ray as well. There’s an interesting commentary where the main protagonists (director and star actors) draw over the screen with marker pens to highlight what they’re saying. I found it quite interesting for about the first ten or fifteen minutes, but it got a bit annoying after that. Other than that there’s an interactive playlist that pops up little facts about the film now and again. There’s a 5 minute puppet version of the film voiced by Kat Dennings which is a bit weird, but all in good fun. There’s a short behind the scenes video diary which is probably worth a look and the usual deleted scenes footage.

All in all if you’re in a mellow mood and want a slow paced, character driven story about two lonely souls that find each other then you could do much worse than to put this in your Blu Ray player.

Film:	★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Video:	★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Audio:	★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Extras:	★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Overall:	★★★★★★★☆☆☆

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Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Blu Ray Review

The Punisher:

There have been three Punisher films. The first back in 1989 starred Dolph Lundgren as Frank Castle or the Punisher as he is more widely known. The second, also called The Punisher was in 2004 and starred Thomas Jane in the leading role and also had John Travolta in it. The latest incarnation is called The Punisher: War Zone and yet again the main actor has changed, this time Ray Stevenson has taken the Punisher moniker for an outing, Thomas Jane leaving the franchise due to alleged creative differences. Marketed as a reboot of the series it never really harks back to anything in the past accept some very short flashbacks when Frank Castle holds the corpses of his murdered family, obviously turning the once exemplary military man into the one facial expression Punisher that he is today.

Frank Castle/The Punisher (Ray Stevenson) is (at a basic level) an anti-hero vigilante taking down bad guys that for some reason the law cannot seem to touch. This time he goes after mob boss Gaitano Cesare and in the process of taking him and his organisation out he disfigures Billy (The Beut) Russoti in a glass crusher. Billy who now goes by the new name of The Jigsaw is bent on revenge and sets about implementing a plan whereby he can kill The Punisher, that plan includes releasing his psychopathic brother Looney Bin Jim (Doug Hutchinson) from the asylum. In the meantime The Punisher who mistakenly killed an FBI undercover agent when fighting the mob family withdraws in on himself and considers giving it all up, however he is forced to change his mind when the wife and child of the agent he killed is targeted and he dons the suit of the punisher once again to try and make the wrong things right.

The Punisher is a gruesome movie that is heavy on the gore and light on the storyline, indeed in the first ten or fifteen minutes our main protagonist doesn’t say a word, he merely has a determined grimace and an available arsenal that would put Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando to shame as he slaughters wave after wave of heavily armed gangsters (that cannot shoot straight) whilst spinning upside down from a chandelier.

There were other points that brought the movie down for me too. For example some of the accents came across as forced and clichéd in certain scenes. Also as the guy is a vigilante, officially the law is supposed to be after this guy AND they know his identity, he doesn’t try to mask who he is and yet they haven’t been able to capture him in 6 years, in fact a lot of the Police don’t seem that interested in catching him at all, after all he is dispatching all the criminals and judging by the number of files in the Punisher task force section there can’t be many bad guys left on the planet. But they make a half hearted show of trying to do something when they introduce F.B.I agent Paul Budiansky (Colin Salmon) yet he carries out his work relatively unhindered.

All these things I mention may make it seem that I didn’t enjoy the film, that isn’t true, in fact I admit that I although I thought it would be exceptionally bad, I actually enjoyed it as the credits rolled. Anyway this Marvel Comic adaptation is never supposed to be that realistic. In fact the decision on it you like this movie or not will be on if you like liberal bloodletting or not.

Ray Stevenson who plays Frank Castle/The Punisher is fitting for the role; he is certainly a big enough guy although his facial expressions never seem to change much regardless of if he is angry, or sad. I saw him recently in Outpost, another B film that is actually very good and I think he is a capable actor.

