Post by Erik Rupp on Sept 12, 2009 10:49:01 GMT -5
The Rock (1996) Blu Ray
Big, dumb action movie.
Thank you, and good night!
OK, it's not quite that simple, but not all that far off, either. The Rock is a big, dumb action movie, but it's more on the big side than the dumb side, and is fairly well made for a Summer action movie. And you can't go completely wrong with a cast that includes Sean Connery, Ed Harris, and Nicolas Cage. (OK, you can go wrong with Nicolas Cage sometimes, but not with Connery and Harris in the same movie as well.)
In this case we've got Cage playing a chemical weapons expert in the FBI's anti-terrorist unit. He's a bit of a quirky guy (big surprise), and has a super hot fiancee. Who just happens to be pregnant with their first child. Then there's Ed Harris playing an extremely disgruntled Armny General who wants to make a point in a rather extreme way. Finally, we've got Sean Connery as a captured British Secret Agent (captured in the early 60's) whose existence has been erased from the system, but locked up without trial for, "National security," reasons (think James Bond if he had been captured early in his career and locked up for 30 years). These are standard issue characters and situations for a standard issue action movie.
The script is so formulaic you can almost see what's coming next at each step along the way. There is almost nothing surprising in the script, and a few of the one-liners are so obvious that you may find yourself saying them before the characters do onscreen!
Harris' General takes a crack squad of commandos to steal some rockets and VX nerve gas (nasty, nasty stuff). One of them is accidentally exposed to the gas so that we can see just how nasty the stuff is. The group then takes the rockets and VX gas to Alcatraz, naturally, so they can target San Francisco and hold the city for ransom. The General wants the families of soldiers killed while doing, "Black ops," to receive a million dollars each in compensation (the killed soldiers had been disgraced as the Pentagon refused to acknowledge that they were acting under orders while carrying out these, "Illegal," missions, so their families did not receive proper compensation). Of course, since his group would be branded criminals and traitors he wants a million dollars per man in his unit as well.
Did I mention that this particular General is very well respected and was one of the most decorated soldiers in Viet Nam? Yeah, this character is a true hero. So why the hell would he do all of this? Would he really kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians - including children - for money?
Connery's character acts in a bit of a contrived way as well. He's an escape artist, having broken out of Federal prisons multiple times. And he escapes from custody here. But he still goes on the search and destroy mission (not knowing about the nerve gas, just thinking that he's rescuing hostages on Alcatraz) after being caught again. Of course, his long estranged daughter just happens to live in San Francisco. How convenient. So when he does find out about the gas, and wants to quit the mission he will have a reason to see it through.
Contrived is the best word to describe the script. Well, generic may apply as well, or even ridiculous in spots. This script clearly wasn't going to win any awards for the 1996 movie year.
And yet this movie is still halfway entertaining. Michael Bay does a good job of keeping the movie going by keeping the pace up and never letting it drag. The action sequences are well done and exciting, and the movie looks great. It's over the top, no question, but not as much as some of Bay's later films (Transformers 2, I'm looking right at you).
In the end, The Rock is a good movie to put in the Blu Ray player (or DVD player if you haven't upgraded yet) when you want a big, dumb - but entertaining - action movie. Pop the popcorn, put it in the player and turn off your brain.
The Blu Ray transfer is excellent. The picture looks noticeably cleaner, crisper, and sharper than the DVD. The colors are better (richer and more accurate) and the detail in shadows is clearer as well. The sound on The Rock Blu Ray is solid as well, and is a half step up from the DVD on that count. Disney has done a fantastic job with most of their Blu Ray releases, and this is no exception.
2.75/5
Big, dumb action movie.
Thank you, and good night!
OK, it's not quite that simple, but not all that far off, either. The Rock is a big, dumb action movie, but it's more on the big side than the dumb side, and is fairly well made for a Summer action movie. And you can't go completely wrong with a cast that includes Sean Connery, Ed Harris, and Nicolas Cage. (OK, you can go wrong with Nicolas Cage sometimes, but not with Connery and Harris in the same movie as well.)
In this case we've got Cage playing a chemical weapons expert in the FBI's anti-terrorist unit. He's a bit of a quirky guy (big surprise), and has a super hot fiancee. Who just happens to be pregnant with their first child. Then there's Ed Harris playing an extremely disgruntled Armny General who wants to make a point in a rather extreme way. Finally, we've got Sean Connery as a captured British Secret Agent (captured in the early 60's) whose existence has been erased from the system, but locked up without trial for, "National security," reasons (think James Bond if he had been captured early in his career and locked up for 30 years). These are standard issue characters and situations for a standard issue action movie.
The script is so formulaic you can almost see what's coming next at each step along the way. There is almost nothing surprising in the script, and a few of the one-liners are so obvious that you may find yourself saying them before the characters do onscreen!
Harris' General takes a crack squad of commandos to steal some rockets and VX nerve gas (nasty, nasty stuff). One of them is accidentally exposed to the gas so that we can see just how nasty the stuff is. The group then takes the rockets and VX gas to Alcatraz, naturally, so they can target San Francisco and hold the city for ransom. The General wants the families of soldiers killed while doing, "Black ops," to receive a million dollars each in compensation (the killed soldiers had been disgraced as the Pentagon refused to acknowledge that they were acting under orders while carrying out these, "Illegal," missions, so their families did not receive proper compensation). Of course, since his group would be branded criminals and traitors he wants a million dollars per man in his unit as well.
Did I mention that this particular General is very well respected and was one of the most decorated soldiers in Viet Nam? Yeah, this character is a true hero. So why the hell would he do all of this? Would he really kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians - including children - for money?
Connery's character acts in a bit of a contrived way as well. He's an escape artist, having broken out of Federal prisons multiple times. And he escapes from custody here. But he still goes on the search and destroy mission (not knowing about the nerve gas, just thinking that he's rescuing hostages on Alcatraz) after being caught again. Of course, his long estranged daughter just happens to live in San Francisco. How convenient. So when he does find out about the gas, and wants to quit the mission he will have a reason to see it through.
Contrived is the best word to describe the script. Well, generic may apply as well, or even ridiculous in spots. This script clearly wasn't going to win any awards for the 1996 movie year.
And yet this movie is still halfway entertaining. Michael Bay does a good job of keeping the movie going by keeping the pace up and never letting it drag. The action sequences are well done and exciting, and the movie looks great. It's over the top, no question, but not as much as some of Bay's later films (Transformers 2, I'm looking right at you).
In the end, The Rock is a good movie to put in the Blu Ray player (or DVD player if you haven't upgraded yet) when you want a big, dumb - but entertaining - action movie. Pop the popcorn, put it in the player and turn off your brain.
The Blu Ray transfer is excellent. The picture looks noticeably cleaner, crisper, and sharper than the DVD. The colors are better (richer and more accurate) and the detail in shadows is clearer as well. The sound on The Rock Blu Ray is solid as well, and is a half step up from the DVD on that count. Disney has done a fantastic job with most of their Blu Ray releases, and this is no exception.
2.75/5