Welcome To The Rock
Ed Harris plays a high ranking marine officer, a war hero and gentlemen who decides to do something drastic in order to get the goverment’s attention in a matter obviously very important to him. He believes that the government doesn’t properly acknowledge the fallout of a soldier who has died in defending his country. He believes that the soldier is properly acknowledged nor their families properly compensated. His cause is noble, and that’s just one of the many interesting character traits in the film. With the help of some former marines who have turned mercenary, and an old friend, they steal about a dozen missiles and proceed to take hostage some eighty tourists of Alcatraz, and then proceed to turn the missles back towards San Francisco to make their demands.
Nicholas Cage plays an edgy and very knowledgeable chemical weapons expert for the FBI. They need his expertise to disarm the missles, a SEAL team to get him in, but also Sean Connery’s character’s help to through the near impenetrable Rock that is Alcatraz. The back stories and sub plots that come up between Cage and Connery are interesting and thoughtful, and are one of the many details in this movie that make The Rock much more than just a typical head strong action flick.
Few films that I have seen combine such interesting characters and story with such well executed action scenes. This is what makes The Rock such an enjoyable film, and one that I can watch a few times a year with pleasure.
Sights and Sounds
I’m pleased to say The Rock looks and sounds superb on Blu-ray. I wasn’t so sure how good this film was going to look on Blu-ray after seeing the admittedly lackluster top menu, but I was very glad to surprised at how good the movie looks. What impresses me most is the crisp colors. The Rock features a wide array of lighting, backgrounds, colors, outdoor and indoor scenes and I have to admit I was thorougly impressed with what I saw. Having watched the DVD version of the film, it’s a tremendous upgrade, which you can’t very well say for all Blu-ray releases.
The Rock’s soundtrack was created by Hans Zimmer, who has done many great movie soundtracks. There are more than a couple of great and memorable tracks in this film, and they sound very good on this Blu-ray release. What sounded even better was the effects and dialogue; from quiet scenes with just dialogue to the fast paced, harrowing battles on Alcatraz, the sound package on this release is very satisfying and technically impressive.
Extra Goods
There are just about eighty minutes of extra features, none in high defintion and nothing new if I’m not mistaken. The extras included are all from previous DVD releases of the film, which is a shame, but these extras are at least entertaining for a once over. There is an audio commentary track that features Ed Harris, Michael Bay, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Nicholas Cage revealing various backstage stories and other typical audio commentary. A fifteen minute interview with Bruckheimer about the film and his life is also included. Other featuers include a brief breakdown of a couple of action scenes in the movie, about ten minutes of outtakes, a history of Alcatraz; honestly, nothing compelling or interesting due to their brievity and lack of intriguing information.