Why So Blu?

Drive Angry 2D/3D (Blu-ray Review)

Drive Angry has made this Nicolas Cage fan very angry.  I’m angry at Nicolas Cage for seemingly being unable or unwilling to turn down a movie role.  Listening to the audio commentary, the director says Nicolas Cage read the script and said “I have to do this movie.”  Saturday Night Live (SNL) does a skit called “Get In the Cage” where they make fun of Nicolas Cage for exactly this reason.  In the SNL parody, Nicolas Cage interviews big movie stars and always asks “why am I not in that movie.”  I’m starting to accept the fact that SNL has got it right, and that makes me a little sad.

Film

Drive Angry is directed and co-written by Patrick Lussier (The Eye) and Todd Farmer (The Messengers).  Nicolas Cage stars as the felon Milton, back from the dead to avenge his daughter’s death.  Not only was Milton’s daughter killed by a cult, they also stole her baby which they plan to sacrifice.  On his path of vengeance, Milton meets a random stranger driving a muscle car, played by Amber Heard (The Stepfather, Never Back Down), who becomes his greatest ally.  Also starring in the film are William Fichtner (Entourage), Billy Burke (The Twilight Saga), David Morse (Disturbia), and Tom Atkins (My Bloody Valentine).

Drive Angry is Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, grisly images, some graphic sexual content, nudity and pervasive language.  That is as good of a plot summary as I can come up with.  The film is all of those things from start to finish.

Drive Angry 3D is full of cheap 3D gags.  Body parts fly at the screen, blood splatters at you, cars drive straight for you and bullets are aimed directly at you.  William Fichtner plays a character called the Accountant.  He appears to be responsible for keeping the damned in hell and spends the movie chasing Milton and causing carnage.  He has a coin that he sometimes flips in the air, and other times  uses to kill people with which is one of the big 3D effects.  I usually prefer the 2D movies as  I find the 3D aspects often distracting.  One of my biggest irritations is when you watch a film like this in 2D and you can pick out every single aspect that was designed for the 3D viewer.  It takes something away from the 2D version and really doesn’t add much to the 3D one.

For me, a Nicolas Cage fan in her early thirties, Drive Angry was very disappointing.  For the guys, the film has the following attributes:

• Random naked hotties, including a fist fight with a completely naked girl
• Muscle cars, car chases, and car wrecks
• Amber Heard (hottie, but not one of the naked ones)
• Explosions

If that sounds good to you, then this may be a movie that will appeal to you.

Video

Drive Angry is presented in 1080p High Definition 1.78:1 ratio in both 2D and 3D.  The filmmakers did do a good job making all the outrageous aspects of the film appear real.  The blood has many dimensions of red.  The film is clear and distinct in both the daylight, outdoor shots as well as the dark underworld.  The movie has a very rich texture.  Colors are vibrant and the detail is excellent.  Black levels are suitably dark and skin tones are natural and consistent.  The 3D is outstanding and there isn’t any evidence of ghosting.  The extra added depth is excellent and the the 3D image is just as bright as the 2D version and the colors are even richer.  If you do happen to have a 3D TV, I’d recommend watching the 3D version over the 2D version.  If you don’t have a 3D TV, then don’t worry because the regular disc is also fantastic.

Audio

Drive Angry is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.  The car chases and explosions make good use of your system’s surround sound as every channel is used well.   This mix offers a wide range of sound that is loud and in your face.  The rear speakers are used frequently and add a lot of extra ambiance to the viewing experience.  The film’s dialogue was clear and easily understood amongst the chaos.   English SDH and Spanish subtitles are available.

Special Features

The most interesting part of the special features came from listening to the filmmaker’s audio commentary.  The title of the film, Drive Angry, came from a line in the film Groundhog Day “Don’t Drive Angry.”

The Blu-ray includes the following features:

• Audio commentary with filmmakers Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer – Patrick Lussier was recovering from laryngitis when the commentary was recorded.  They should have waited until he was better because I find his raspy voice annoying and hard to understand.
• Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary with filmmakers – Everything but two scenes remained in the movie.
• Access:  Drive Angry – Interactive viewing experience with interviews, trivia and facts as you watch the movie.

Final Thoughts 

Drive Angry is the reason people make fun of Nicolas Cage and it reminded me a lot of Ghost Rider – another not so good Cage flick.   A lot of things bothered me about this movie including the weird accent of the villain.  He was odd and creepy and I had a hard time believing he would have had the charm necessary to amass such a following of believers.  This would have been a better movie if they had dropped the back from the dead felon part and just had Nicolas Cage chasing after some bad dudes who kidnapped a member of his family.  All of the elements I described earlier that would make a lot of men like the film are fine with me when done for a reason.  In the case of Drive Angry I felt the film was crude just for the sake of being crude and shocking.  Maybe I’m not the target demographic but it definitely missed the mark with me.

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