Comic Book - The Movie

Starring:Lori Alan, Joseph Burns (II), Megan Cornelius, Jim Cummings, Donna D'Errico, Debi Derryberry, Mark Hamill, Jess Harnell, Mac Kenny (II), Tom Kenny, Scott LaRose, Bob Lange (III), Daran Norris, Roger Rose, Arleen Sorkin, Jill Talley, James Arnold Taylor, Billy West (II), Gary Anthony Williams
Director: Mark Hamill
Studio: Miramax
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Marvel Comics' first family of superherodom, the Fantastic Four, hits the big screen in a light-hearted and funny adventure. It begins when down-on-his-luck genius Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd, Horatio Hornblower) has to enlist the financial and intellectual help from former schoolmate and rival Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon, Nip/Tuck) in order to pursue outer-space research into human DNA. Also on the trip are Reed's best friend, Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis, The Shield); his former lover, Sue Storm (Jessica Alba, Dark Angel, Sin City), who's now Doom's employee and love interest; and her hotshot-pilot brother, Johnny Storm (Chris Evans, Cellular). Things don't go as planned, of course, and the quartet becomes blessed--or is it cursed?--with superhuman powers: flexibility, brute strength, invisibility and projecting force fields, and bursting into flame. Meanwhile, Doom himself is undergoing a transformation.

Among the many entries in the comic-book-movie frenzy, Fantastic Four is refreshing because it doesn't take itself too seriously. Characterization isn't too deep, and the action is a bit sparse until the final reel (like most "first" superhero movies, it has to go through the "how did we get these powers and what we will do with them" churn). But it's a good-looking cast, and original comic-book cocreator Stan Lee makes his most significant Marvel-movie cameo yet, in a speaking role as the FF's steadfast postal carrier, Willie Lumpkin. Newcomers to superhero movies might find the idea of a family with flexibility, strength, invisibility, and force fields a retread of The Incredibles, but Pixar's animated film was very much a tribute to the FF and other heroes of the last 40 years. The irony is that while Fantastic Four is an enjoyable B-grade movie, it's the tribute, The Incredibles, that turned out to be a film for the ages. --David Horiuchi

The Fantastic Four at Amazon.com

Comics and Graphic Novels
Disney animated series
The classic comic book

Movie tie-in graphic novel
The Xbox game
Fantastic Four Soundtrack

The Fantastic Cast

Jessica Alba as Sue Storm
Michael Chiklis as The Thing

Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards
Chris Evans as Johnny Storm

Stills from Fantastic Four (click for larger images)

Description

Prepare for the all-new, action-packed Fantastic Four 2-Disc Extended Edition. Bursting with hours and hours of bonus material including an exclusive 100 minute "Making of" featurette and an Inside Look at Fantastic Four 2, this Extended Edition also features 20 minutes of footage added back into the film.

Customer Reviews:

Not Bad But Hardly A Replacement For The Original Release.......2007-06-28

Although this new editiion of the Fantastic Four movie may seem like nothing but a ploy for ripping off some of your hard-earned money, I have to admit that the producers have inserted alot of important key scenes back into a movie that it has successfully elevated the movie above it's original popcorn-movie status.

However, I was generally quite dissatisfied with this DVD release because, it seems as if the editors were rushed to put this edition out into the market in time for the release of the 2nd Fantastic 4 movie.

For one thing, the video quality of the extended cut is actually somewhat inferior to the original, in general, if you're using a 40" and above HD (or full HD) screen, you will notice that the overal picture seem a little duller and blurrer than the original release. There is also a brief scene of Reed and Sue in the Baxter Building where the film appears to be extremely noisy; I suspect the editors just didn't have the time to complete that scene to meet the dvd release deadline.

Also, the soundtrack for some of the reinserted scenes were almost non-existent, and a few of the original sound effects and certain original scores written specifically for a few of the key scenes have been replaced.

I would recommend anyone who is a hard-core fan of this movie or those who doesn't own a copy of the original release to go ahead and grab this edition of the movie, but if you already own a copy of the original release(standard or deluxe two-disc release) of this movie, you might want to consider renting it first before considering purchasing.

one of the 4 greatest super hero movies.......2007-06-26

having seen the original theatrical release and found it fantastic i must say this about the extended dvd version. this ranks in my opinion along with SUPERMAN THE MOVIE ( 1978),SPIDERMAN 3 and SUPERMAN RETURNS as the greatest superhero movie's . in this day of utter crap out there in the movie world what these movie's contain is a lot of heart and are really well made. so absolute cheers to these fine movies they all have something special in them. nuff'said

Some good scenes but I can't recommend it.......2007-06-22

Long story short, I liked Fantastic Four. It had it's faults, mainly it's portrayal of Dr. Doom, but it was fun. I was disappointed in the extended cut though. Most of the added scenes were OK. More character development, more story, a reference to the Puppet Master and that Herbie robot, but in the end, it felt as though they just Frankensteined this thing together from leftover parts. The scenes with Reed and Sue in the planetarium then again on the bridge being the exact same scene was the worst offender. And the part where Alicia gives Thing a spongebath just felt wrong on so many levels. There were a couple of interesting documentaries and the original version is thoughtfully included on this disc so for those who haven't bought it yet. All in all, worth watching just to see what could've been but it's no improvement over the original.

Almost Better Than Breathing!.......2007-06-21

This movie is like a rocketship that you get on, and then you ride into space and the turbulence doesn't even effect you at all, and it's a very smooth landing either on whatever planet the rocketship lands or on its eventual re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Fantastic Four rules the school!

If you've ever seen other comic book movies like Batman or Spiderman or Darkman or Superman or X-Man, you know that they are usually not very good. But the Fantastic Four are absolutely excellent and every superhero movie should take notes on how great this movie really is.

Fantastic Four is about four friends who have wonderful magical powers. One guy is super-limber, and another guy can turn into fire, and another guy is really really strong, and there is a girl who can become invisible if she wants to. Never before and never again have so many different and exciting superpowers been on display, and you will jump out of your chair cheering every time they get to defeat bad guys (which is often). You may not even want to sit down because you'll be out of your chair that much. However, if you want to get good exercise, then you will sit down from time to time, because then it will be very good for your quads.

The special effects are thrilling, the actors are dynamic, and the story is just like a rocketship.

I hope you stop reading this review right now and go rent this movie immediately. And if you are still reading this sentence, why don't you go re-read the last sentence and ask yourself why you're so disobedient?

Be careful: the stretchy man and the fire man may come and get you!!! Just kidding.

Do yourself and your community a favor and buy many copies of this movie.

Fantastic Movie.......2007-06-20

My Opinion: The Fantastic Four is an awesome movie. One of the best superhero groups/Family ever created. Stan Lee out did himself on this group of famous superheroes. The Fantastic Four Rocks.

