5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The Cleary brothers, Sam, Leo and Douglas take dysfunctional families to a new level: Sam and Leo have grown up hating each other and neither likes their juvenile kid brother, Douglas, to whom they've only recently been introduced. The three boys share the same father, but all have different mothers. Their father died a rich man and when they're brought together by their sister Nina to learn which one of them will inherit the old man's fortune, they are handed an unpleasant surprise. A requirement of the will is that the three estranged siblings go into business together as bail bondsmen. Their first job takes them into the mountains of Mexico where they encounter a drug lord and uncover a kidnapping plot, masterminded by an embittered entrepreneur.
Starring: John Cena, Ethan Embry, Amy Smart, Michael Rispoli, Boyd HolbrookDrama | Insignificant |
Action | 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 5.1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Never walk out on family.
Guns and musclemen don't necessarily mean big action, and The Reunion is proof-positive of that observation. The WWE's latest film stars
John Cena as one of three estranged brothers tasked with working together if they are to collect a hefty inheritance from their late father. The
premise is fine, but the execution will leave Action fans thirsting for more and Drama aficionados turning to other sources. The problem isn't limited to
the fact that
The Reunion doesn't take the guns-blazing approach, though certainly a little more might have elevated the movie another notch if only as a
means of keeping things moving a little more quickly. The problem is that the film attempts to be a Character drama with a little action and light
comedic motifs, which doesn't really fit the profile or satisfy audience expectations for a movie of this sort. Add that the drama is dull and the
characters largely unmemorable, and the movie never really finds its stride, try as it admirably may to do something other than fill some studio
quota for trigger pulls, explosions, and deaths per minute.
Come together, right now, over me.
The Reunion's 1080p Blu-ray debut sparkles. WWE's 1.85:1-framed image delivers crisp details and vibrant colors. The image is defined by razor sharpness (there's only a handful of softer distance shots), solid crispness, excellent clarity, natural brilliance, and a quality sense of depth. Fine detail is consistently natural. Whether standard faces and clothes or rough pebbly terrain, rocks, woods, and bricks, there's nary an object in the film that doesn't look fantastic. The image even picks up the finest little nuances of horsehair in appropriately up-close shots. Colors are equally splendid, appearing bright, natural, and even. Whether the brightest clothing shades and paints or the flattest earth tones, the transfer delivers every shade with appreciable ease. Likewise, skin tones are even and black levels are strong. Banding, blocking, and other unwanted elements are largely absent. This is a first-rate transfer from WWE.
The Reunion explodes onto Blu-ray with a high quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation yields a consistently strong presence and precision balance. All sorts of sound effects are handled masterfully. Clapping and chanting prisoners as heard at film's start come through cleanly and authentically, placing the listener in the middle of the crowd. Gunfire proves remarkably precise, playing with a sharp crispness that's clear enough to distinguish between different calibers and platforms. Explosions rock the listening area with great power and fine clarity. Subtle natural ambience plays evenly and naturally, whether outdoor elements or the sounds of a restaurant in chapter two. Music plays with realism, enjoying suitable spacing and a positive low end. Dialogue flows naturally and efficiently from the center channel. This is a very good, high energy, crisp and clear sonic presentation that never lets the movie down.
The Reunion contains seven featurettes and a photo gallery.
The Reunion fails to elicit any tangible response. It fails as a pure Action movie, falls short of a high-end Drama, and never really catches fire as a Character Study. The potential is here for a better movie, but as it is The Reunion does little more than plod along through the script, failing to go anywhere and do much of anything, all the while cutting back on explosions and gunshots. Kudos for trying to make an Action movie that's more than the total of its body count, but The Reunion goes a little too far to the extreme, sacrificing too much gunplay for too little dramatic payoff. WWE's Blu-ray release of The Reunion does feature excellent video and audio to go along with a handful of extras. It's no so bad to recommend a skip, but it's also nowhere near good enough to warrant a purchase unless one finds it on a very good sale. In a general sense, this one's best enjoyed as a rental.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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My Family, Mi Familia
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