Blu-ray Movie Reviews

When NASA's director realizes the Earth has 18 days before it's destroyed by a meteor the size of Texas, he has only one option: land a ragtag team of roughneck oil drillers on the asteroid and drop a nuke into its core.

Michael Bay knows how to make some serious popcorn films. This is probably one of his best. Overdone in every way, it still manages to keep you strapped in for the ride. The film goes big with the cast, the story, the special effects, everything. And while it is nothing but quick edits and flashy one-liners, it still manages to entertain in just about every way. This is just one film where Michael’s tendencies seemed to pay off.

This was a pretty popular show off disc back in its DVD heyday, especially when the Criterion version hit the streets. This new Blu-ray steps up the detail quite a bit and delivers a solid presentation with great contrast and dimensionality. The age shows a bit, but it looks better than any presentation I’ve seen of the film before. The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is a thrill ride with intense bass extension and incredible surround presence. Big budget thrill rides always sound good on Blu-ray!

Unfortunately none of the extras from the spectacular Criterion release made it here. You’re limited to the video for the massively overplayed Aerosmith hit from the soundtrack and the trailers.

This is by far one of my favorite Bay films with great action, comedy and heart. The Blu-ray delivers the presentation in spades but comes up short in the supplements. Fans will probably still enjoy though.