About The Film: When a group of scentist go up in space to do research on plantary life that could help the human race they get hit by a cosmic storm that changes thier lives forever and turns them into the most famous group of superheroes known to man and they are the Fantastic four, singlely known as Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Thing & The Human Torch.. director Tim Story brings these fabulous begins to life in this awesome movie and the most evil of all villians Dr.Doom. and the Fantastic four are out to stop Dr. dooms most evil plan, Destroying Them.

If you liked this movie then check out, Fantastic Four The Soumdtrack, Fantastic Four The Soundtrack score, Fantastic Four Novel, Fantatsic Four Video game and Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the silver surfer now in theaters. and all other Fantastic Four stuff.

Average customer rating:

Batman, as it should be
The Best "Batman" Movie
The mask of Zero
Perfect Batman origin
Batman Begins with HD DVD!

Batman Begins [HD DVD]
Starring: Christian Bale , Katie Holmes , Michael Caine , Liam Neeson , and Morgan Freeman
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000E1MTY0
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Amazon.com

Batman Begins discards the previous four films in the series and recasts the Caped Crusader as a fearsome avenging angel. That's good news, because the series, which had gotten off to a rousing start under Tim Burton, had gradually dissolved into self-parody by 1997's Batman & Robin. As the title implies, Batman Begins tells the story anew, when Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) flees Western civilization following the murder of his parents. He is taken in by a mysterious instructor named Ducard (Liam Neeson in another mentor role) and urged to become a ninja in the League of Shadows, but he instead returns to his native Gotham City resolved to end the mob rule that is strangling it. But are there forces even more sinister at hand?

Co-written by the team of David S. Goyer (a veteran comic book writer) and director Christopher Nolan (Memento), Batman Begins is a welcome return to the grim and gritty version of the Dark Knight, owing a great debt to the graphic novels that preceded it. It doesn't have the razzle dazzle, or the mass appeal, of Spider-Man 2 (though the Batmobile is cool), and retelling the origin means it starts slowly, like most "first" superhero movies. But it's certainly the best Bat-film since Burton's original, and one of the best superhero movies of its time. Bale cuts a good figure as Batman, intense and dangerous but with some of the lightheartedness Michael Keaton brought to the character. Michael Caine provides much of the film's humor as the family butler, Alfred, and as the love interest, Katie Holmes (Dawson's Creek) is surprisingly believable in her first adult role. Also featuring Gary Oldman as the young police officer Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as a Q-like gadgets expert, and Cillian Murphy as the vile Jonathan Crane. --David Horiuchi

Batman at Amazon.com

All Batman DVDs
Batman Begins 101: A Comic Book Primer
Where Have I Seen Christian Bale?

All Batman Comics and Graphic Novels
Batman Toys
Batman Begins Soundtrack

Stills from Batman Begins (click for larger images)

DVD Features

The first disc is filled out by the theatrical trailer and a Jimmy Fallon-starring Batman Begins spoof from the MTV Movie Awards. The second disc consists of eight featurettes (about 105 minutes total) on a variety of topics. "The Journey Begins" covers the early stages of the movie, including the casting and how director/co-writer Christopher Nolan brought in co-writer David S. Goyer for his comic-book expertise. "Shaping Mind and Body" covers Christian Bale's fight training, and other featurettes discuss the sets (the Batcave is shown being constructed out of wood and sheets), the Batman costume, the Batmobile, the monorail sequence, and the hazards of filming in Iceland. All the behind-the-scenes featurettes are solid but somewhat routine, and while "The Journey Begins" is the widest overview, there's not really any centerpiece documentary (all are 8 to 15 minutes, and there's no Play All option). Interviewees tend to be the same throughout: Nolan, Goyer, Bale (the only cast member to get much face time), and other crew members (it's nice to hear from the stunt people).

Potentially more interesting to fans is "Genesis of the Bat," which covers the comic books that influenced the film, including The Long Halloween, Neal Adams's Ra's Al Ghul from the '70s, Dennis O'Neill and Dick Giordano's The Man Who Falls, and Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. Interviewees include DC Comics editor Paul Levitz and artist Jim Lee, but the latter's involvement eventually degrades the featurette into a pitch for DC's All-Star Batman line. A nice bonus to the Deluxe Edition is a mini comic book (DVD case-sized) that has Batman's first appearance (Detective Comics #27), The Man Who Falls, and a 48-page excerpt from The Long Halloween. (Once you get a taste of Halloween, you'll want to pick up the full-length, full-size version.) Filling out the disc are overviews of four gadgets and eight characters, DVD-ROM features, and a variety of poster-art concepts. To get to the features menu, you have to scroll through a multi-page Goyer-scribed comic book, which is a good read, but you can't skip it the next time you want to watch the second disc. Note that the comic book is also viewable in French, and the second disc offers a French menu and French (but not English) subtitles for the featurettes. --David Horiuchi

Description

Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents' murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city.

Customer Reviews:

Batman, as it should be.......2007-07-04

This movie did a great job at illustrating the origin of Batman, and portraying him as the Dark Knight.

The movie did a great job of overcoming the campiness of some of the earlier Batman movies.

I hope they produce more Batman movies like this one.

The Best "Batman" Movie.......2007-07-02

Excellent movie depicting how batman became batman. Excellent storyline, you're always thinking what's going to happen next. Great acting. This movie should definitely accelerate Christain Bales career. Good action sequences!

The mask of Zero.......2007-06-28

Apparently, the only path to wisdom and a life packed with acts of kindness is arse freezing and sword and/or kickboxing tricks.
Ridiculous movie designed for brainless pimpled teenagers.
Nauseating philosophy wrapping grandiloquent dialogues.

At least the Rambo suite was honest entertainment.

Perfect Batman origin.......2007-06-20

I was a little underwhelmed by the special features (there should be more for a product this huge... see the most recent release of Batman (Two-Disc Special Edition) which features documentary on the span of years from producers' desire to make a new Batman to the pandemonium following its release), but as far as the FILM itself goes, without a doubt it is a 5-star story. I put this in the same category as Casino Royale (2-Disc Widescreen Edition) as the two best movies I've seen in five years--interestingly they are both "reboots."

Batman Begins with HD DVD!.......2007-06-15

Unfortunately, I did not like this film as much as some of the other reviewers. The story was ok, but I think Scarecrow (and some of the special effects used around the charatcer and Batman) really kept it from tanking because Katie Holmes was just plain corney. I really think they could have used a better actress (a la Charlize Theron). The HD DVD picture quality of course is there and the In Movie Experience is what helped make this one of the highset selling HD DVDs ever. Its a good film but not perfect. Still this is an essential HD DVD purchase if you can overlook some of the film's shortcomings.

