Commando (Blu-Ray)

Commando



Well, Santa's been and gone. “Job well done”, I say, because he left me a brand spanking new Blu-Ray player and some DVD's to watch on it. (I know it was my Girlfriend, I'm 29 years old. Thanks Darlin').
If you're going to proclaim yourself as a movie fan, then you should really be watching films in the best quality available using the best technology available.
Commando is one of my favourite childhood movies, so can Blu-Ray improve on perfection?

The story will be familiar to many, but I'll run through it anyway. John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is an ex Special-ops soldier trying to carve out a normal life with his loving daughter. His idyllic lifestyle is interrupted when his old commander informs him that all the men from his unit are being assassinated. No sooner than the information is delivered, Matrix is attacked and his daughter kidnapped.
She is being held captive by an overthrown president and one of Matrix's old unit, Bennett(Vernon Wells). They want Matrix to kill the president of some fictional South-American country.

Matrix isn't one to jump through hoops, so instead, he starts killing his way to his daughter, ultimately taking on an army single-handedly.

The plot is simple which, as I've said in previous reviews, is essential for a successful action movie. The hero has a quest and a time frame in which to complete it. His personal motives are black and white too; he simply wants to save his daughter. Too many plot details can be distracting when you only want to watch Arnie blow shit up.

There are some unforgettable boner-inducing set-pieces to this film too. For example, what Action fan doesn't get excited by Arnie going shopping in the Army surplus store? Or, when dangling Sully over the edge of a ravine, let's him go. But, the best... The Very Best scene has to be when Matrix finds the enemy compound and starts World War 3 by himself. It's beautifully over the top as one man single-handedly kills hundreds. His well placed grenades throw five men in the air, his shower of bullets hit the mark every time and his well quaffed hair doesn't even tremble.

So, what does Blu-Ray add to the experience? Essentially, it brings the film crashing into your living room. Every lick of flame from exploding claymores, every splintered flowerpot from the hail of bullets is beautifully rendered as though you were standing in the scene. The scene where Matrix cuts off the soldier's arm with an axe is especially extra gory.

Verdict 10/10
This would be a ten without HD,so let's call it 11.