Meteor Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Meteor Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 24, 2014

At the tail end of the disaster movie craze of the 1970s, “Meteor” landed with a thud. The 1979 picture boasts an incredible cast led by Sean Connery (also including Natalie Wood, Brian Keith, Karl Malden, Martin Landau, Richard Dysart, and Henry Fonda), and a dependable premise of Earth-threatening doom that permits panic on a global scale, yet “Meteor,” for all its bluster and smorgasbord of iffy special effects (okay, they’re awful), is merely entertaining, rarely hitting the nail-biting highs the subgenre is known for. The all-star cast can only do so much to liven up the proceedings, with director Ronald Neame gradually losing tension as the film drags out the obvious for far too long.

An amalgamation of disaster cinema trends, “Meteor” waits patiently to strike. For its first half, it’s a convincing character study with cold war overtones, identifying a cluster of scientists, diplomats, and military officials as a countdown clock tracks Earth’s final moments before a five-mile-wide asteroid decides to pay the planet a visit. It’s up to America and the Soviet Union to save the world, commencing a string of scenes that involve negotiation, political paranoia, and frustration, creating a dramatic routine Neame recycles until it’s time to focus on the devastation caused by the “shards” that hit America, Hong Kong, and the Swiss Alps. Only then is the viewer treated to scenes of mass death, where the helpless scramble for safety.

Meteor Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.37:1 aspect ratio) presentation is comfortably detailed, with an encouraging read of facial particulars and special effects -- perhaps too sharp, with the limits of Hollywood craftsmanship and file footage on clear display throughout the movie. Some cinematographic softness remains, but textures are present. Colors look a tad diluted, but the colder hues support the feature's television-style design, leaving costumes and global panic to provide some necessary heft. Blacks are reasonably communicative, with space excursions open for inspection. Grain is present and mildly inconsistent, but also filmic. Print is without overt damage.

Meteor Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix struggles to bring some disaster movie oomph to the home theater. While working with a limited sonic scope, catastrophe sounds flat here, with limitation to sequences of mass destruction, although chaos keeps away from shrill highs. Scoring retains dramatic emphasis but lacks flavorful range, balanced adequately with dialogue exchanges, which remain discernible. Space and doomsday atmospherics are louder but blended successfully into the flow of the film.

Meteor Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (3:36, HD) is included.

Meteor Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Great actors commit to mediocre material in "Meteor," while nearly every scene features a character downing a glass of booze, perhaps mirroring the spirit of the set during production. It's an unremarkable film, but for those who crave this type of science fiction distraction served with a side of era-specific political tensions and casual sexism (Connery's bread and butter), "Meteor" provides an enjoyable doomsday ride into deep space, with plenty of ominous shots of the titular menace in motion and fearful folk on the ground.