HD DVD picture 8.5
HD DVD sound 9
Batman Begins story 7.5
Action 8.5

Average customer rating:

FAIR TO MIDDLING FOR UNDISCERNING ADULTS
I just plain LOVE this movie!
Very good movie
Fantastic Four
Very good movie.

Fantastic Four (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd , Jessica Alba , Chris Evans , Michael Chiklis , and Julian McMahon
Director: Tim Story
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JNTU
Release Date: 2005-12-06

Amazon.com

The Fantastic Four at Amazon.com

Comics and Graphic Novels
Disney animated series
The classic comic book

Movie tie-in graphic novel
The Xbox game
Fantastic Four Soundtrack

The Fantastic Cast

Jessica Alba as Sue Storm
Michael Chiklis as The Thing

Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards
Chris Evans as Johnny Storm

Stills from Fantastic Four (click for larger images)

Description

Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis head a sexy, star-powered cast in this explosive adventure about a quartet of flawed, ordinary human beings who suddenly find themselves with extraordinary abilities.

After exposure to cosmic radiation, four astronauts become the most remarkable, if dysfunctional, superheroes of all time. Unfortunately, the mission's sponsor has also been transformed ? into the world's most lethal supervillain ? setting the stage for a confrontation of epic proportions. Packed with nonstop action, big laughs and awesome special effects, Fantastic 4 is "powerful fun" (The Baltimore Sun) from start to finish!

Customer Reviews:

FAIR TO MIDDLING FOR UNDISCERNING ADULTS.......2007-07-04

While I enjoyed it as simple entertainment and a closer link up to the comic that I never got around to really reading - I don't recommend it for youngsters.

I enjoyed the actors interpertation of the characters there was just a little too much eye candy for the [men?]
Not up to par with "Ghost Rider" or "X-Men" - still am glad that I bought it for the comic characters collection of movies.

Am waiting now for the "Silver Surfer" to blast through.
Did thoroughly enjoy the features -- I like explainations of characters and story.
Poor old "Doom" was a mess. Chiklis really brought his character to life.
Boy, to carry 60 pounds of costume must have helped put him in good condition.

Definitely recommend for most adults.

I just plain LOVE this movie!.......2007-06-30

I didn't grow up on comic books or stories... but I am really getting into the superhero movies that keep coming out. I really enjoy this movie because of the variety of characters. Of course, the addition of great actors is a bonus - especially the super-sexy Julian McMahon.

Keep in mind, when you watch sci-fi, you have to suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow. Those who want to sit and question the science or analyze the movie aren't going to enjoy it. Enjoy it for the action, the people, the actors, and the basic storyline. Grab a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the ride!

A good addition to your DVD collection!

Very good movie.......2007-06-11

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I got it used through [...]. Some comic turned movies, or cartoon turned movies are not that great. This is well worth the money. Plus, it has Jessica Alba in it!

Fantastic Four.......2007-05-14

A must for everyone who loves superhero movies, especially those based on Marvel Comics characters. This was the original "first family" of superheroes created by Stan Lee. They are brought to the screen by accurately lifting them from the pages of the ocmics with their diverse personalities and petty bickering. Whether you saw it at the theater or not, this is a DVD to own, especially with the sequel only a month away.

Very good movie........2007-05-13

Purchased this DVD because my grandchildren wanted to see it. Well worth the price.

Average customer rating:

Old Enemies Menace Hellboy's Surrogate Father
An even better follow-up
Smashing
'Hellboy': A Force to Be Reckoned With
not to bad...

Hellboy - Blood and Iron (Animated)
Starring: Ron Perlman , Selma Blair , Doug Jones , John Hurt , and Peri Gilpin
Director: Tad Stones , and Victor Cook
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NY0YJK
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Amazon.com

In some ways, Blood and Iron captures more of graphic novelist Mike Mignola's original vision than Guillermo del Toro's lackluster feature did in 2004. Hellboy, the demon brought into this world by the Nazis, but raised by "Professor Broom" to fight for good, was conceived as a drawing, not an actor buried under make-up and latex. The story, which incorporates elements from Mignola's "Wake the Devil" collection, sends Hellboy, Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, and Prof. Broom to the haunted mansion of a vulgar millionaire. Hoping to cash in on the supernatural angle, he's filled the house with relics of "Blood Countess" Erzsebet Ondrusko (based on the 16th century Hungarian noblewoman Elizebeth Bathory), whom Prof. Broom defeated in 1939. It's really haunted, and the gang tackles harpies, ghosts, witches, werewolves, vampires, and the goddess Hecate. The key actors from the live action film repeat their roles as voices: Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Selma Blair (Liz), Doug Jones (Abe), and John Hurt (Broom). Perlman makes a suitably underplayed Hellboy, growling his annoyance at everything from a bad donut to a vicious blow from the iron-clad goddess. The limits of the animation would be less problematic if the direction were more dynamic. Tad Stones and Victor Cook don't get the needed power out of the action sequences, especially the prolonged battle between Hellboy and Hecate. It would be interesting to see what a talented director like Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Ruruoni Kenshin) or Hiroyuki Okiura (Jin-Roh) would do with this material. Blood and Iron will appeal to some "Hellboy" fans, but it lacks the dark panache of the original books. (Unrated, suitable for ages 14 and older: violence, grotesque imagery, potentially offensive religious imagery) --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

Old Enemies Menace Hellboy's Surrogate Father.......2007-07-01

HELLBOY: BLOOD AND IRON is the second Hellboy animated movie released direct-to-DVD. The first was HELLBOY: SWORD OF STORMS. As in the first feature, Ron Perlman provides the voice for Hellboy. Other stars from the feature film lend their voices as well, including Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Peri Gilpin, and John Hurt. The story is taken from the second story arc of the Hellboy comics. It was originally called, "Wake the Devil".

This movie shows more of Hellboy's upbringing than the feature movie starring Ron Perlman. It also reveals a lot more of Professor (Bruttenholm) Broom's background before he found Hellboy back in the 1940s after the Nazi Germans brought him into this world. As it turns out, Professor Broom was quite the paranormal investigator long before Hellboy arrived.

During those days, the professor's arch-nemesis was Erzsebet Ondrusko, a vampire and worshiper of Hecate, the queen of witches. The opening sequence showing Broom's encounter with the villainess is appropriately chilling and a visual treat. In fact, the whole movie owes more to creator Mike Mignola's artwork than the feature-length movie. The scenes in the animated movie could have been ripped directly from Mignola's comics pages.

Hellboy is introduced while lurking through a sewer system and looking for a monster. He, admittedly, is up to his neck in crap. The humor mixes very well with the action and emotion in the film. This isn't Leo Tolstoy, but it's nice to have characters you feel like you know and can care about. Especially when they're dealing with old business that carries a lot of emotional baggage for them.

