Oh look, another Jason Statham action flick! Will it bomb? Or will it be “The Bomb”. Jason Statham is fastly becoming a household name in the more than lacking action hero genre of todays time. Growing up, their was tons of “Action Heroes” including the likes of Sylvestor Stallone, Bruce Willis, Steven Segal, Kurt Russel, and the ever so popular “Last Action Hero” Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. Another one that I failed to mention is one that I personally compare him a little bit more to which is Jean Claude Van Damme. So you tell me, is Jason Statham only known because of the lack there of, or he is truly that good? I’ll go with the latter, but its hard not to notice that his only competition Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is too tied up raking in the kiddo bucks with flicks like “Race to Witch Mountain” and “The Game Plan”.
For Statham fans, I’d also like to hear from you which other Statham movies are your favorites? I myself really like “The Bank Job” and although a minuscule role his part in “The Mean Machine” was one I really enjoyed. More so the build up of his character. Its “The Longest Yard” meets Soccer or futbol as many call it. What’s yours?
Purchase US Transporter 3 [Blu-ray]
Purchase Transporter 3 Blu-ray SteelBook [UK IMPORT]
THE MOVIE:
Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is back! The Transporter is back! I’ll be the first to say and probably not the last that I thought the sequel to the first was absolutely horrible. I had low hopes going into this one and even so this one really shocked me. I’m glad to see the Transporter back in A+ action! I think fans of Statham will love this and fans of the Transporter franchise will be glad that this one got the quality it deserved! Sure the plot may be a little off the wall, but the martial arts and stunt driving more than made up for it!This time Frank is forced to transport Valentina (Natalya Rudakova), an objectionable young woman, across Europe by a group of villains who have fitted Frank and Valentina with explosive bracelets. If either of them move more than 75 feet away from Frank’s car, their bracelet will explode making this quite the rollercoaster ride! So what’s the connecton to all of this? Well, the “Bad Man” Robert Knepper is smuggling in toxic waste to basically hurt the environment. I could go into further detail and make more sense of myself but I dont want to reveal any spoilers for those who have yet to see the film!
If your a Statham fan, you gotta see this on blu!
VIDEO QUALITY:
Uhmmm Wow! Seriously, not much more I can say. This gets a 5 disc rating here at BRC in the picture quality department. Keep in mind, I watched and reviewed the UK Blu-ray SteelBook so I dont know if the USA disc release is any different with their transfer but I doubt it. The UK SteelBook edition is brought to you by Icon Film Entertainment where as the US releases under Lionsgate. The SteelBook editon is region free, and along with its US counterpart are both 1080p transfers inside a 2:35:1 theatrical aspect ratio.
This is reference quality right here. PQ is immaculate. Vibrant colors all around and deep blacks. Even in scenes that are cast from far away the clarity is always there. Two thumbs up to the film crew and those technicians who made the Blu-ray transfer. Any small bit of grain resembled in this flick is there because its supposed to be. Its not there alot, but noticeable in some few instances. I say again, 5 disc rating. I’d give it a 5.5 if I could 😉
AUDIO QUALITY:
The Transporter 3 SteelBook edition comes with an English TrueHD 5.1 Audio track. Now granted it does sound great, it still leaves me wishing it was the Lionsgate audio track on this edition. The US Lionsgate release packs a DTS-HD Master 7.1 Lossless soundtrack. It wouldnt surprise me if hardcore SteelBook lovers and audioholics alike have already swapped the discs and made a custom Steelbook. 🙂 Ofcourse, with the US version being region locked it wouldn’t benefit region B folks to do the same. Well, with that non-sense out of the way let me further comment on the fact that it does sound great. Your set up will be put to work with every car racing wrenching scene. The clarity is awesome, truly a great mix and master here!
SUPPLEMENTS:
The supplemental section is good, but not so much compared to the US counterpart. It firstly offers an audio commentary track with director Olivier Megaton where he covers the film from its beginning stages. He also comments on the design of the bracelet and the script in itself. Also it has a feature called, “Making of Transporter 3? (480p) in which where it shows the transformation of what will come of 3 based on the previous 2 along with car scenes and interviews with cast and crew. A fun watch.
Storyboard Compare: (480p) Showcases storyboards of the film
Visual Effects (480p) A look into the special effects of the film.
The Sets (480p) A look into the Frank Martin’s surrounding ; architect of his home. Also another look at the climax of the movie.
HMV.COM UK Exclusive SteelBook Packaging: Many people knock this Transporter 3 Steelbook in the steelbook collectors world. However, I personally think it look sweet and like it the most out of the other Transporter 3 SteelBook edition choices from various countries.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
As for the the people who wonder how the US release and this UK release could get close to the same rating on my reviews with two different audio tracks. Then let me clarify by saying im also partial to SteelBook editions, especially ones as lovely as this one! I also include a SteelBook packaging as apart of the Supplements in my humble opinion. It did however get ranked down a tad for not being as up to snuff compared to the US release in both the audio and supplements.
This film is worth a purchase or rent at the very least. You can catch a deal on the regular US release quite often so be on the lookout. Our link below from a reputable dealer is always having deals on this title from time to time. If your looking for some senseless mind blowing action this is it. If your looking for an academy award winning portrayal of acting, this isn’t it. This is Blu-ray eye candy in its purest form, the transfer is amazing and the audio will rock your socks off (especially the sound on the US release.)
The only thing that could truly deter your opinion on this flick is if you find Valentina’s voice unbearable. It wasn’t a problem for me but I’ve read where some people just couldnt stand her thick russian accent. With all that aside, I highly recommend this movie on blu-ray disc.
I would love to have this film in steel-format. I do have to say this film is deffenatly not a trueHD film, but would be veary intresting to hear…
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