Jarhead 2: Field of Fire Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire Blu-ray Movie Review

This jar's empty.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 25, 2014

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire is a "sequel" to Director Sam Mendes' Jarhead "in name only." Neither that film's stars nor Mendes return for this film, and it doesn't follow-up on any of the first film's characters or story lines. Even the depicted conflicts are different; that film takes place during the Gulf War of 1991 while this film takes place in Afghanistan some two decades-plus later. The only similarity is the depiction of Marines fighting on a modern Middle Eastern battlefield. It's a shame that the filmmakers and producers felt so insecure about their product that it had to borrow its title from a film with which it shares almost no connection. Jarhead 2: Field of Fire isn't a bad little time waster of an Action flick in its own right, regardless of its name. Yet it's also rather nondescript, a generic War movie all around and one that's not destined to become lumped in with genre classics like Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, and Black Hawk Down.

Ready, aim...

A group of relatively inexperienced Marines, led by Corporal Chris Merrimette (Josh Kelly), is given a dangerous assignment of steering a convoy through enemy-occupied territory in order to resupply an outpost in desperate need. Along the way, and following a run-in with an IED (Improvised Explosive Device), they come under fire and meet up with a couple of Navy SEALs, including Fox (Cole Hauser), who are escorting a "high value package," a young woman who is set to testify before the United Nations and speak on behalf of womens rights in her country. As the Marines and SEALs fight to get her back to safety, they encounter heavy resistance from those who would see the woman dead rather than testify against their harsh methods.

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire is no technical marvel, but the film gets it right in terms of its kinetic energy and photography. It's gritty (as gritty as something shot on digital can be) and immersive in its action scenes, frequently utilizing a handheld and fast-moving photographic style to convey a sense of panic, uncertainty, and violent motion. The action frequently feels larger than what one would expect to find in a typical DTV picture, nicely combining a broad battlefield overview with more intimate portraits of individual soldiers, or small groups of soldiers, fighting for their lives. While it lacks the complexity of the best genre films, there's a sense of underlying authenticity at the center that exposes the viewer to the horrors of combat and the adrenaline rush of the moment. Yet it's not so complex and immersive as to escape the fact that it's little more than a run-and-gun DTV Action movie. The film simply lacks the dramatic muscle necessary to truly heighten the violence beyond some live-action video game style.

Indeed, it's here where the film falters. Never does it deliver drama to a sufficiently high and capable level to make character deaths and sacrifices mean much in the greater context within which the film operates. All of the characters are disappointingly flat military personnel clichés. It's the sort of movie in which intimate, heartfelt discussions about wanting to return home, to reunite with loved ones, and so on and so forth are punctuated by sudden bursts of nearby gunfire at the peak of poignancy for added dramatic value. The film wades through genre stereotypes in other ways, too, balancing duty versus sacrifice and the value of individual lives in light of a greater context. It's all rather dull in its various pursuits and its failure to connect to some greater purpose or commentary is its ultimate downfall. What's worse, the picture moves from one War movie trope to another with every new sequence. There's the "disarm the explosive" sequence, the "enemy sniper" sequence, the "enemy ambush" sequence, and the "protect the high value target at all costs" sequence. While it's all technically spiffy, the slog through what amounts to little more than War movie basic training keeps the film serving as anything more than a glorified shooter.

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire's 1080p transfer is a little flat, but that's to be expected of a digital shoot. Nevertheless, and despite the absence of a textural grittiness, the image provides rich, well-presented detail in most every scene. Uniform lines are crisp and complex. Desert and rocky terrains are appropriately rough and tactile. Facial features stand apart. Colors are impressive. While the image is dominated by earthy tans, there are examples of brighter, bolder colors throughout. Green grasses, blood red, and an American flag are all outstanding in brilliance and accuracy. Black levels are sufficiently deep, and flesh tones raise no alarms. The image does see a spike in noise over a couple of the darkest backdrops and very light banding spreading through a couple of select background shots. The film also shows a few poorly defined establishing shots that are home to smeary details, uneven edges, and heavy aliasing. Fortunately, the number of occurrences can be counted on one hand. Overall, this is a good, positive Blu-ray transfer from Universal.

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire explodes onto Blu-ray with a filling DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The film's open sees gunshots erupting all over the stage. The chaos of battle pulls the listener into the moment and leaves him or her all but ducking for cover with the amount of rounds flying through the stage. There's additionally a good, even amount of bass rumbling alongside. Such immersive elements define all action scenes. The track handles lesser, quieter elements equally well. Insect sounds effortlessly fill the stage in some shots and single gunshots offer a nice, lasting echoing sensation, best heard around the 37:45 mark. Dialogue delivery is smooth and precisely positioned in the front-center portion of the soundstage.

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire contains two deleted scenes (HD): Target Practice (1:18) and It Depends (0:33). Deleted scenes include optional English, French, and Spanish subtitle options. Note that the disc includes the 103-minute (1:42:30) "unrated" cut as well as a 103-minute (1:42:36) "R-rated" cut. A DVD and a UV digital copy code are also included in the case. BD-Live functionality that brings new trailers off the Internet is included.

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire delivers serviceably entertaining wartime action. It lacks the character depth and polish of the original -- with which this film has no meaningful connection -- but will satisfy the craving for a new shoot-em-up movie experience. In short, audiences expecting something deep and emotionally well designed will be disappointed, but those in search of gunfire and explosions and a healthy array of genre cliché will enjoy this one. Universal's Blu-ray release of Jarhead 2: Field of Fire offers solid video and excellent audio. Supplements are limited to a pair of deleted scenes. Worth a rental.