Hellboy puts down the creature with help from Abe Sapien and they quickly return to the hidden headquarters of the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense). They sit around talking and the viewer gets to know more about the characters. One of the things I enjoy about the movies is that you don't have to know much to understand who the characters are. You're given what you need to know as you go along, and it's never dull even for the true fans that already know everything.

When assignments are given out, Professor Broom usurps control of the meeting and assigns Hellboy, Abe Sapien, and Liz Sherman to investigate sightings of ghosts in a mansion that's been remodeled into a top-of-the-line museum/lodge. The job was initially a low-priority for them. The professor offers no explanation and the rest of the team is left wondering what's going on. More than that, the professor is going along and that hasn't happened in years. All of them are concerned for his health.

Of course, when they arrive at the mansion, things are decidedly much worse than they were led to believe. There's not just one ghost; there appear to be dozens. And even more evil is afoot.

Interspersed for the current ongoing story line, there are flashbacks to Professor Broom's earlier encounters with Erzsebet Ondrusko. The story concerning Hellboy and the others definitely takes second-place to the overall storytelling until the very last of the movie. It's all the clues and backstory of what has gone on before that really captures the interest.

The fight scene at the end of the movie is multi-layered as Hellboy and the others are divided. It's all interesting to watch, but it tends to drag on the little, especially when you realize that time after time it is not over.

Due to the violence and the scary appearances of many of the monsters, this animated feature is and recommended for young kids. However, if you like cartoons and your kids do too, this is definitely one you can sit down and enjoy together. There's enough story and enough action to keep everyone happy. At 75 minutes, you can easily fit the movie into an evening.

An even better follow-up.......2007-06-16

Hellboy: Blood and Iron is the second animated release in the Hellboy series. This time, Hellboy and co. are asked to investigate a haunted mansion that a rich billionaire plans to turn into a tourist attraction. The case also has a mysterious connection to a Hungarian Blood Countess that Professor Bruttenholm fought in the 1930s.

I liked the first release, Sword of Storms, but Blood and Iron is an even stronger effort. The gothic trappings feel more familar to the style that made Mignola's original comic so acclaimed, and whereas the first film split up the main cast, Blood and Iron keeps them together with focus on the family dynamic. The script is tighter, and at points really pushes the 'older audience' rating; it's a vampire story with lots of blood. Perlman and crew again bring the characters to life with believability and charm.

There aren't quite as many extras this time, but it's still a solid release. The most fun is the "Iron Shoes" short, which adapts Mignola's comic of the same name to hilarious effect. All dvds come packed with a 32-page comic book called "The Yearning." Some exclusives also pack in an extra comic digest called "The Judgement Bell" or a Hellboy figurine.

A great recommendation. Hopefully Hellboy Animated spawns more films or a tv series soon.

Smashing.......2007-06-15

Chances are that if you enjoyed Sword of Storms, the first animated Hellboy straight to DVD movie, you are going to dig Blood and Iron just as much, if not more. Once again, the actors from Guillermo Del Toro's 2004 big screen adaptation return to voice their counterparts: Ron Perlman is Hellboy, Selma Blair is Liz, Doug Jones is fishboy Abe Sapien, and even John Hurt is on board this time around as Professor Broom. The story finds the B.P.R.D. assigned to a ghost crammed mansion, which turns out to be inhabited by a vampiric Blood Countess that Professor Broom took on years before. Featuring dynamic animation, superb voice work, and knowing nods to Mike Mignola's original comics; Hellboy: Blood and Iron is an animated treat. The only downsides to Blood and Iron are what plagued Sword of Storms: the animation may not be everyone's cup of tea, and the film as a whole may be a bit too slow moving for some. All that aside, Blood and Iron is still an enjoyable Hellboy yarn, and the wonderful set of DVD extras included on the disc round out an already sweet package.

'Hellboy': A Force to Be Reckoned With.......2007-06-15

'Hellboy' is an anime' comic book jumping to life. Sparring between good and evil, the titled hero (Ron Perlman) is a demon fighting against the agents of hell on earth. He joins forces with what could be called the comic strip version of 'Ghostbusters' or 'Scooby Doo'. The anime' venue, which sometimes lacks the flow of most animated adventures, looks entirely appropriate with it's Gothic look and feel. Images of wolves with glowing eyes, lady vampires, snakes, and ghosts jump out to challenge our heros after an associate professor "Broom" has let a vampire lady come to life. Complete with a score that rises and falls with the action, 'Hellboy--Blood and Iron' takes all the old horror stories and recreates it with a frightening splendor. While it won't make most teenagers lose any sleep, it does an effective job of telling its story while generating a morbid, creepy interest.

Overall, 'Hellboy-Blood and Iron' does much to impress without an overkill. With a good story and dialogue, Victor Cook and Tad Stones do effective things with Mike Mignola's comic-novel series. (The extras have interesting explanations about how they assembled this movie.)

not to bad..........2007-06-13

I liked Sword of Storms because it seemed more like the comic and less like the movie (even though they had the movie actors do the voices). I liked how Hellboy seemed less of a "big child" and more of a aged sort of "got it together" type of hero.
The little things like Abe not wearing a breathing apparatus and Kate Corrigan made me really happy.
The new movie Blood and Iron only ventures futher into the comic world, even using some of the direct dialogue from the comic. The animation is really well done as well as the voice acting. The movie even seemed like a Mike Mignola Hellboy issue, which I liked a lot.

The DVD extras are pretty cool as well. Behind the scenes features and it even has a Hellboy E-comic. It also includes the short IRON SHOES which is frame for frame of the comic story of the same title. It was really cool to see that animated.

As I was watching this movie I realized it was definitely NOT for kids. Some of the images in the movie would probably scar little kids for life.

Average customer rating:

shiny black armour
Could've Done Better But An OK Attempt
Long live Skeletor!
Pure Fun
Great cheesy eighties fun

Masters of the Universe
Starring: Dolph Lundgren , Frank Langella , Meg Foster , Billy Barty , and Courteney Cox
Director: Gary Goddard
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Red Sonja
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3-Pak (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Secret of the Ooze, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III)

ASIN: B00005MHOD
Release Date: 2001-10-23

Description

Planet Eternia and the Castle of Greyskull are under threat from the evil Skeletor who wants to take over the planet. A group of freedom fighters, led by the heroic He-Man are accidentally transported to Earth by a mysterious Cosmic Key which holds the power to make Skeletor all-powerful. Once on Earth, He-Man joins alliances with two teenagers as they attempt to find the key and return home.

Customer Reviews:

shiny black armour.......2007-05-17

Wow this movie is.. Interesting.

I bought it just for completeness really, its nothing like the tv show. Pretty much the only good thing in the entire film is the dudes with the shiny black armour, I think they're skeletors minions or something and they're cool. Pity he-man kills like 500 of them at a time.

