6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Robert Townsend wrote, directed, and produced this urban fable and also stars as Jefferson Reed, a meek substitute teacher in an inner-city neighborhood dominated by a gang of leather-jacketed, peroxided blonde goons who call themselves the Golden Lords. The residents of the neighborhood feel they can do nothing about the gang. But then a meteor hits Jefferson, who finds that he can fly, has super-strength, and can retain all the information in a book in thirty seconds. As a result, Jefferson, who normally is afraid of heights and runs from danger, becomes a reluctant superhero. The word about the "Meteor Man" gets back to the Golden Lords, who intend to rid the neighborhood of this milquetoast crime-fighter.
Starring: Robert Townsend, Marla Gibbs, Eddie Griffin, Robert Guillaume, James Earl JonesComedy | 100% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Today's superhero movies balance large scale, expert special effects, and, usually, a pretty good story. That wasn't always the case. Take The Meteor Man, a fairly silly, slow, and narratively forced film from Comedian Robert Townsend (The Five Heartbeats) that looks at superheroes not so much as glamorous superstars with amazing powers but rather ordinary people thrust into extraordinary duty. The movie is laced with metaphor and presents action, humor, and heart in decent enough quantities, but there's a tonal mismatch and a lack of dramatic depth. The movie can never quite decide what it is -- Action film, Comedy, fable about life on the streets -- and the result is a film that flashes all sorts of potential but becomes bogged down in structural uncertainty and forced elements.
The hero.
The Meteor Man's 1080p transfer suffers from some light noise reduction in places and print wear throughout but otherwise looks decent enough for a lower priority movie and one that's essentially been slapped onto Blu-ray by a studio that operates in serious bulk. Even as there's some excess and unnatural smoothness at work, details remain probably the transfer's top feature. Basic image clarity is good, thanks largely to the 1080p horsepower. Raw definition satisfies and faces, clothes and the Meteor Man costume, and various rougher city details reveal a satisfactory level of texturing. Colors are fine, appearing neither richly vibrant nor disappointingly dull. They favor the latter by a smidgen or two, but there's a good, simple balance and efficiency to the entire palette. Black levels rarely disappoint and flesh tones don't appear to stray from natural. Compression issues are few and far between.
The Meteor Man crash lands on Blu-ray with a perfectly serviceable but never inspiring DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. Information is crammed into the middle via the "phantom center" effect, and there's essentially no spread back outwards. Music is necessarily throttled back and cramped, then, presenting with precious little breathing room and not much more definition. The bottom end is particularly rough, but the midrange and highs don't breathe much, either. Raw clarity is enough to get the point across but not enough to truly feel the music's finest details. Various action crashes and bangs and gunshots and other details are also identifiable but absent precise definition or stage fullness. Ambient effects linger around the background but more set the stage rather than immerse the listener in it. Dialogue delivery is basic and clarity satisfies general requirements.
All that's included is the film's trailer (1080p, 1:15).
The Meteor Man has its moments. Whether its all-star cast, interesting underlying metaphors, and a lead character who shows great promise as a reluctant and evolutionary sort of superhero, the film brings a lot to the table but never accomplishes much with its collected ingredients. That's a shame considering all the potential that's right there for the taking. Olive Films' practically barebones Blu-ray release of The Meteor Man features decent video, acceptable audio, and no supplements of substance. Worth a rental.
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