The Meteor Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

The Meteor Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 10, 2015

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.

Washington, D.C.-area schoolteacher Jefferson Reed (Townsend) is better known as a man who teaches from his heart rather than his hardback textbook. That doesn't always leave the kids learning what they need to learn -- either in the classroom or on the street -- but he has his heart in the right place. One day, he's struck by a green meteor. It leaves him badly burned and disfigured and, presumably, on death's doorstep. But fate intervenes. His recovery is rapid and, to his surprise, he shows no signs of physical damage. In fact, he's been enhanced. Big time. He can see through walls and clothes. He now enjoys improved hearing and an ability to communicate with animals, including his dog, Ellington. He can fully memorize a book or magazine simply by touching it. He can fly, he boasts tremendous strength and speed, and perhaps best of all, he's bullet proof (though, sadly, his clothes are not, as he'll soon enough learn). He becomes a local sensation in his neighborhood and eventually becomes known as "Meteor Man," a reluctant crime fighter drafted into duty to battle a particularly nasty gang known as The Golden Lords that's infested the local streets.

The Meteor Man operates on the principle of convenience: whatever's convenient for the movie, work it into the story. The superpowers are practically infinite, except when it's convenient for them not to be (the more he uses them, the more they drain, making them, essentially, the equivalent of a video game power-up boost rather than some real life-changing, always-on support). The bad guys are thuggish but not particularly brutal; they're scarier in number, uniform hair color, and the employment of children than they are dirty deeds. Characters appear almost randomly in an effort to get them in the movie; James Earl Jones' Earnest Moses doesn't seem particularly critical to the story, but he appears wearing some crazy wigs because he can, and it's funny, not because there's a larger bearing on the plot. The movie trusts that its message, which seems to be the importance of community and standing up to evil, will carry it. Where every other piece falls seems to matter little to Townsend, who pulls quadruple duty as actor, writer, director, and producer. His burdens are many and clear during a watch; the talent is there, and so too is the core details that could have made this a good movie, but none of it ever comes together for more than a glimpse of what might have been.

The movie is by no means a total loss, however. It has its moments of entertainment value. Action and humor are frequent, though unbalanced. Depth is lacking, but there's just enough cohesion to keep the movie together, even during some of its most lethargic slowdowns. The greater metaphorical story is interesting at its most fundamental level but the execution leaves a fair bit to be desired, particularly when it comes to the unnecessary jumbling of ideas that keep the movie from reaping the benefits of a tighter narrative focus. For example, the movie stretches Reed's powers too far. He's sort of like Superman (complete with opening titles ripped off from Richard Donner's film) meets Dr. Dolittle meets Data from Star Trek. All of it works to some degree or another but never in total, harmonious, story arc-benefiting sync. None of it comes off as putridly awful, either. Truth be told, it's a modestly enjoyable film and the worst part of the movie comes when it's over, when the audience realizes they've witnessed about half a movie instead of a full movie, not in terms of raw runtime but rather creativity, cohesion, and purpose beyond a fun little bit of Superhero escapism.

The Meteor Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

The Meteor Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All that's included is the film's trailer (1080p, 1:15).

The Meteor Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.