Could've Done Better But An OK Attempt.......2007-05-07

Masters of the Universe. A movie with He-Man in it would have been something beyond my wildest dreams. I'm saddened to say I was fairly disappointed with this live action version. The plot line was alright, scattered at best but okay. Some of the new characters brought in were atrocious. Gwildor I am sorry to say could have been left out of it. But considering back when this version was made, the special effects and the budget just wouldn't allow for the inclusion of Orko. Blade was cool in the fact it gave He-Man another swordsman to duel with. Karg should have been left out of it.

He-Man was definitely not a role meant for Dolph Lundgren I'm sorry again. Lundgren did fine in Rocky 4 but when it came to something like this where He-Man's speech should have been constant throughout the movie, just dimmed it. Lundgren spoke little if nil throughout the picture.

Frank Langella stole the whole show as Skeletor and rightly so. It's fairly disconcerting when I actually dug the bad guy more than my favorite good guy. A great choice by director Gary Goddard not to hinder Langella's acting by making him wear a flat out mask. Incorporating the prosthetics into his facial features was monument in making Skeletor a memorable baddie.

Meg Foster, whom folks may recognize from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, I thought did exceptional as Evil Lyn. My only complaint about the Evil Lyn character was that she never that I could see, showed her powers in the movie. Skeletor at least got to perform that sick looking wound thing as well as his "Godlike" powers towards the end of the movie, but nothing for Evil Lyn??? For shame Goddard, for shame!

Of course we have Courtney Cox Arquette now, who just recently gained fame for her role as Monica on Friends, debuting as Julie Winston. James Tolkan who people saw in Top Gun, playing Det. Lubic. Robert Duncan Macneill who folks remember as Tom Paris in Star Trek Voyager, playing Kevin Corrigan. Chelsea Field who folks saw in movies such as Andre, playing Teela. Christina Pickles, whom we saw in George Of The Jungle and The Wedding Singer, played the Sorceress. And of course Billy Barty, whom we saw in movies such as Legend and the Weird Al movie UHF.

In other aspects I must say the Power Sword looked brilliant, the laser effects and the final duel between He-Man and Skeletor had a decent amount of zing. And the graphics and music that were associated with the Cosmic Key were interesting and appropriate I think. Kudos to Bill Conti of Rocky fame who contributed to the orchestral soundtrack and themes for the movie.

All in all with a movie like this I can understand why studios and distributors now tend to shy away from a more updated telling of the He-Man lore. With the re-release of the cartoons on DVD and the popular demand that followed, the reigniting flame for the He-Man film has never been more warranted. This movie is still no matter what worth purchasing because of it's part in the He-Man movie/cartoon legacy and collection, but it's not an extremely good movie in my opinion. Maybe he should have gotten a few more pointers from Superman director and savior Bryan Singer.

Does Dolph Lundgren truly have the power???? I dont think so.

Long live Skeletor!.......2007-04-10

Wow! I remember this movie. I saw it as a kid, huddled in a friend's house and it was the best thing ever! As an adult, I admit, it's cheesy. Well, so was the cartoon it's based off of. But it's a good kind of cheese.

I never watched it for He-Man, Man-at-Arms, Teela, or any of the good guys. Heck no! I was a fanatic over the bad guys. Skeletor was my hero. Growing up, I didn't want to be She-Ra or Teela or anyone like that. I wanted to be Evil-Lyn.

In that aspect, this movie didn't fail. With the PG rating, Skeletor was able to be far eviler then his cartoon counterpart. He was no longer the fumbling fool and comidic device that we saw on Saterday morning. This was who Skeletor was meant to be; evil, cunning and down-right sadistic. He outshone He-Man and the other Masters. He was the best part of the movie!

Also, the audio commentary on the DVD is great and really helps understand what was going on back then and give you an insight in the mind of the creators.

Pure Fun.......2007-04-01

I dont remember watching He Man growing up, but I think I saw this movie. I watched this movie without thinking it would be anything speical, and I was wrong. The preview really drew me into the movie before I watched it. It was pure fun, and an excellent sci fi movie. Dolph Lundgreen was the main source for finding this movie, thanks Dolph! Where the heck are you these days? I didnt check all reviews but at the very, very end of the movie Skeltor comes on and says "I'll be back". Ha! Guess that movie never happened.

Great cheesy eighties fun.......2007-03-26

Heman, one of my favorite childhood cartoon heros brings the battle to earth on the bigscreen. Fun movie, not a great work of art, but good cheesy eighties fun. Plus, Courtney cox when she was actually pretty hot.

Don't expect an epic, this is Conan the Barbarian for kids.

X-Men - The Last Stand (Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

I want more Xmen!!
X Men The Last Stand
Whose fault is it anyway?
The Best movie in the X-Men trilogy!
Failure of a finale

X-Men - The Last Stand (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Hugh Jackman , Halle Berry , Ian McKellen , Famke Janssen , and Shawn Ashmore
Director: Brett Ratner
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Monsters & Mutants | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( X ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Ice Age - The Meltdown (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000HCO83Q
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Amazon.com

X-Men: The Last Stand is the third installment in the popular superhero franchise, and it's an exciting one with a splash of fresh new characters. When a scientist named Warren Worthington II announces a "cure" for mutant powers, it raises an interesting philosophical question: is mutant power a disease that needs a cure, or is it a benefit that homo superior enjoys over "normal" human beings? No surprise that Magneto (Ian McKellen) and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants resist the idea that they need to be cured, and declare war on the human race. But it's a little tougher for the X-Men, led by Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Cyclops (James Marsden), and Storm (Halle Berry). If you're Rogue (Anna Paquin), for example, your power means you can't even touch your boyfriend, Iceman (Shawn Ashmore). To compound matters, someone previously thought dead has returned, and might be either friend or foe.

With director Bryan Singer having moved on to Superman Returns, the franchise passes to the hands of Brett Ratner (Rush Hour), whose best work is done in the big action sequences such as a showdown between mutant armies. But it's difficult to manage the sheer volume of characters when adding longtime comic-book stalwarts such as Beast (Kelsey Grammer) and Angel (Ben Foster), and one character in particular deserved better than an off-screen dismissal. And fans of the original Dark Phoenix comic book story might be underwhelmed by the movie's resolution. X-Men: The Last Stand is presumably the last film in the series, but the ambiguous ending leaves possibilities open. Look for the two writers most responsible for making the X-Men who they were, Stan Lee and Chris Claremont, in early cameos. --David Horiuchi

Beyond the Film

The movies
X-Men Evolution: The Complete Third Season
More Superhero DVDs

X-Men comic books
The X-Men on Xbox
The soundtrack and more

Description

Experience the awesome power of The X-Men's epic, final battle. Join well-known mutant heroes and villains, and meet a cadre of all-new warriors -- including Angel, Beast, Juggernaut and Colossus -- in this thrilling, explosive adventure!

