Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Transporter 3 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

How completely ludicrous can Transporter 3 be? Well, that may be a loaded question, since it’s obvious that Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen know that their unexpected franchise is actually built on the outlandish, so in one sense, the sillier, the better. But this is a film that repeatedly relies on such outlandish conceits that it’s hard to take as anything much other than a live action cartoon, which is fine as far it goes. But Transporter 3 also makes halting stabs at trying to develop character here and there, which is where the seams in this formulaic enterprise really start to show. Still, Besson and Kamen, returning as co-writers for this third installment, try (sometimes way too hard, some may feel) to inject completely pat scenes like the requisite opening car chase with some level of “invention”, in this case quick cutting between Frank Martin (Jason Statham) and Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand) shouting out directional (and other) commands to each other as they attempt to land “a big one” while fishing, commands which align with what an Audi on the run from a horde of police cars ends up following on his own path toward freedom. Transporter 3 ends up following a pretty rote playbook from start to finish, but it has occasional jolts of maddash energy due to one of its potentially more annoying conceits: Martin and a pretty Ukrainian girl named Valentina (Natalya Rudakova) are both outfitted with bracelets operating on some kind of super secret magnetic technology which will blow them to smithereens if they venture too far from Frank’s car (another Audi, a company kind of weirdly given a singular “Thank” in the film’s closing credits).

Transporter 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced off of the 1080p Blu-ray.

Transporter 3 is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate with a 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. This is another shot on film effort debuting on 4K UHD from Lionsgate that I have somewhat mixed feelings about. (As with several other Lionsgate 4K UHD releases which were shot on film, the IMDb lists this as having been finished at a 2K DI.) The palette here is noticeably more suffused and vivid looking than on the 1080p Blu-ray, and that may be the single biggest upgrade, along with increased highlights courtesy of Dolby Vision. There's noticeable new fine detail apparent, but it's often in "small" things like the glistening floor of the freighter in one of the first sequences, or the tufted fabric that lines the window of the "first" Audi in the film (the one involved in the chase that's intercut with the fishing scene). Another noticeable if picayune uptick is in the ornate wallpaper seen in the office of the man being blackmailed (I'm trying not to include spoilers in the review), which in this version has both a precision and saturation that are at least incrementally more impressive than in the 1080p Blu-ray version. Even Natalya Rudakova's freckles have new definition in this iteration, and in fact the entire kind of rust-auburn coloring of her hair and even her complexion pops with a new authority in this version. The blue grading when bad guy Johnson (Robert Knepper) shows up to begin his blackmail scheme has noticeably deeper saturation in this version as well. Unfortunately, there are still the same kinds of problems with grain resolution and (at least occasionally) noise that I have mentioned in reviews of other shot on film Lionsgate releases which have come out on 4K UHD. You can notice almost right off the bat in some of the establishing shots of the unfortunate duo who are in the bowels of the ship, but the overly gritty appearance of grain tends to kind of come and go at will, not necessarily tethered to the brightness of any given shot. Another sequence toward the end, with the supposedly "final" showdown on a train, also exhibits a rather wide variability in grain resolution. The bulk of this transfer should at least meet fans' expectations, if not actually exceed them, but in my estimation the heterogeneous look of this presentation is sometimes distracting.

Transporter 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Marty gave top marks to the original Blu-ray release's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, but I have to say that the 4K UHD disc's Dolby Atmos track rather substantially tops it, including literally, with a glut of really nicely done overhead activity that's obvious from the get go, with a wash of effects that spills through the Atmos channels and which is nicely segued to the thrum of the ocean liner with that unfortunate leak aboard. Transporter 3 is almost delightfully raucous at times, and moments like a car careening through the luxe mansion where Frank hangs out or the several car chases that are sprinkled throughout the film provide fantastic surround activity which includes not just excellent discrete channelization but some really fun panning effects along with rather boisterous LFE. There are a couple of quasi-hallucinatory moments that provide layers in the sound mix which the Atmos track kind of magically "separates" and delivers almost as different strata in the air. Alexandre Azaria's pulsating score also resonates nicely through the surrounds. Perhaps surprisingly, given the "noisiness" of it all, dialogue is always keenly prioritized and easy to hear. This is a really enjoyable track and may be enough to warrant double dipping for hesitant fans.

Transporter 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

With the exception of the trailers for other Lionsgate releases, all of the supplements detailed by Marty in his review are commendably ported over to the 4K UHD disc.

Transporter 3 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are any number of moments in Transporter 3 that made me almost laugh out loud, since there's such a ridiculous amount of coincidence and serendipity that propels the "plot" of this film forward. But adrenaline junkies are often an easy to please lot, and it's not hard to see why some fans continue to flock to this franchise despite what some may feel are rather obvious shortcomings. This new 4K UHD release sports really incredible sounding audio, but I personally once again found the variability of grain resolution to at least occasionally provide viewing hurdles that tended to distract. Lionsgate should be commended at least for porting all of the supplements from the 1080p Blu-ray over to this version (with the exception of trailers for other Lionsgate releases). My personal advice is for audiophiles especially to at least consider this as a suitable candidate for double dipping, since the Dolby Atmos track definitely adds a new dimension to the listening experience. Those who have other shot on film Lionsgate 4K UHD releases which have at least at times exhibited this same kind of "noisy" appearance may want to take that aspect into consideration as they mull over whether a purchase is necessary.