It doesn't surprise, but Con Air still holds your attention.
And you know what? The ride, for all it's predictability and over-the-top characters, is still pretty enjoyable. Don't expect more from "Con Air" than what it is: a simple, straightforward action film that pits one man, Rambo-style, against a superior force. There's only mild interest on the ground, where a DEA agent (Colm Meany) wants to end the whole thing by just shooting down the plane with all onboard, and a sympathetic U.S. marshal (John Cusack) tries to buy them time. Cage's character is the lynchpin, and we're constantly reminded that, like Bruce Willis's character in the "Diehard" films, he's got a daughter he wants to live for and (probably not so coincidentally) a present he wants to give her. The clichés just keep coming in this film, and yet, as I said, we keep watching, fascinated. Call it the train-wreck syndrome. Even if it happens in slow motion, even if you see it coming, you can't help but watch the crash. For all you can criticize about Bruckheimer films, the man knows his business.
Video:
The 1080p picture is pretty decent, though there's a slight graininess throughout and the black levels seemed just a little off. But the colors and contrast just seem a little subdued (which is more than you can say for this convict cargo). The level of detail was decent, though, and the MPEG-4 transfer didn't leave any artifacts that I could tell. While it's not the kind of visual that takes your breath away, it's also not so bad that you can find a lot of fault, unless you're looking for it.
Audio:
The featured audio is an English PCM 5.1 uncompressed (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack that's much stronger than the video. It's a dynamic audio that makes full use of the surround-sound speakers and accommodates the wide range of blasts and bullets that zing here and there. The sound is rich and full, and the high and low ranges come through loud and clear. Additional soundtrack options are English, French, and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, with subtitles in English SDH, French, and Spanish.
Extras:
This isn't exactly a feature-rich release. All of the extras are here from the DVD release, but that's not saying much. There are just two short features and a few trailers. "A View from Above" is so short that if you leave to use the bathroom you've missed the whole thing. It's a basic promo, really, and not very illuminating. Worse is "The Destruction of Las Vegas," which is half the length and only teases you with a few behind-the-scenes looks at how they tried to create the crash on the strip in Vegas. Then there's the throwaway feature that I fail to understand, the "Movie Showcase" that takes you to "scenes that showcase the ultimate in High Definition picture and sound." Come on, people. HD has been around long enough to where you can dispense with this nonsense and give viewers real bonus features, not commercials for the new HD format.
Bottom Line:
It's clichéd, it's derivative, it's predictable, and it's full of over-the-top characters. But "Con Air" still manages to entertain in spite of itself. It doesn't surprise, but "Con Air" still holds your attention.
Video:
The 1080p picture is pretty decent, though there's a slight graininess throughout and the black levels seemed just a little off. But the colors and contrast just seem a little subdued (which is more than you can say for this convict cargo). The level of detail was decent, though, and the MPEG-4 transfer didn't leave any artifacts that I could tell. While it's not the kind of visual that takes your breath away, it's also not so bad that you can find a lot of fault, unless you're looking for it.
Audio:
The featured audio is an English PCM 5.1 uncompressed (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack that's much stronger than the video. It's a dynamic audio that makes full use of the surround-sound speakers and accommodates the wide range of blasts and bullets that zing here and there. The sound is rich and full, and the high and low ranges come through loud and clear. Additional soundtrack options are English, French, and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, with subtitles in English SDH, French, and Spanish.
Extras:
This isn't exactly a feature-rich release. All of the extras are here from the DVD release, but that's not saying much. There are just two short features and a few trailers. "A View from Above" is so short that if you leave to use the bathroom you've missed the whole thing. It's a basic promo, really, and not very illuminating. Worse is "The Destruction of Las Vegas," which is half the length and only teases you with a few behind-the-scenes looks at how they tried to create the crash on the strip in Vegas. Then there's the throwaway feature that I fail to understand, the "Movie Showcase" that takes you to "scenes that showcase the ultimate in High Definition picture and sound." Come on, people. HD has been around long enough to where you can dispense with this nonsense and give viewers real bonus features, not commercials for the new HD format.
Bottom Line:
It's clichéd, it's derivative, it's predictable, and it's full of over-the-top characters. But "Con Air" still manages to entertain in spite of itself. It doesn't surprise, but "Con Air" still holds your attention.
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[release]22991[/release]