After a controversial "cure" is discovered, mutants can choose to retain their superhuman abilities or give up their unique gifts and become "normal." When peaceful mutant leader Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) clashes with his militant counterpart, Magneto (Ian McKellen), the battle lines are drawn for the war to end all wars.

Bursting with nonstop action, spectacular special effects and exclusive extras, X-MEN THE LAST STAND is a force of nature that "will blow you away!"

Customer Reviews:

I want more Xmen!!.......2007-07-04

Great movie I hope they make more Xmen movies was a tease at the end you need to make sure to see.

X Men The Last Stand.......2007-06-27

This copy did not have all the extras associated with a DVD. The movie was good but I missed all the extra screens and stuff.

Whose fault is it anyway?.......2007-06-18

I've watched this movie a couple of times now, and I still can't decide if I like it or not. Some complain about Halle Berry's increased role in the film. I don't understand how she couldn't have a bigger part, since Cyclops and Professor X die and Jean is a zombie most of the time. That only leaves Wolverine and Storm as the remaining members of the team!
My question has to do with the script. Which came first, the poor script or folks jumping ship, or did a bad script get even worse when key players bolted?
Marsden and Singer ran off to do Superman. Superman was good, but it wasn't great. Since the story is about Dark Phoenix, it would seem that Marsden would have had a bigger role as Cyclops in X-Men than as Lois Lane's fiance. And Singer had done the two previous very successful X-Men movies. Why would he think doing Superman would be better than XMIII? It sounds like both men knew a bad thing when they saw it and ran away as fast as they could.
And what about Patrick Stewart? Did the original story called for Xavier's death, or did Mr. Stewart want to be written out of the story? His death seemed to serve no purpose in the storyline - other than it was easier to show her evil side by killing him off as opposed to having DP destroy star systems as she did in the comic.
Of course the other possibility is that they were setting up the Wolverine movie by doing away with the X-Men......

The Best movie in the X-Men trilogy!.......2007-06-16

This is the Best movie in the X-Men trilogy! I enjoyed this movie a-lot! It's more entertaining than Bryan Singer's X-Men movies. Brett Ratner and Hugh Jackman did a great job with this movie! X-Men the Last Stand is great film! Bryan Singer is a poor director! Bryan Singer's work on Superman Returns proves that he could not direct a superhero film. X-Men :The Last Stand is a must see movie! A

Failure of a finale.......2007-06-12

This is supposedly the last in the X-Men series before they go on to more focused films like Magneto and Wolverine. The Last Stand is appreciably different than the two previous installments due primarily to it featuring a different director, and secondarily because they continue to introduce more characters from the series. This does make it markedly more difficult to maintain focus. The original X-Men comic books took years to move through the same story arc. This was evident while viewing this film. The story seemed fractured because there were so many sub-plots. It was almost like there was a bunch of different movies cut and put together. The forays into the characters we forgot we were supposed to care about are forgettable, and could easily have been cut. However, it was an entertaining film throughout with great acting and spectacular effects. The battle scenes were bigger than the last two films because the mutants moved from the underground to do battle out in the open. I really don't know what else to say. Now that I'm actually writing this down, the movie wasn't all that great. It was a lot of fun to watch, but it could have been much better. The effects tried to compensate for the weaknesses elsewhere, but even the giant finale battle was sort of aloof. We were sort of detached from what was actually going on, and I felt it was more of an atmosphere of battle than actual action. I think as a package of three films - the X-Men trilogy - everything would be really cool. I enjoyed it, I really liked it, but it is far from being the pinnacle of movie making - even at comic book standards.

Average customer rating:

Unbeatable!
For Real Comic Book Fans
review
A better title would have been Shyamalan: Unbearable
Unbreakable

Unbreakable (Two-Disc Vista Series)
Starring: Firdous Bamji , Michaelia Carroll , Bostin Christopher , Spencer Treat Clark , and Johanna Day
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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The Sixth Sense (Collector's Edition Series)
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Lady in the Water (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00003CXQA
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Amazon.com essential video

When Unbreakable was released, Bruce Willis confirmed that the film was the first in a proposed trilogy. Viewed in that context, this is a tantalizing and audaciously low-key thriller, with a plot that twists in several intriguing and unexpected directions. Standing alone, however, this somber, deliberately paced film requires patient leaps of faith--not altogether surprising, since this is writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's daring follow-up to The Sixth Sense. While just as assured as that earlier, phenomenal hit, Unbreakable is the work of a filmmaker whose skill exceeds his maturity, its confident style serving a story that borders on juvenile. However, Shyamalan's basic premise--that comic books are the primary conduit of modern mythology--is handled with substantial relevance.

Willis plays a Philadelphia security guard whose marriage is on the verge of failing when he becomes the sole, unscathed survivor of a devastating train wreck. When prompted by a mysterious, brittle-boned connoisseur of comic books (Samuel L. Jackson), he realizes that he's been free of illness and injury his entire life, lending credence to Jackson's theory that superheroes--and villains--exist in reality, and that Willis himself possesses extraordinary powers. Shyamalan presents these revelations with matter-of-fact gravity, and he draws performances (including those of Robin Wright Penn and Spencer Treat Clark, as Willis's wife and son) that are uniformly superb. The film's climactic revelation may strike some as ultimately silly and trivial, but if you're on Shyamalan's wavelength, the entire film will assume a greater degree of success and achievement. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson star in a mind-shattering, suspense-filled thriller that stays with you long after the end of this riveting supernatural film. After David Dunn (Willis) emerges from a horrific train crash as the sole survivor -- and without a single scratch on him -- he meets a mysterious sranger (Jackson). An unsettling stranger who believes comic book heroes walk the earth. A haunting stranger, whose obsession with David will change David's life forever.

Customer Reviews:

Unbeatable!.......2007-06-12

Although Shyamalan's "Sixth Sense" perhaps had more chills and more of a classic twist-ending - I personally think "Unbreakable" is his best film. I'm not sure if you would call it's ending a "twist," but it made me gasp when it suddenly brought a whole landscape of emotion into focus with an amazing depth of field.

Furthermore, this movie has one of the most interesting characters I've ever seen on screen. Samuel L. Jackson plays a precise and learned art dealer with a special affinity for original classic comic book drawings. His genetic affliction limits the physical activity he can engage in, but his imagination has always been free to entertain strange possibilities. This truly is an original portrayal that could never typecast Jackson. His role is not as romantic lead, not as supporting character actor, not as doctor, lawyer, merchant... It's what he is that in the end creates the shock of brilliant resolution.

This is a movie whose intricacies will haunt you long after the fact. And even if you never had any interest in comic books, you will probably walk away from `Unbreakable" with a new respect for what Joseph Campbell might call their "power of myth."

