Hit List

Some of our favorite summer blockbusters are coming home.

Terminator Salvation and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
These both lived up to the image of the summer blockbuster by being larger-thanlife— literally. Unfortunately, both also lived up to the prerelease ill will that is so common to effects-laden blockbusters. The story and characterization fell short in Terminator, left in the dust by impressively cool special effects— particularly the giant trans – port robot that, oddly enough, should have had a much larger role, and the naked Schwarzenegger Terminator, a welcome blast from the past that ultimately misfired by reminding fans just how much better the earlier films were. We couldn’t even figure out what emotionally wrought scene Christian Bale was filming when he so infamously freaked out on that lighting guy.

In G.I. Joe, story and characterization were pretty much sacrificed on the altar of creating caricatures, which were, admittedly, occasionally entertaining. The chase scene through the streets of Paris was looong, with odd breaks for one-liners, but the under-the-polar-ice-cap secret lair was kinda cool. The film disappointed mainly because it so clearly wouldn’t have taken much more effort to make a good picture. It featured a decent group of actors who just weren’t given enough actual acting to do. We can only hope that the inevitable sequel takes itself a little more seriously.

The Hangover
You might be thinking that there’s no reason to buy a comedy DVD, but trust us when we say that this “dude, where’s the groom?” flick will hold up to repeated viewings. And if you left the theater before the raunchy photos rolled during the credits, you still don’t know what happened. Those pics deserve to be seen in all their glory.

Bonus features include more photos, more Ken Jeong, and theatrical and unrated versions of the film. The Blu-ray also includes BD Live features, Mike Tyson’s “In the Air Tonight,” and a “Cursing Mash-Up.”

Star Trek
The high point of summer was this reboot of the campy classic. The actors were pitch-perfect, the action was almost too much, and the respect for fans and the work of creator Gene Roddenberry was admirable (and appreciated). Director J. J. Abrams managed to balance the old with the new deftly and artistically, creating a franchise for a new generation.

The standard and Bluray editions are packed with bonus features, but the highlight for the true fan will be the deleted scenes of Abrams’ version of the Klingons.