Transporter 3 (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

( Max score: 100 )

95

Film Synopsis:

Jason Statham is back as Frank Martin, the Transporter,*in this explosive third installment of the action-adventure series. This time, Frank is presented an offer he can’t refuse and ends up with a mysterious passenger and a dangerous destination*--*calling for a new machine and new rules. *The stakes are bigger, the enemy*is deadlier, and the action has never been hotter.

My Take:

I own the first two Transporter movies on Blu-ray and enjoy them. As a genre fan I like their non stop action and high octane adrenaline. I think the first one set the tone while the second veered a bit left and took a detour that made it feel too different from the original. The plot in Transporter 3 feels more like the Transporter in concept but doesn’t have the smooth pacing, clever direction and fresh appeal that it has. This story once again finds our man Frank in the driver’s seat and facing incredible odds. He is unwillingly attached to this latest package by an American named Johnson who has been hired to ensure the control of a political official named Vasilev. The plot is simple, deliver the package (a young Croatian woman named Valentina), to a specific location as guided by Johnson. The rub occurs in that in order to ensure compliance both Frank and Valentina have been fitted with tamperproof bracelets that will blow them to pieces if they travel more that 75 feet from Frank’s car.

I don’t know about you but I don’t watch films like this expecting well rounded scripts, deep characters, and award winning performances. Movies like this require the suspension of belief in realism which allows an escape into a world where pretty much anything is possible in order to achieve the desired goal. The goal of course is mindless entertainment is derived from action based elements that are exciting, physically demanding, thoroughly unbelievable and of course fun to watch. There is plenty of fast packed action, outlandish stunts (Bicycle chase and two wheel maneuver involving the tractor trailers), hand to hand combat, and gunplay/explosions to satisfy action junkies. There is a bit of romance that felt a little out of place but it didn’t have a significant bearing on the course of the film so it’s forgivable. Jason Statham is in prime shape and offers his requisite physical talents to the part. I think that the original is still the best of the three while this one and Transporter 2 seem to be on equal ground. Either way I had a great time.

Parental Guide:

The rating is for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content and drug material.

Audio: 100

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Video: 90

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Transporter 3 comes to Blu-ray Disc from LionsGate featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 20 mbps and lossless DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.8 mbps.

This is an excellent video presentation that that boasts image quality that is indicative of what we have seen from the better high definition discs available on Blu-ray. Resolution is generally exceptional as images have impeccable definition and tack like sharpness. Objects onscreen are three dimensional with exquisite fine rendering that discloses even the smallest minutia captured by the camera’s lens. Colors are snappy with warm vivid hues and delineated textures that look vibrant in high definition. Fleshtones are naturally rendered with warm highlights that gave them a golden glow. Blacks are inky and noise free with discernibly deep variant shades. Contrast is boosted which gives the image a dynamic quality that at times overdrove whites and washed out detail. The effects were minor and the stylized look appeared intentional. The best looking scene in the movie occurs in chapter 11 as Frank and Valentina sit overlooking a valley in the fading dusk light. The deep shadows, gradational grays, delineated colors, and inky blacks interwoven in the mountainous crevices paint a picture that looks absolutely stunning. Make no mistake that this is a great looking high definition presentation that offers demonstration level visuals regardless of the screen size of your display.

The 7.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is a dynamic tour de force that will test your system’s limits. This is an aggressive and active surround mix that has extended dynamic range that definitively renders that bombastic nature of the elements in this recording. The action based sequences simply rock as the room is transformed into a three dimensional soundstage that creates an immersive 360 degree soundfield that literally bombards the aural senses with a plethora of sounds and effects that emanate from every direction. Low frequency effects frequently produce deep, demonstrative bass that attains room shaking levels and prodigious depth. Dialogue is reproduced with lucid expression and exacting clarity that occasionally had just the slightest hint of sibilance. I didn’t feel that it required a deduction as it didn’t have a negative impact on fidelity. This is an engaging and dynamically energized sound design that features high level sonic detail, superb directional correlation, seamless integration, and rhythmically charged bass extension that is guaranteed to break your lease. If you have a system that you think is it up to the task, crank this one up to reference, and prepare to be enthralled. I won’t be held responsible for any damage to your system…

** CIH users should note that the subtitles are contained within the picture area.**

Bonus Features:

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• Audoo commentary with Director Olivier Megaton
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• Special delivery: Transporters in the real world – 13 minute documentary
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• Making of Transporter 3 – 16 minute featurette
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• Storyboard comparison – 3 minutes
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• Visual effects – 2 minutes
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• The Sets – 2 minutes
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• (HD) Theatrical trailer
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• (HD) Also from LionsGate
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• MoLog
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• Digital Copy Bonus Disc – A standard definition version of the film that can be downloaded from a compatible PC to a portable playback device

Final Thoughts:

Transporter 3 isn’t great cinema but if you like mindless, high octane action flicks it’s a home run. Speaking of home runs, it’s high definition presentation on Blu-ray Disc from LionsGate looks great and delivers room shaking reference quality DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound that makes it worthy demonstration material. The bonus features offer only a brief/limited look at select aspects of the production but does include the Blu-ray friendly MoLog functionality and a digital copy bonus disc. I would highly recommend this disc for genre fans. Casual viewers are best served with a rental before purchasing.