Transporter 2 Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Jason Statham returns in his signature role as ex-Special Forces operative Frank Martin aka
"The Transporter". Now retired from his chosen profession of moving dangerous goods with no
questions asked, he makes a living driving for a wealthy family in Miami, Florida. But when
their young son is abducted, Frank must use his battle-tested combat skills to save the boy and
thwart the kidnapper's nefarious master plan.
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.
Water is my friend. Water cannot hurt me. Wat...
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.
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.
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.
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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