Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The 6th Day Blu-ray Movie Review

An average Arnold movie is now an exceptional Blu-ray release.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 7, 2008

This is the natural process of life. You’re born, you live, and you die.

There are plenty of good Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, and while The 6th Day is indeed an "average" Arnold movie, there really isn't anything on the other end of the spectrum, a movie with Arnold that is just plain awful. Junior comes very close, certainly his worst movie, but I am such a big fan of the actor that I consider no film in the annals of Arnold to be bad. This is certainly one of his lesser movies, coming at the tail end of his career, only Collateral Damage and Terminator 3 coming after this film as movies featuring Arnold in the lead role. The 6th Day is certainly a departure from a film like Commando where the plot is simpler, the guns are larger, and muscles there for everyone to see. Arnold is more of an everyman here, rather than a superman, but to compensate the film gives us double the Arnold fun, seeing the famed bodybuilder and actor cloned, two of him needed to destroy a ruthless, cunning bad guy, perhaps Arnold's toughest challenge yet (that's not a liquid metal killing machine, the devil, an alien from another world, Crisp, or Bennett).

Dis is gonna be da best movie eva! Dere are two ov us!

The 6th Day stars legendary action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger (Predator) as Adam Gibson, a family man and adventure helicopter pilot living in a world where cloning pets is commonplace (at the "Build-A-Bear"-esque "RePet" store in the mall) but human cloning has been outlawed under the "6th Day Laws." He returns home one evening, anticipating a surprise birthday party he's clued in on, only to discover the proceedings have already begun, and he's already inside! A clone has seemingly taken his place, though he is unsure as to why or who is behind it. He soon finds himself under fire and under pursuit by a band of thugs who want him dead, all the while trying to piece together why he's been cloned and who is responsible for the mess he finds himself in. He can trust no one, not even his closest friends, and because of the "miracle" of cloning, bad guys he manages to kill seem to reappear faster than he can say "California." Gibson, with the help of an unlikely ally, must uncover a conspiracy revolving around the world of cloning and also save his family.

Directed by Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies), The 6th Day makes for an enjoyable Saturday afternoon action flick, one that both mindless shoot 'em up fans as well as movie lovers looking for a bit more depth, story, character development, and intelligence will find appealing. In the end, this is still a mostly run-of-the-mill, perhaps slightly above average action film that is made a bit better by not one but two Arnold's thrown into the mix. His enormous size and stature is definitely played down here--he never loses his shirt, deliberately flexes his muscles for the camera, or wield weapons that should be mounted on a vehicle, not carried by mere mortal man. Instead, he plays an average Joe, perhaps similar to his character(s) in Total Recall though not reaching quite the "superhero" status he comes to portray in that film. The 6th Day also sports an all-star cast in support of Schwarzenegger, including Robert Duvall (We Own the Night), Tony Goldwyn (The Last Samurai), Michael Rapaport (Hitch), and Michael Rooker (The Replacement Killers).

Perhaps the weakest aspect of The 6th Day are the "henchmen" who, playing a vital role in the film, find themselves killed more than once, and come back as annoying as ever. I've never understood why evil masterminds have such half-witted lackeys, perhaps so as to ensure they're not smart enough to question his motives or think about overthrowing him. Nevertheless, these clowns--excuse me--clones, reminded me of "Beebop" and "Rocksteady" from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, bad guys who, despite their strength and equipment, can never seem to get the job done, mostly due to their mental shortcomings. Not even Michael Rooker, who is only halfway decent in his role, can save them from their own ineptitude. That's the only real glaring weakness I found in the film, and it's a minor one at that—while integral to the story, they don't necessarily do anything more than put up some obstacles for Gibson to plow his way through. Otherwise, this movie is fun and pushes all the right buttons. It has some classic Arnold dialogue, though like his muscles and weapons, this script generally plays-down Arnold's opportunities for truly memorable dialogue, although it did have me laughing at several classic Arnold-isms. All in all, what could have easily been a B-movie on an A-list budget is made more than serviceable here (with a thrilling final act), because after all, you just can't go wrong with Arnold Schwarzenegger, or in this case, multiple copies thereof.

The 6th Day Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 6th Day has been replicated for Blu-ray, and the result is an excellent, high-quality 1080p, 2.40:1 image. This film sports the same glossy, high-tech, clean look of I, Robot and the results approach the level of that disc, but ultimately fails to meet or surpass that lofty bar entirely. The print is remarkably clean and fresh in appearance. I noted only one or two very minor black specks, but we will each have to look very hard to notice them, and they were so minor it's more happenstance that I happened to catch them. The computer animated sequences at the beginning are top-notch. Flesh tones are great, seemingly spot-on in accuracy. Black levels are just about perfect. Colors are good, though the film doesn't showcase an abundance of bright primaries. The interiors of the cloning facility are metallic and a bit dark, but what colors there are definitely pop off the screen. The image has a nice three-dimensional quality to it. Film grain is apparent, very light in appearance, hardly noticeable in many scenes, though there are a few select scenes where it spikes quite a bit. Some of the dated special effects also fare poorly under the harsh light of high definition, especially the exciting final action sequence. I was highly impressed by the look of this film, and its clean, lustrous source material makes for a near reference-quality disc.

