5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
Frank Martin is the most highly-skilled transporter money can buy. The stakes are greater and technology better, but the same three simple rules apply: never change the deal, no names and never open the package. When Frank is hired by cunning femme fatale Anna and her three stunning sidekicks, he quickly discovers he's been played.
Starring: Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol, Lenn Kudrjawizki, Ray Stevenson, Anatole TaubmanAction | 100% |
Thriller | 43% |
Crime | 22% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Almost three years ago now in my Anger Management: Season One Blu-ray review, I mentioned a hilarious clip from the old Conan O’Brien show (like, pre-Tonight Show Conan) which offered one brief burst of comedy in a long flight which was otherwise encumbered with the distinctly unfunny feature film version of Anger Management. Three years seems like enough time to have passed to recycle Conan’s joke, which becomes newly relevant in a way with regard to The Transporter Refueled. As part of his “News from the Future” bit, Conan, replete with a greenish flashlight bulb aimed directly up at his face from under his chin, ghost story around a fireside style, stated without much affect, “In the future, robots will replace humans in dull, repetitive tasks like washing dishes and marrying J. Lo.” One might be tempted to add one newer duty to that somewhat abbreviated list of soon to come robotic activity, namely playing The Transporter, the character Jason Statham has essayed in three previous films (in addition that first linked entry, there’s also the creatively named Transporter 2 and Transporter 3). The character of the Transporter, otherwise known as Frank Martin (played now by Ed Skrein), is not exactly a showcase for Sir Laurence Olivier level cinematic performance proclivities, and instead is largely a cipher prone to uttering deadpan one liners shortly before dispatching various bad guys with a variety of combat techniques, including some pretty vicious hand to hand martial arts abilities. These are obviously all efforts a well programmed robot could fulfil with alacrity, and indeed much of The Transporter Refueled plays as if it were written by a machine consortium, with a rote plot line that borrows heavily from producer Luc Besson’s Taken Franchise.
The Transporter Refueled is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Shot digitally with the Arri Alexa, the film looks suitable sharp and well defined most of the time, despite the ever present color grading in the seemingly unavoidable blue and yellow tones (fast forwarding through this film may provide some palette entertainment value for those otherwise uninterested in the proceedings—just look at the checkerboard proclivities between yellow and blue on display as things unfold). Close-ups offer generally commendable fine detail in aspects like junior's stubble or the girls' flyway blonde hair on their matching wigs. A couple of scenes look pretty soft and less defined, including one climactic sequence in a nightclub rife with elements like lasers and strobe lighting (see screenshot 15). Contrast is slightly variable as well, adding a bit of murk to less well lit moments.
The Transporter Refueled's expectedly bombastic sound design receives a boisterous bit of support in this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless offering. Surround activity is consistently utilized throughout the film, again most expectedly and assuredly in the many action elements, where a glut of discretely placed sound effects often almost browbeats the listener into submission. There's a wealth of LFE on display providing suitably rumbly moments as well. Dialogue is cleanly presented, though occasionally gets just slightly buried in some of the more noisy moments. Fidelity is top notch and dynamic range is extremely wide.
The Transporter Refueled probably offers enough hassle free action elements to satisfy undemanding adrenaline junkies, but with a deficit in character and plot, there's little other than those action elements to really generate much interest here. Competently made and occasionally even stylish in some of the set pieces, the film is nonetheless surprisingly tame and derivative feeling. Technical merits are very strong for those considering a purchase.
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2013
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