Dominic West who plays Billy Russoti overplays it a bit I think on occasion in terms of both acting and the accent that he uses. And his brother (in the film) Looney Bin Jim (Doug Hutchinson) overplayed the crazy a little too much as well. If they had maybe toned things down a tad I feel that they would have been more convincing.
7/10

Audio:
My AMP does not play the soundtracks that come with High Definition movies and so I listened to it in 5.1 Dolby Digital. The Dialogue comes across clear and concise although it is all mainly through the front array with hardly anything through the rears. So I was disappointed that the soundtrack did not utilise the surrounds more.
5/10

Video:
Some of the colour palette used seems a little weird; they have gone for a heavy implementation of Brown, Green or Blue hue (for example) in a lot of places. They do seem to work well however but it came across as a little strange initially, there are some decent camera angles used to keep things interesting although the detail seems a little soft in places.

Special Effects are well done; I think that is where the bulk of the estimated $22,000.000 budget went,
7/10

Extras:
Extras wise we have the almost obligatory commentary with Director Lexi Alexander and Cinematographer Steve Gainer, we then have a number of fairly short features such as The making of Punisher: War Zone, which spends time with the Director Levi Alexander and the main cast members. Then comes Training for the Punisher which takes us through some of the moves Ray Stevenson had to learn in order to be convincing as an ex military man. The Weapons of the Punisher takes us through all the nice shiny guns that everyone uses whereas Meet Jigsaw gives us a short with Dominic West and his makeup routine when he becomes Jigsaw. The last real extra is Creating the look of the Punisher where it explains about the heavy colour hues that I mention in the video part of this review, they decided that there should be no more than 3 main colours in any scene and I suppose that it actually works.
6/10

Overall:
I was entertained by the film, the bad points that I mention in the review did not spoil the film to the point whereby it was terrible so I would class this as an above average B film. As for how it compares in terms of quality to the two other Punisher films I have no idea as I have not seen those version. I would say that if you like deep meaningful story lines then this is not for you, however if you like heavy violence and gore then this will push the right buttons for you. You can check out more information on the website at http://www.punishermovie.com/
7/10

Reviewers set up:
32” Sony Bravia
Harman Kardon AVR7300 through KEF Q Series Speakers
PS3 via HDMI Connection (Video) and Optical connection via the AMP (Audio)

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Punisher: War Zone Blu-Ray Review

Dr Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Dr Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Dr Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) are parapsychologists at New York University. It is quickly established that Stantz and Spengler are at least semi serious about their work whereas Venkman is just using it to hit on women. Everything however is about to change as they get kicked out of the University. Venkman explains that it was their destiny so that they can go into business together, and so Ghostbusters was born; a company created to rid normal people of the ghosts and spectres that haunt their daily lives.

Business is initially very slow but after a couple of high profile jobs they find that they are being inundated with calls about spooky spectres, in fact business is so good that they have to take on a fourth person and employ Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson). Across town Dana Barrett notices that her eggs are cooking themselves on kitchen worktop and she has an entity lurking in her fridge. Louis Tulley (Rick Moranis) is her health conscious, geeky neighbour discovers large devil dogs in his apartment.

It would seem that Barrett and Tulley live in a building which is a conduit to another world and the team must rush over there to protect Dana and the stop the mighty Zuul from taking over the city. Will they get there in time? Will they save Dana and Louis? Will they have funny one liners to drop? You will have to watch it to find out.

I think Ghostbusters is one of those films that just ingrains itself into your brain, A true icon of 80s movie making it has pretty much everything that a good family film should have and what’s even better is that it doesn’t ever get dull even all these years later as my teenage son is a fan.

The script is fun too; written by Aykroyd and Ramis it is a great selection of witty comments, one liners and quips. Bill Murray does seem to get the lion’s share of these and so it could be argued that this is a Bill Murray film, but I disagree with that, sure he is prominent in the film but not to the detriment of the other actors although I would say this film is probably one of Murrays best outdone only by Groundhog Day.

In fact that is one of the big plus points of the film in that a little time is taken to build the characters, we like and we care about them all but each has their own way, their own personality which provides us with different types of comedy; from Moranis’ geeky accountant, to Murrays dead pan they all will make us laugh.

Another thing which I think is appealing is that even though it is a family comedy movie they haven’t dumbed it down, they all come out with these large complicated scientific explanations and the great thing is that we as the audience all get it, to a certain degree we do anyway and that is half the charm of the film as well as the special effects which although some look a bit dated these days were top class in 1984.

Overall I think Ramis and and Aykroyd did a wonderful job with the script and Ivan Reitman did a wonderful job of directing the proceedings. This is a great classic movie and one that every movie lover should own.

