7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
They are perhaps the most influential duo in sports entertainment with crazy antics outside the ring backed up with dominant performances inside. Both Shawn Michaels and Triple H were highly successful on their own, but when they came together as D-Generation X, they were nearly unstoppable. Now fans can relive their final run as a team from late 2009 and 2010.
Starring: Paul Levesque, Shawn Michaels (V), Bob Barker, Mark Calaway, Michael CoulthardSport | 100% |
Other | 4% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
How much actual wrestling is there in World Wrestling Entertainment? Not half as much as there is “entertainment,” if by that word you mean showmanship. Watching One Last Stand, a two disc compilation that reviews the supposedly final comeback of the two Clown Princes of WWE stable of stars, Shawn Michaels and Triple H (otherwise known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley, otherwise known as Paul Michael Lévesque). These two characters seem to be two of the Three Stooges a lot of the time and if they’d simply cut (and/or perm) their hair, they might singlehandedly (or, duo-handedly as it were) be able to finally solve the long casting problems the long delayed Three Stooges film has suffered. One major clue as to how little actual wrestling makes it to the screen in One Night Stand is given by the fact that on the first disc alone, there’s an eighteen minute or so wait until we get any in the ring action. Instead, we’re treated to a number of skits, some of them admittedly amusing if not outright hilarious, that introduce us to the gently (and sometimes not so gently) bantering pair of ring mates. Neither really has a truly distinctive “character,” despite Triple H’s penchant for hunting with a tank (a bit that gets replayed ad infinitum over these two discs), and so the two tend to blend into each other more often than not, but the pair is undeniably charismatic and certainly are fan favorites in the often carnival like atmosphere of the WWE.
One Night Stand is culled from several months of WWE broadcasts and is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. This is fairly average looking broadcast fare, made probably softer than it actually is by the omnipresent and frequently very garish arena lighting that is utilized for the pair's bouts. Typically entering under a sort of ghoulish green glare, these opening sequences tend to suffer from haloing and blooming, more the result of the lighting scheme than any inadequacy of the transfer. Several of the outdoor "tank" bits also are on the soft side, with slightly overblown contrast. The actual matches are fairly brightly lit in something approaching "natural" lighting (natural being a decidedly relative term in this instance), and they look decently sharp with a fair amount of fine detail.
One Night Stand's Blu-ray debut doesn't include a lossless audio offering, but the standard Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is fairly bombastic and the arena sequences offer an at times overwhelming surround feeling where the screams, grunts and yells from the audience virtually eliminates any sound actually coming from the ring. In terms of immersion and surround involvement, those are undeniably the best elements of this mix. The many skit sequences are usually two character outings that are narrow by their very design. Fidelity is fine, if not spectacular, though a lossless track would have no doubt provided a much heftier low end for all those smackdowns.
WWE has prospered because it makes no bones about how completely goofy it is, and there are probably no two goofier stars in the WWE firmament than Shawn Michaels and Triple H. The two have undeniable chemistry and if their comedy isn't exactly the most sophisticated you've ever experienced, the two seem to be in on their own self-deprecating joke. The wrestling elements themselves are full of the typical overblown ridiculousness that has always been part and parcel of this putative sport, but the two are obviously athletic and are just as obviously having a lot of fun dispatching their various nemeses. WWE has done an outstanding job of blurring the line between wrestling (or at least what WWE calls wrestling) and traditional big arena entertainment. The circus like atmosphere of any WWE outing is perfectly caught on this compilation set, and any fans of Michaels and Triple H should enjoy it. For those fans, this set is Recommended.
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