One word about the availability of this film - I see a lot of the single-disc versions of it are available only in "Region 2" DVD format. You would need a "Multi-Region" or "Universal" DVD player to play these versions. As I understand it, all DVD players are manufactured with the capability of playing all DVDs. However, the players are then set by distributors to play in only one region, most often the US/Canada Region 1 - in order to block overseas bootlegging versions and other illicit overseas offerings.
There are on-line sites presumably listing decoding sequences that will allow you to "unlock" your specific DVD player so it will play all regions. However most people I've talked with have found these decoding sequences don't work. This can be frustrating because it seems an increasing number of English or foreign movies and comedy series are being offered only in non-Region 1 formats lately.
So if you want to buy one of the single-disc Region 2 versions of "Unbreakable" listed on this website, you might need to consider buying a "Multi-Region" DVD player on-line, or else you might want to go to an ethnic neighborhood (such as an East Indian community) in a large city to find a Multi-Region player.

For Real Comic Book Fans.......2007-06-05

Unbreakable is about the mythology behind comic book superheroes and the purposes that each of us have in life. The film opens with the birth of a baby boy with all four of his limbs broken. He is Elijah Price, who is played by Samuel L. Jackson, and he has type I OI or brittle bone disease. As his life goes on, he gets the nickname of "Mr. Glass" as up the point of present time in Unbreakable, Elijah had broken bones in his body 57 times. Elijah is motivated early on to socialize in some capacity by his mother and his primary interest becomes comic books. As he gets older he soon begins to question what the reason is for his own existence and comes to the conclusion that if people like him exist with his weakness, then surely there must be someone on the other end of the spectrum with massive strengths. Elijah believes there is nothing scarier than to live life without knowing your purpose and he makes the assertion that there are in fact real-life superheroes.

Bruce Willis plays David Dunn, a security officer, who, unlike Elijah, is trying to find his own purpose in life. He gave up his football career for his wife but now his marriage is falling apart. David survives a train wreck that kills 131 people, and he is the only survivor. He was completely unharmed. Elijah believes David to be a real superhero and gradually confronts David with his theory. David's son Joseph believes Elijah and assists David in finding out more about his potential powers. Just to add, I'm of the opinion that it is an absolute pleasure to watch Willis and Jackson act in pretty much anything.

As with any M. Night Shyamalan film, giving too much away is hugely detrimental to the experience and please know that this film is entirely worth going into with no more information then I have already provided. What Shyamalan has done here in retrospect, while considering the recent onslaught of big-budget comic book movies, is create a completely unconventional yet convincing adaptation of comic book heroes' origins. At the same time Unbreakable celebrates the mythology behind these fictional characters. It takes a profound imagination to come up with a screenplay that gives this concept the treatment that Shyamalan has. It is the kind of concept that might have taken almost a lifetime of brainstorming.

A friend of mine once said that the Sixth Sense was a gigantic and nearly perfect movie for absolutely everyone, while as a comic book fan Unbreakable was tailored made perfectly for him. Though I'm half the comic book fan he is, I concur with that assessment enough to confidently invoke it hear. If you truly love comic books, Unbreakable is your film. If you are not a lover of comic books, then try to walk into this film expecting little action and you shouldn't be disappointed.

It can be argued that Shyamalan has lost his way in recent years, although he does retain his technical prowess even now. Nevertheless, Unbreakable is still a joy to watch and is a shining example of Shyamalan during his most inspired and generative phase.

review.......2007-06-01

I'll admit: I've only seen a couple of Shyamalan's other movies, but I didn't like them. I'll admit: I like comic books.

I'll try to keep objective to this movie [as opposed to ranting about Shyamalan's other movies].

The first time I saw Unbreakable, the overall movie generally seemed slow and anticlimactic. However, after a few years I had the urge to see it again, and the second time through was much more enjoyable. The movie starts right off into the main plotpoint: the protagonist is on a train, it crashes, and somehow he walks out of a hospital bed unharmed. The use of color-themes throughout the movie are very alike to comic books. And as the story progresses, this becomes very obvious. As the movie starts, most of the colors are undersaturated and almost dull. But when the story picks up, different colors just jump out. This is a great style of bringing the viewer's attention to something (something comic books uses often).

The overall tone of the characters is set to show: these aren't supposed to be in your face action-packed characters from movies like X-Men or Batman or the like. These characters are supposed to feel like everyday characters. They're not supposed to shine above anyone else. They're supposed to be experiencing everyday life stuff: marital problems, a father trying to bond with his son. The only difference is that something extraordinary has been suddenly discovered by someone who is ordinary: the main character is an everyday man who finds out he can't be harmed. I'll be honest: the movie isn't highly-dramatic. But it's probably a realistic way of showing how an everyday guy is trying to come to terms with something not-so-everyday.

I found the individual characters very well-developed in the respect that they are meant to represent everyday people with an unusual situation thrust upon them. It's not as if real-life-dad and real-life-mom are going to react to this situation by saying, "Hey, maybe you should make a costume out of bright spandex or colorful leather and fight crime with a lot of publicity!" The hero is a husband and father trying to deal with a troubled marriage and a son affected by that troubled marriage. His wife is a wife and mother, trying to keep moving through her life despite the hard marriage. The son is a kid; what do kids do? Over-react. He tries all he can to make sure his parents are happy while at the same time trying to prove his dad is a superhero. It might come off as annoying, but I'm sure anyone can agree kids who over-react are annoying.

If you have the attention span of a five-year-old, where everything has to be fast-paced, in-your-face, bad-guys-flying-in-from-everywhere action, you probably won't enjoy this movie. It's not glitz or explosions or fancy-costumes.

But rating on an objective level: the cinematography is interesting. It tries to keep from being generic Here's the guy talking, Switch to other guy talking, Switch back to other guy talking. The way the contrast and colors are depicted is thoughtful and not overly generic like so many movies. Someones you have to admit it's a nice to not be stuck with generic camera angles and generic color/contrast presentation. The acting is highly skilled. The only actor I would have a problem with would be the kid, but that can slide considering he's still young and not as experienced as his older counterparts. The plot, while it is definitely quiet and has a not-lightning-speed pace, is still something the viewer can get into (again, assuming they don't have the attention span of a five year old). A little bit of high-paced action might have been okay to bring it a wider audience, but to do so would downplay the "normality" of the characters' lives.

