Blue Streak + National Security (Sony
Blu-rays)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: D Films: D
Putting
Martin Lawrence’s personal issues aside, he is a comic talent when he can find
the best material for himself and is able to pull it off in effective
ways. That is why his bad Bly films have
been a plus for his career and almost everything other feature he’s made has
been a mess. Blue Streak (1999) and National
Security (2003) are two more very similar films where he is put in a
position of unlikely authority figure.
He is a
crook in Streak landing up on the
other side of the law when trying to recover the booty (a big diamond) he stole
a while ago, while he is a security guard in Security and in nether case, he could not secure a good
script. A Martin Lawrence Comedy become
like not unlike an Elvis Musical, meaning it is, but without its star, it would
never be and certainly never be made.
These films are almost the same in approach, attitude and humor in the
worst ways and only diehard fans will care, but he had established himself
enough of a star to get these greenlit.
However, they are lame and not that we have an Obama Presidency, the
idea of his wildness and authority suddenly feels more like a time capsule than
anything funny, as if these ever worked.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image on both films are nothing special, are
lit not unlike a bad TV sitcom and seems meant to appeal to what is a
commercial look for home video’s analog past.
The result is a dated look that never works for long and creates a phony
atmosphere that works against these duds.
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes on both are subpar as well, too much towards
the screen, too loud and not as balanced as they should be. Streak
was actually a Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) 8-channel mix, offering an
inconsistent soundfield here from folddown issues, while Security had SDDS without 8-track and sounds no better. Though DVD version would not be as good,
these films are not demo material for Blu-ray and fall flat.
Extras on
both include Music Videos, while Streak
adds a featurette on the music and HBO tie-in special, while Security adds an alternate ending,
deleted scenes and director audio commentary track.
- Nicholas Sheffo