9/10

Audio:

Mine played out in Dolby Digital 5.1 and it is a pretty decent track. Dialogue and soundtrack are mainly front based and are well balanced. The surrounds are used on occasion but I would have liked to see them utilised more, the few times that I noticed them I thought that my rear speakers had blown and were producing a rasping sound

6/10

Visual:

The picture on this blu-ray release has been cleaned up and it is a pretty good transfer. I didn’t noticed any damage or serious flaws although the colours sometimes seemed a bit muted on occasion.

For the most part the Special effects stand up well to a High Def release, the only real let down was whenever the “devil dogs” were involved, especially in the apartments, but then this movie is very old and all the other special effects seem to have stood up a little better.

7/10

Special Features:

There is a wealth of extras on this blu-ray disc

Cinechat: This is like MSN but for use when watching a film, you will of course need an internet connection for this feature, personally I don’t know if I want to chat to people whilst watching a film, and if I did I would want an external keyboard rather than the PS3 remote in order to input text.

Commentary with Ivan Reitman (Director), Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler) and Joe Medjuck (Associate Producer): The three guys sit down to talk about the film.

Blu-wizard: According to the blurb this feature allows you to customise the way you view the special features, it allows you to create a playlist of extras that you want to see.

Slimer mode: This is a picture in picture commentary with some graphics running the top and bottom of the screen which would normally be the black lines of a widescreen picture. The volume of this feature seems quite low.

Ecto-1: Resurrecting the classic car (15.37): as the titles hints at, this is all about the Ghostbusters car, how they chose it and its restoration of it when they wanted to release the game. An enjoyable little extra and I think everyone would agree that the restoration work was top drawer.

Making of Ghostbusters video game (11.18): Another self explanatory special feature.

Ghostbusters Garage, ECTO-1 Gallery (5.27): A bunch of still photographs showing the famous car before and after restoration. There is a little moving footage to and it is displayed to us as a rolling gallery.

Ghostbusters the video game preview (1.43): This is basically the trailer for the video game. I’ve never played the game but it doesn’t look to bad.

Scene cemetery: Scenes that were killed off or shortened in the released film, the quality of the clips is quite poor.

1984 Featurette (9.45): This is a making of feature made a the time of the movie, the audio is quite low, the presenter seems to be lacking a little personality too, but an interesting document from the period, this is all un-restored footage.

Cast and Crew Featurette (10.53): A good 10 minute chat with most of the guys about the film and their feelings about it, Bill Murray isn’t in any of the modern extras though. Although I have to say that I watched all of these extras in order and I have to say the Dan Aykroyd seems to go off on one dropping scientific explanations wherever he can, he is obviously really interested in the entire paranormal thing.

SFX Featurette (15.22): The setup for this feature was quite bland. They had a bunch of people that has worked on the film all sitting in the same room and they each spoke about the SFX and how the bits and pieces were filmed, with the occasional movie clip thrown in.

Multi Angle Featurette: there are three multi angle features here; Spook central exploding, she’s a dog and crossing the streams. I must say that I don’t get the feature, 1st you get a bad quality version then a better quality version that plays.

Storyboard comparisons: compare the story board to the actual movie.

10/10

Overall:

A great family movie that I never tire of seeing.

Film:	★★★★★★★★★☆
Video:	★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Audio:	★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Extras:	★★★★★★★★★★
Overall:	★★★★★★★★★☆

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Ghostbusters – Blu-Ray Review

Terminator 3 continues the story of John Connor and his battle against the time travelling machines and against his destiny. It’s also a bit of a divergence for the franchise in a couple of ways. Firstly the director, Jonathan Mostow has the unenviable task of stepping into James Cameron’s shoes. Secondly we have a female terminator, thirdly it’s the first terminator film not to feature Sarah Connor and fourthly it’s not trying to be a film by itself, but is trying to set the scene for the battle against skynet in the future.

