6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A former DEA agent moves his family to a quiet town, where he soon tangles with a local meth druglord.
Starring: Jason Statham, James Franco, Kate Bosworth, Winona Ryder, Rachelle LefevreAction | 100% |
Thriller | 61% |
Crime | 41% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Homefront belongs to a raggedy old breed of '90s homestead action thriller that refuses to go quietly into the night. Adapted from the Chuck Logan novel of the same name by none other than genre icon Sylvester Stallone, the film limps from one fight scene to the next without laying sufficient groundwork. The script is rife with cliché and bad dialogue, the story is both underdeveloped and unnecessarily convoluted, and the hometown heroes and backwoods criminals make one boneheaded decision after another. It doesn't help that the characters are reduced to two-dimensional caricatures, chief among them Jason Statham's umpteenth man of action -- hitting a rare trifecta as a former soldier, ex-cop and devoted single father -- and James Franco's southern fried cornbread kingpin, Gator Bodine. (One more time: Gator Bodine.) More troubling? The split-second beatdowns, splashy shootouts and 'splodey bits are as slick and improbable as they are overly choreographed and brutally edited... which would be all well and good if Stallone and director Gary Fleder subscribed to the Tenets of Big Dumb Fun. Particularly #7: Thou shalt not aim so high whilst firing so low. Homefront is Big Dumb Fun minus the fun, taking itself much too seriously while pushing its action too far over the top.
Homefront features a faithful-to-a-fault 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that, for the most part, impresses. Sunlit scenes are bright and washed out, albeit naturally so; the Broker house interiors are warm and inviting, at least until Statham requires the cloak of darkness; and nighttime sequences are bleak and oppressive, with vivid splashes of twilight blue set against deep, occasionally dusty blacks. Primaries are stylized but strong, skintones are relatively lifelike from shot to shot, and detail is only hampered by mild to moderate crush and uneven noise, both of which are tied to the film's photography. Thankfully, edge definition is clean and refined on the whole, without any halos or ringing, and fine textures and grain are nicely resolved. Softness isn't entirely uncommon, mind you, but it too falls aligns with Felder and cinematographer Theo van de Sande's intentions. The encode itself is quite proficient as well. Significant artifacting, banding and aliasing aren't at play, and very few distractions rear their ugly heads. All told, the presentation is a solid one.
Homefront is loud, and I mean loud, kicking off with an explosive biker gang takedown that sets the bar for the action beats to come. But the film is also one of quiet moments, heartfelt exchanges between father and daughter, and suspenseful silence whenever a fistfight or shootout is being loaded in the chamber. Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track handles these competing extremes with ease, without once failing to hold up its end of the bargain. Dialogue remains clear and carefully prioritized; never too subdued when things are calm, never buried by the violence that inevitably erupts. LFE output teases the listener much the same way, tip-toeing along until it pounces. Dynamics are excellent, low-end oomph is sizable, and every punch, kick and shotgun blast makes an impact. The rear speakers do a great job of creating an immersive small southern town as well, with an enveloping soundfield, precise directionality, smooth pans and a penchant for convincing ambience. The final moments of the film get a bit too loud, but I'll give it a good ol' genre pass. Action fans won't be disappointed.
The Blu-ray edition of Homefront includes two special features: a thin collection of inconsequential deleted scenes (HD, 9 minutes), one of which is an extended ending, and "Standoff" (HD, 3 minutes), a brief talking heads promo.
Homefront will make for a decent Redbox rental I suppose, but it's hard to enjoy a genre pic that clumsily follows in so many other films' footsteps. Statham is a capable leading man and Franco has a blast getting high on the ever-colorful Gator's supply, but Stallone's script, Felder's fundamentals and the supporting cast's performances are weak and derivative. Fortunately, Universal's Blu-ray release is better -- with a strong video presentation and terrific DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track -- if, that is, you ignore the disc's anemic supplemental package.
2015
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