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Transporter 2 Blu-ray
20th Century Fox | 2005 | 87 mins | Rated PG-13 | Dec 26, 2006
Transporter 2 Blu-ray ReviewA substandard sequel looks and sounds great on Blu-ray.Reviewed by Martin Liebman, May 29, 2008 My patience is about to run out. Transporter 2 is proof-positive that even the glitziest, adrenaline-pumping action extravaganzas need at least a hint of a well-developed story to succeed. While this film's predecessor, The Transporter, didn't offer viewers even an inkling of an Oscar-worthy screenplay, it did manage to develop its characters enough to care and place them in an environment and with a purpose to hold our cheering interest for ninety minutes. Sadly, this sequel fails in every aspect. To be blunt, Transporter 2 is a bad movie, one that fails to deliver the goods or build upon the strengths of the first film, namely expanding on characters we grew to love and introducing new ones that spark at least a modicum of interest on the part of the audience. Even the film's action sequences come off as dull. The villains are one-dimensional and over-the-top silly (could it get any goofier than a gothic prostitute look-alike firing off a pair of Glocks?). The makers of Transporter 2 seem to have foregone any semblance of good storytelling and decent characters. Rather, they simply seem to have cranked-up the action as much as possible, and quite frankly, the action is out of the realm of comic book-turned-live action and into completely ridiculous, and none of the action is helped by shoddy special effects, a few of which reminded me of the notoriously bad plane crash scene in Air Force Once.
Frank Martin (Jason Statham, Crank) is back, this time playing the role of a chauffeur to young Jack Billings, son of Jeff Billings (Matthew Modine, Full Metal Jacket), a U.S. drug czar. Frank's bond with Jack is strong, and the two have become friends. While taking Jack to a routine doctor's appointment, Frank notices several continuity errors committed by the staff and doctors themselves, ultimately leading him to believe that something may be amiss. Indeed, he finds two "doctors" attempting to inject young Jack with something, and Frank and Jack escape but not before facing off against the deadly Lola (Kate Nauta, The Game Plan). A turn of events forces Frank to participate in Jack's kidnapping anyway and he becomes a prime suspect in the case. Frank must not only avoid the authorities, but also fight to retrieve Jack, discover why he is so important to a Colombian drug cartel, and find an anecdote for a virus Jack's been given, all before the groups ringleader, Gianni (Alessandro Gassman) can see his evil plan realized. As the movie opened, I was impressed. The continuity with the opening scene from the first Transporter film proved a nice touch for fans, and the subsequent action sequence set the tone for what Frank is capable of. Unfortunately, the movie fell apart from there. While this sequel is infinitely glitzier than the first, it lacks the heart of the original Transporter film. Frank's character undergoes no new developments in this film, save for his bonding with young Jack. Even so, it's really not all that different than his bonding with his human package from the first film. Frank retains his incredible sense of timing, space, and combat artistry, and in the style of Jackie Chan, uses his environment to great effect, neutralizing a room full of enemies by utilizing any object he can lay hands on. Still, the character lacks an arc here and seems to have lost the charm and charisma displayed in the previous entry of the series. The plot is filler, a means to an end to showcase as much action as can be crammed into 80-some minutes without becoming a highlight reel of stunts, explosions, gunshots, and special effects. Speaking of special effects, they're horrendously bad in this movie (an exploding helicopter about a third of the way through the movie is laughably terrible). As I noted in my review of the first film, I felt it succeeded in what it tried to do (namely create a living, breathing cartoon), but unfortunately that just might hold true here as well, but for all the wrong reasons. This sequel tries desperately to outdo the first film (and every other action flick on the market, for that matter) in terms of setting up elaborate and unrealistic stunts, situations, and fight choreography that tends to work if you're the aforementioned Jackie Chan or John Woo (or The Transporter), but not here. Sadly, the talent behind the making of the film choosing to place all their eggs in this particular basket proved the wrong move -- there simply has to be more than filler to progress a movie from one action extravaganza to