A better title would have been Shyamalan: Unbearable.......2007-05-17

Ah yes, here we have another example of the "genius" of M. Night Shyamalan, the writer/director with the uncanny ability to take a silly, fantastical story and transform it into a film that is - well, silly and fantastical. And patronizing, as well. The Sixth Sense was a great movie, but viewings of Lady in the Water and Unbreakable have me convinced that Shyamalan is the most overrated filmmaker to come along in years. Unbreakable is just a bad movie, pure and simple, but what makes it ever so much agonizingly more unbearable is Shyamalan's "holier than thou" approach to filmmaking. He can't put together a single scene without going all artsy-fartsy on us, as if his films are just too important for anything resembling normal cinematic techniques. He gives us panoramic views of characters for no apparent reason, overdramatizes even the most mundane of scenes by showing the film in ¾ time (actually, knowing Shyamalan, it's probably something like 0.7893834343 time), and oftentimes foregoes the use of background music in his far too numerous "let's just pause right here for about five minutes" character shots. Thus it is that Unbreakable, a film largely inspired by comic books, is presented as if it's a cinematic masterpiece of life-changing proportions. Well, it isn't.

Here's the down and dirty description of Unbreakable. Bruce Willis plays David Dunn, a seemingly ordinary guy who just so happens to walk away unscathed from a train wreck that killed everyone else on board. Soon thereafter, he is covertly contacted by Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), an avowed comic book collector and dealer in comic "art" who tries to tell him he's some kind of modern-day superhero. Apparently, Elijah, who was born with a defect that made his bones incredibly brittle and easy to break, has spent all of his adult life seeking a real-life comic book superhero. David blows the guy off but soon begins thinking back on his life. The first thing he does is to try and figure out if he has ever been sick or injured. Now you would think any sane person could answer that question himself - if you've ever been really sick, you're going to remember it, and if you've never been sick or injured over the course of multiple decades, you're going to have picked up on that fact at some point long ago. Eventually, Elijah gets under David's skin, which leads us up to the film's final scenes. These crucial moments in the film ought to generate cinematic fireworks, but they don't. I looked for some excitement, and there was just none to be found.

As I've indicated, I thought the storyline was pretty silly (but not as silly as that of Lady in the Water), but an equally serious problem is the lack of any chemistry whatsoever between any of the main characters, especially David and his wife and son. Apparently, I was supposed to care about the fate of their troubled marriage - but I didn't. I didn't even care if David lived or died, to tell you the truth. And his son was just annoying. Now, you do get the vintage Shyamalan twist at the very end, but the effort required to sit through this movie all the way to the end greatly exceeds the payoff of that "surprise." I haven't seen all of Shyamalan's films yet, so maybe there is still some hope for him, but the evidence is definitely mounting that The Sixth Sense was a one-hit wonder for this filmmaker.

Unbreakable.......2007-05-17

Great Movie! I wish they would finish the whole trilogy. Bruce Willis is perfect for this role.

Average customer rating:

Great Picture Quality and Sound Makes a Good Movie Even Better!
Good movie..
Great fun
A good fun flick with shallow story
OVERPRICED ?

Fantastic Four [Blu-ray]
Starring: Jessica Alba
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

Action & Adventure | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

General | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

Kids & Family | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000ICLRIO
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Amazon.com

The Fantastic Four at Amazon.com

Comics and Graphic Novels
Disney animated series
The classic comic book

Movie tie-in graphic novel
The Xbox game
Fantastic Four Soundtrack

The Fantastic Cast

Jessica Alba as Sue Storm
Michael Chiklis as The Thing

Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards
Chris Evans as Johnny Storm

Stills from Fantastic Four (click for larger images)

Description

Customer Reviews:

Great Picture Quality and Sound Makes a Good Movie Even Better!.......2007-06-12

I'm not going to remark on my opinion of the story, actors or direction of the film because you can read that kind of stuff on a movie review site.

What I will tell you is that the Blu-ray version rocks! The picture is great - so clear you feel like you are right there and the sound is clean, defined, and will shake the foundation of your house on the exciting parts if you crank it up.

Don't even bother with the DVD version, you'll feel like your watching the flick with blur goggles on. Go with Blu-ray and experience the movie the way it was meant to be seen!

Good movie.........2007-05-07

I'll be the first to admit. Fantastic Four has found a way into my "guilty pleasure" movies. I hear people go on and on about how it wasn't so great, that it was bad, etc. I, however, enjoyed it immensely.

I'm not going to review the movie itself...since it would be like beating a dead horse. What I will speak about is the picture quality of this BD.

The transfer is done by using a MPG2 codec. Unfortunately, while the codec can produce an excellent high def transfer, it requires a lot of disk space; for this transfer, a 25GB BD disk was used, which is not enough for the better MPG2 transfers. With that said, however, the quality is not bad at all. I wouldn't put it up there with the best, but it's definetly a big jump from regular DVD, and your eyes will be pleased.

Great fun.......2007-04-05

Fantastic four actually delivers what it promises- a film which is based on a comic book. So if you put aside the negative reviews and watch it in a light and "popcorn" mood you will actually enjoy it.

The film is about a team that goes into space to study a unique phenomenon which, in turn, alters their dna and they get special powers. And the Fantastic Four are born. Jessica Alba is gorgeous but Flame and Thing/Rock really spice the film up.

The film is not really true to the comic book but it does not really matter as it is entertaining provided that you watch it in a relaxed mood. There are some flows and the romance outcome is predictable but you will enjoy it.Moreover it sets it self up for more sequels and hopefully they will be as good.

The blu-ray version is excellent and the special effects come out in a stunning form. The picture is as sharp as it can be and makes the film even more enjoyable.

A good fun flick with shallow story.......2007-01-19

I know you have probably hear that this is a really bad movie. It is no spiderman but it has a couple of good qualities. It is a fun action movie. The stroy is shallow yet it never reeally get boring. I would say if you like the Fantastic Four then you will like (not love) this movie. Hope the sequel is better.

OVERPRICED ?.......2006-11-16

I'm really excited that FOX is finally releasing some of it's catalog titles on Blu-Ray. But these titles are exactly that catalog titles, that are priced higher than most studios day and date releases. The picture and sound quality are on par with Sony / Warner Bros. / Paramount / Disney, not any better or worse. The "extras" are sorely missing. I'm really getting tired of certain studios setting up for the "double dip" by not including the basic extras from their dvd couterparts. Yes, I did purchase this movie, but I feel cheated having to pay this m

Comics and Graphic Novels	Disney animated series	The classic comic book
Movie tie-in graphic novel	The Xbox game	Fantastic Four Soundtrack

Jessica Alba as Sue Storm	Michael Chiklis as The Thing
Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards	Chris Evans as Johnny Storm

All Batman DVDs	Batman Begins 101: A Comic Book Primer	Where Have I Seen Christian Bale?
All Batman Comics and Graphic Novels	Batman Toys	Batman Begins Soundtrack

The movies	X-Men Evolution: The Complete Third Season	More Superhero DVDs
X-Men comic books	The X-Men on Xbox	The soundtrack and more