5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Rebecca, aka Tank Girl, and her friends are the only remaining citizens living in the wasteland that is Earth, where all the remaining water is controlled by Water and Power, the mega corporation/government that runs the territory. While incarcerated at W & P, Tank Girl and her new friend Jet Girl break out and steal... a tank and a jet. After meeting some mutant kangaroo/humans, and rescuing her little girl (adopted by her friends), the kangaroos and the girls kick Water and Powers' butt.
Starring: Lori Petty, Ice-T, Naomi Watts, Don Harvey, Jeff KoberComedy | 100% |
Comic book | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Variety just published its annual Power of Women issue, replete with separate collectible covers featuring iconic distaff stars and page after page of homages to scores of females who are helping to define the contemporary film industry, both in front of and behind the camera. Just for good measure, the magazine published an old archival ad from 1916 touting the latest Mary Pickford opus, one that came from her own pre-United Artists production entity, in order to show that women have always been in positions of power in cinema, albeit probably not in the numbers they currently enjoy. Though it’s probably worthy of little more than a footnote in this still developing story of gender equality (or at least neutrality), 1995’s Tank Girl is a flawed but fascinatingly gynocentric sci-fi film that not only features women in many of the featured roles (including the lead), it also was directed by a female and at least one of its women production staff, Catherine Hardwicke, has gone on to substantial success, helping to make the Twilight Saga one of the most lucrative franchises of the last decade or so. Tank Girl’s director Rachel Talalay is on record (including on the commentary included on this Blu-ray as a supplementary feature) as saying the meddlesome intrusion by United Artists and the producers kept the film from being all the it could have been, which may be true, however self-serving it may sound. Some of what’s wrong with Tank Girl probably can’t be blamed on anyone other than Talalay, though, for the film is often unkempt and undisciplined, something that most likely is completely in tune with the slacker ethos of the film’s source comic book, but which comes across in cinematic terms as a sort of lazy “let’s see what happens” approach that deprives the film of much dramatic momentum. Still, Tank Girl has its charms, and has a peculiarly feminine viewpoint which sets it apart from most of its similarly themed post-apocalyptic kin.
Tank Girl is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The film is relentlessly colorful, and this high definition presentation reproduces the gamut of gaudy blues and bawdy reds very well. Fine detail is excellent, especially in close-ups (take a look at Petty's face in screenshot 10 for a good example), revealing nice facets like the tweedy pattern of Jet Girl's jacket or the felt like texture of Tank Girl's bowler hat. The elements have some very minor age related issues, mostly relegated to very small specks and white flecks, as well as very minimal scratches. While this is not a razor sharp presentation, it retains a naturally filmic appearance, with a natural layer of fine grain which is especially evident in the brightly lit outdoor scenes. As should be expected, the opticals (including some of the effects) have considerably more grain and dirt than the bulk of this presentation. Contrast is generally quite good, but tends to vary slightly in some dimmer scenes.
One of the best things about Tank Girl is its use of source cues as well as the "built in" musical sequence featuring the music of Cole Porter, and that aspect is really exploited very well in the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix which is included on this Blu-ray, along with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix. The 5.1 mix significantly opens up the soundfield in several set pieces and also has some occasionally nice discrete channelization with regard to individual effects, but dialogue is anchored front and center almost all of the time. Fidelity is excellent on both of these tracks, but the 5.1 mix is much more fulsome in the mid- and lower ranges, as should be expected. Dynamic range is quite wide.
It's easy to understand why Tank Girl has achieved the cult status it has, but when all is said and done, the film is really an example of unfulfilled potential. It's goofy and quite enjoyable in dribs and drabs, but it's too chaotic and noisy for its own good and it never quite attains the lunatic humor it's obviously aiming for. Still, fans of the film should be delighted with this Blu-ray release, which offers very good technical merits while also presenting some appealing supplements.
1993
1991
1989
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1977
1993
The Brood bonus feature
1970
1996
1987
Collector's Edition
2006
1998
Limited Edition
1996
1989
2014
2013
2011
1972
Warner Archive Collection
1984
2017
1987