The 6th Day Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Just as exciting and high in quality as the video presentation is the lossless Dolby True HD 5.1 sound mix. The track is excellent; it is loud without being boisterous, and the mix moves around the listening area flawlessly. There is nary a dull moment to be heard, and the sound design is outstanding, keeping the viewer engaged and engrossed in the story, the soundtrack raising the quality of the movie quite a bit. The helicopters-transformed-to-jets sequence near the beginning of the film really shows off the quality of this track. It's engaging, fast-paced, and puts your system through the paces. The planes swoop from the front to the rear listening area and right to left across the front and the back channels, and the subwoofer rattles and rolls with good, deep bass. The entirety of the soundstage is put to work, and it is perhaps the best sounding scene in a movie filled with demonstration-worthy audio sequences. Gunfire is of the laser or energy beam variety, and it makes from some very exciting sonic sequences, again completely encompassing the viewer, blasts coming towards and away from you from every direction. Bass can be quite deep and powerful, never distorted or too heavy. The track is mixed very well, with no one element coming across as too either dominant or too light. Dialogue reproduction is uniformly excellent. The 6th Day sounds excellent on Blu-ray, and fans of action films will be very happy with what they hear.

The 6th Day Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Though not jam-packed with features, The 6th Day does a fine job of bringing viewers a decent array of extra materials. First up is Showtime Special: The Future is Coming (480p, 15:33). This feature proves rather bland, the epitome of the behind-the-scenes feature, a piece showing interviews with cast and crew discussing the film, its themes, and why the story is so timely, all intercut with scenes from the film. There is also a look at the making of some of the special effects seen throughout the movie. Animatics allows viewers to select from two different scenes: Snowy Mountain Animatic (480p, 2:43) and Rooftop Animatic (480p, 3:30). Basically, these are animated storyboards that better assist the director in showing just how he or she wants a scene to look rather than employing only a series of still drawings on paper that serve the same basic purpose.

On the 6th Day is a series of nine featurettes, all presented in 480p: Another Way to Fly (4:42) looks at the creation and usage of the "Whisper Craft" seen in the film; Finding Sim Pal Cindy (7:48) examines the work involved in creating this futuristic toy; The Art of the Chase (6:03) is a behind-the-scenes look of the car chase seen in the film; Over the Cliff (3:29) analyzes a crucial action sequence where a character jumps off a cliff; Virtual Girlfriend (4:30) takes a peek at the special effects used to create this unique and futuristic character; In the Tank (6:36) showcases the challenges of shooting underwater; Free Falling (3:19) looks at what it takes to create the illusion of a character falling from an incredible height; Detonation (3:44) defuses some myths as to what it takes to create a realistic explosion in a Hollywood movie; finally, Enhancing the Look (8:09) shows the basics in the approach towards creating an end product for a special effects-laden film, notably making us believe the screen is big enough to present two Arnolds at the same time.

Next are a series of storyboard comparisons for three crucial scenes: Car Chase (4:10), Whisper Craft-Crash (1:22), and Cloning Tanks (2:21), all presented in 480p standard definition. The scenes show the final cut of the movie on one half of the screen with the original storyboards on the other. Repet-Infomercial (2:36) and TV Spot (0:46), both presented in 480p, are mock pieces that show us what we might see on television in the future. This disc also features BD-Live (profile 2.0) content. Accessing this feature takes a few moments, so be patient. Viewers are able to watch either standard definition or high definition trailers for upcoming or already released Blu-ray movies, as well as theatrical previews for movies coming soon. I ended up selecting the HD preview for Prom Night. My Internet connection is only moderately fast, and the process of downloading the 2:18 HD trailer took about 20 minutes, and a blue progress bar showed how far along I was. The trailer then took several long seconds to begin playback. The image is 1080p, and the audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Channel. The quality of the presentation was acceptable. This disc is also D-Box equipped for use with that equipment, and contains 1080p trailers for Damages: The Complete First Season and Rescue Me: The Complete Third Season.

The 6th Day Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The 6th Day may not be the best Arnold movie, or the best action/sci-fi movie ever made, but it is very serviceable nonetheless, an enjoyable, well-paced romp replete with great visuals, solid action, a good story, and decent acting and direction. The movie's shortcomings are minor, as long as it is not looked at through the same lens as more highbrow films such as Schindler's List. As Arnold's screen-presence matured, it seems that he reached a point where he chose roles casting him as more "average" characters, foregoing the larger-than-life characters of Commando and Predator in favor of more traditional action hero types, and he was able to make the transition seamlessly. Arnold fans should be very pleased with this Blu-ray release of The 6th Day. The video quality is excellent, better than your average Blu-ray but not meeting or surpassing the look of the very best. The audio is also outstanding, creating a lively sonic experience that adds to the flair and fun of the film. The supplemental materials are also entertaining and worth watching. This disc comes highly recommended for Arnold completists (such as myself) and definitely worth checking out for Blu-ray fans in general.