Blu-Ray Roundup - Action movies!

The 80's and 90's could probably be described as the pinnacle time for Action Films. Schwarzenegger, Gibson, Stallone, Seagal. These are names that commanded the box office.

This week we're bringing you peaks at four action film releases from Lionsgate on the amazing Blu-Ray format. We have one film from the eighties and three from the nineties, which probably was when action flicks were at their best right?  Well, based on these examples you might debate me on that...

Click the Rawr! for looks at The Running Man, The Phantom, Drop Zone, and Hard Rain.





The Running Man
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Koto, and Richard Dawson

Special Features: Theatrical Trailer, audio commentaries featuring Director Paul Michael Glaser, Producer Tim Zinnemann, and Executive Producer Rob Cohen, Game theory and Lockdown on Main Street featurettes.

This release is the disc with the most features.  The action extravaganza certainly deserves it.  Arnold on a game show he can only win by not dying?  Great stuff.

The Running Man is not cinematic genius, in fact none of the movies in this feature are, but it is certainly a hell of a lot of fun. There is something about this film that almost seems like it's the direction entertainment is headed.  Is it entirely outside the realm of possibility that we have a show like this?  Not really.  The special features address this as well.

The Running Man is your typical Arnold movie with one liners and explosions that you'll find your self really enjoying.  Especially if you are a fan of the genre.

It does look pretty great on Blu-ray and the sound fully takes advantage of the available speakers.

This is a definite buy for action fans.


Drop Zone
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Gary Busey, Yancy Butler and Michael Jeter

Special Features: Theatrical Trailer


Drop Zone is the lackluster actioneer starring Wesley Snipes as a US Marshall on the hunt for an escaped tech terrorist.  Also he skydives. Also Gary Busey.

The disc is devoid of special features but the film does look great.  It's unfortunate it's not that great of a movie.  It has it's moments.  Snipes is pretty cool at times, like he normally is.  There is a decent amount of action but this one just felt like it was a desperate reach for a different sounding movie amongst the dozens of by the numbers action flicks out there.  Throwing Wesley Snipes out of a plane does not a great movie make.

Is it worth your dime?  Well, that depends on how much you enjoy decent, but not great, action movies.  It's pretty cheap right now (13.99) which is a great deal for the format.  You're paying for just the movie since there are no features to speak of outside of a trailer.

Still though, for $13.99, it's a good buy. Especially for Gary Busey.

The Phantom
Starring: Billy Zane, Treat Williams, Kristy Swanson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, James Remar and Patrick McGoohan


Special Features: Theatrical Trailer

That brings us to The Phantom.  The film is a mess but it's one of those cringe worthy, yet oddly captivating kinds of mess. It reminds me of The Shadow in a way. Not in terms of story or anything but in the way it's presented.

The acting is barely okay, Catherine Zeta Jones being the best of the bunch here.  Side note:  I had no idea she was in this movie.  The story is pretty thin, Billy Zane plays a purple clad African (???) jungle hero.  He must stop a guy from getting three skulls and obtaining ultimate power.  Treat Williams plays said villain and is quite the ham.

Unfortunately, there are no special features outside of a trailer but, the film does look and sound great on the format. I'm just not sure this movie exactly justifies it's need for purchase, or repurchase if you already have it.

Sure, it's fun in a mystery science theater kind of way but I really don't know if it warrants a buy.


Hard Rain
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Randy Quaid, Minnie Driver, Edward Asner, Richard Dystart and Betty White


Special Features: Theatrical Trailer

Finally we have the Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater action crime thriller Hard Rain.  Which is about two hours of running through torrential rainstorms and a flooded small town. Freeman is after three million dollars and Christian Slater stands in his way. Oh and the town Sheriff wants the money also.  And Minnie Driver plays the love interest.

Hard Rain is an ambitious movie that sort of crumbles in on itself.  It never reaches the heights it could have and only becomes barely watchable because of Christian Slater.  He made for a good protagonist for awhile there.

Unfortunately, Hard Rain quickly becomes boring and repetitive and I found myself losing interest pretty quickly.

The acting is okay, everyone is pretty solid.  No one really stands out though. The film is rather by the numbers and uninspiring.

Again, only a trailer for special features.

Overall, I can only really push one of these movies as being worth buying and that is The Running Man. The others are okay, just not really repeat watch worthy.

The Running Man, Drop Zone, The Phantom, and Hard Rain are all available now.