Time has moved on. John Connor is now in his early 20s. The date that his father said was judgement day has come and gone, but still he’s not at ease. It turns out that judgement day hasn’t been stopped by the antics of Sarah Connor in Terminator 2, only postponed. Terminators still exist in the future and so does time travel. This time a female terminator, dubbed the T-X (terminatrix), has been sent back in time. Her mission is to ideally kill John Connor. Since he’s dropped off the electronic grid and can’t be found, the T-X has secondary targets, John Connor’s lieutenants in the future. As in the second film a T-800 terminator is sent back in time as protector for John. Arnold is back!

After a minor motorcycle accident John is looking for medication but doesn’t want to go to a hospital where ID will be required. In the middle of the night he breaks into a veterinary practice and manages to patch himself up. Coincidentally this is the practice that Kate Brewster works at. Kate and John went to school together before the events of Terminator 2 took place. Kate is also on the list of the T-X’s secondary targets as she’s John’s future second in command (and wife).

When Kate is called in for a late night cat emergency, she finds and captures John. Before she has the chance to alert the authorities she hears a crash and a gunshot, the T-X has arrived. Whilst trying to kill Kate the T-X finds, and identifies John Connor’s blood (seems the new models have DNA analysers built into their tongues). Her primary target now found, her mission is now to kill John. Just in the nick of time the T-800 arrives to save John and Kate and they go on the run. Can they evade or eventually kill the T-X? Can they postpone judgement day yet again? These are the key questions in T-3.

In terms of the cast Arnold reprises his iconic portrayal of a killer robot from the future. I read somewhere that he undertook a punishing fitness regime to get back in the kind of shape he was in back in the day and it certainly worked. Edward Furlong is replaced by Nick Stahl as John Connor, Claire Danes plays Kate Brewster and Kristanna Loken plays the T-X. There’s no room for Linda Hamilton here, they’ve killed her off in between movies.

The story has moved on in time, but not really in terms of formula. Two beings come back from the future. One to kill, the other to protect. Initially it’s a race to acquire the target, then a chase film from then on in whilst the main characters try to find a way to kill the seemingly invincible terminator. In those respects this film doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, it’s pretty much by the book and we’ve seen it all before. I’m aware that a lot of people didn’t really like the 3rd Terminator film. In my own opinion, if you consider it as an action film then it’s a damn good one. If you look at it as part of the franchise then it’s definitely the weakest of the three. Whilst Kristanna Loken does a good job as the T-X, she’s just not as menacing as either Arnold in the first film, or Robert Patrick in the second and other than that it follows the formula of the first two too much.

It’s not until the last act that it starts to digress from that formula and get a bit interesting and for me it makes the whole film worthwhile. It sets the franchise up for the next couple of films about the battle against the machines in the future, one that John Connor is destined to lead. That’s the film I’ve wanted to see since I first saw the flashback sequences from the first film. The ending of this film raises some mouth watering possibilities.

The Blu Ray release of Terminator 3 is a great advert for the format. Both picture and sound are up there with other reference disks. If you want to showcase your setup this could well be among the disks you put on to show off to your mates. Picture is very clear and crisp. The picture is a very good 1080p 2.40:1 widescreen presentation. Colours are great, as is detail and contrast. For the audio we have a Dolby TrueHD track that is better than anything the release has had before. Now this is the type of film that will benefit from a full surround sound system and if you have an HD surround sound system you’re in for a real treat.

The extras have all made it across from the HD DVD release a few years ago, which is nice. We get a very nice picture-in-picture commentary with the director with a few of the stars popping up now and then. Personally I’m not a huge fan of commentaries, but having it as picture-in-picture really worked for me, as well as hearing the extra material you can see some behind the scenes footage at the same time. As well as this pip commentary you also get three other non-visual commentaries, a documentary, and a couple of other smaller features that look at the terminator outfits, toys and video game. There’s also one deleted scene and a pretty out of place blooper reel.

If you’re a fan of the Terminator franchise then this is the best the film has looked and sounded. Yes, it’s not quite as good as its predecessors, but it’s still a damn good action film with some great action sequences. The best thing the film does though is set the franchise up for the next film, and that’s the film that fans, and myself, have been awaiting for a very long time.

 

Film:	★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Video:	★★★★★★★★★☆
Audio:	★★★★★★★★★☆
Extras:	★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Overall:	★★★★★★★★☆☆

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Terminator 3, Blu Ray Review