the next, and the plot just isn't tight enough, nor do we become sufficiently attached to the character, to really care who wins or loses, and why. Video  Like the Blu-ray edition of The Transporter, Fox has delivered a high-quality MPEG-2, 1080p, 2.35:1 framed transfer that manages to surpass the quality of the first film. A few shots exhibited black levels that appeared a bit overly gray and bright. There, with that out of the way, the only major issue I found with the transfer, we can move along to the good stuff. This is a spectacular transfer. Flesh tones and much of the movie in general have a golden hue about them. This palette is gorgeous and works well with the tone of the movie. Almost everything seen on-screen is pristine from the quality of the print, to the fine details on every surface, even the shine on Frank's car. Detail is remarkable in every frame. The transfer looks perfectly cinematic, and I was more impressed with this image than I have been with the majority of titles I've screened and reviewed, despite the odd look and coloring of many shots. It might look a bit distracting in places because of some intentionally diffused lighting and an over saturation of certain colors, but this is likely attributed to a stylistic decision by director Louis Leterrier (sadly, there are no supplements to clue us in on his vision for the film). Colors are incredibly eye-popping, detailed, and three-dimensional. Any time we see water, for example, it's so blue, natural, and clean that we feel that we can jump right in it. The movie's highly stylized visuals are a perfect match for Blu-ray, and the result of the merger is a highly impressive transfer that captures the tone of the film but also replicates a true theatrical experience in your home. Audio Fox's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless sound mix for Transporter 2 is an exemplary one. Kicking things off is a fine-sounding theme played over the film's opening credits, a joy for the senses based on both the strength and quality of the music as well as its presence in this sound mix, filling the room effortlessly. It's loud, heavy, and exuberant, much like this track on the whole. Like the first Transporter movie, this one is powerful. Dialogue is excellent, presented at just the right volume in relation to the remainder of the material. Gun shots ring loud, deep, and true. Have a listen to chapter 13 where several shots inside a building reverberate with a presence rarely heard (or felt, in this case) in Blu-ray movies before. Also like the film's predecessor on Blu-ray, hand-to-hand combat really packs a punch. Every hit, kick, and throw is felt in your chest (who needs D-Box?). Surrounds are put to constant use. No sound is left unheard here. The track and its sounds are also well-placed with fine directionality and imaging. No matter where you skip to on this disc, it's a sure bet you're going to have your socks blown off and your eardrums rattled by whatever is on-screen. This track is the perfect compliment to the mindless action on-screen, putting your sound system to excellent use and providing near-reference quality sound with which to wow your senses and your friends. Supplements  Transporter 2 fizzles on Blu-ray, providing viewers with only trailers, the same ones, in fact, as found on the Blu-ray version of this film's predecessor, The Transporter. The 1080p trailers included are Transporter 2, The Transporter, Planet of the Apes, Phone Booth, Behind Enemy Lines, Kiss of the Dragon, Speed, Fantastic Four, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Final words  Lacking the charm, charisma, and originality of the first Transporter film, Transporter 2 is the expected inferior sequel meant to cash in on the popularity of the first. This film ups the ante considerably in terms of action and stunts, but fails to provide a story the audience cares about in favor of displaying as many over-the-top action stunts as possible, all combined with yesterday's special effects. The movie gives a good effort, and for that 2:00 AM boredom-a-thon when your brain is 3/4 of the way shut down, it's not a bad choice at all, but for those other times when you crave a bit of plot and character development with your stunts, look elsewhere (The Transporter is a fine place to start). For fans of this movie, Fox has provided a fantastic visual and aural experience, both aspects of the disc outshining its predecessor and proving it to be one of the better discs on the market today. Unfortunately, it is also completely devoid of extras, save for a few trailers. As such, the disc can only be recommended as a purchase for the most staunch of Transporter 2 fans. 
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