Way of War (2008)

Movie: 2.5/5
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: .5/5
Overall: 3/5

"A Decent Straight-to-Video Movie with a Cop Out Ending."

I never understood what happened to Cuba Gooding Jr's career. Who did he piss off that he's now in the straight-to-video bin with Jean Claude Van-Damme, Steven Seagal, Dolph Lundgren, and Chuck Norris? With being in some nominated and highly praised films like "Jerry Maguire", "As Good as it Gets", and "Radio"; what happened? I would see trailers here and there for his straight-to-video stuff and never got around to seeing any of them, until now...

"Way of War" is a 2008 action film with Cuba playing David, a war veteran on the run after the government kills his fiancee after David kills Osama Bin Laden. With the orders being given out by two officials high up in the White House, they are tracking David's location and are set on a collision course where someone dies.

I give the film a 2.5/5, what ruins my enjoyment of it is the cop out ending that this film has. Without spoiling it, when they all collide and it breaks loose, I expected so much more from it. Even though he has second billing in the credits, J.K. Simmons is in the movie for about five minutes and he does a good job. Clarence Williams III does a good job and is in for the last half of the film when David brings the fight to his character's shop. And for Cuba Gooding Jr, I thought he did good for what it's worth.

Video: 4.5/5

Presented in 2.35:1 and shot on film with only two instances of print damage that I caught with a few scenes with dirt popping up, I thought the transfer was pretty solid. Also, something else I caught, there's a shot of the Washington Monument where you see two seperate cars drive by, where this footage looked like hell. I don't know if this was something done later in post to be some sort of filler. The grain levels are very strong and detailed on this presentation, which is kinda surprising that this wasn't shot in High Definition since it would have been a lot cheaper. I give First Look's (Millennium Media) presentation a 4.5/5.

Audio: 5/5

Despite being listed as "5.1 Surround Sound" on the back cover, we have a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track for the film, as well as a 2.0 Dolby Digital track for the film. The audio track is pretty solid. However, you can clearly hear where the sound editors stuck in these cheesy gun shot stock audio. So, it sticks out whenever there's shootout scenes in the Middle East. I give the audio a 5/5.

Extras: .5/5

Trailers for "Way of War", "Stileto", "Sukiyaki Western Django", "Contract Killers", and "Smoke Jumpers". As mentioned on the Blu-ray for "Immortal", these are horrible quality and are possibly sourced from a VHS tape. Quality is shockingly bad. I give the extras .5/5.

Overall: 3/5

For my first ever outing of a Cuba Gooding Jr straight-to-video film, I wasn't really disappointed with it. I figured Cuba would probably pull a Steven Seagal and just act in the movie for about five minutes and have someone else dub over him like in all of his movies. And First Look Pictures, now a part of Millennium Media, gives a better presentation on this film unlike "Immortal". Considering you can get this for $5 brand new, I'd say it's worth it for the price. 3/5.

Mirrors 2 (2010) / Into the Mirror (2003)

Movies: 3.5/5
Video: 3/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5


Before I begin my review, I would like to state that I am counting this as a double feature. Despite the fact that the original South Korean film, "Into the Mirror" is presented in Standard Definition on the DVD. Scores for "Movie", "Video", and "Audio"; all represent ratings for both films combined.

Movies: 3.5/5

Into the Mirrors (2003): 4/5

What possess a studio to remake a foreign film? While I lived in Germany during 2003 to 2006, I would frequent the German movie theaters usually on Sunday mornings to see what film would be playing in it's original English language. However, when I would go there, I saw posters for films that would be from South Korea, France, Italy, US, UK, etc. In this day and age where celluloid has gone the way of the dodo in theaters, why can't we have foreign films more accessable for viewing?

Well, "Into the Mirrors" was remade by French director Alexandre Aja. The difference is vast between the original and remake. The ending to the Aja film was downright hysterical. I remember busting out in laughter along with the rest of the audience when I caught the remake upon arriving for my year of college in Hilo.

"Into the Mirrors" is a South Korean supernatural mystery film. No real horror at all in this film. There was only one moment where I seriously jumped and it was where the first victim died. Story revolves around a security guard working for his uncle when all these murders start occuring. We learn that a girl who's sister died in the mall and a fire broke out. However, her sister's still out there, alive... in the mirror!

This film makes you think. You have the natural and the supernatural causing confusing between the people investigating and trying to get to the truth of the mystery. I liked the film and I think that in comparison to the remake, I like that they wanted to reopen the mall after the fire.

The remake was like; "Eh, it burned down. We're not going to rebuild and reopen. It's just there! Watch over it!" I think it's as powerful of a film as the original Japanese film of "The Ring". I think it's worth a watch, despite it being in this Blu-ray set, only on the DVD! I give it a 4/5.

Mirrors 2 (2010): 2.5/5

What possess a studio to do a straight to video sequel? The first time I was ever aware of a straight to video sequel was back in the late 90's when they did From Dusk Till Dawn 2. I was like; "Huh?" The whole concept was alien to me as a child that they could sequels, or movies in general, and they'd go straight to video.

Mirrors 2, despite being labelled as "Unrated" on the box art feels more like it was intended to be a straight to television sequel that plays on the Lifetime channel. Even though there's gore, it could be easily be cut because it's all very short. It's a horror film that plays it too safe.

This film is more or less a remake of the original South Korean film; mall chain, the Mayflower, which Kiefer Sutherland worked for in the original remake is relocating to Louisiana. The only real mention of the events of the first film is just in the opening credits as newspaper articles drift in and out of frame. Max (Nick Stahl; Terminator 3, Sin City), is depressed over the death of his fiancee. Max's father is the owner of the Mayflower chain and offers him a job as a night watchman.

As Max starts working, people who high up on the Mayflower chain are slowly dying off. Max learns that the ghost in the mirror is a young girl who was killed by a Mayflower employee. Max must figure out who killed her before it's too late.

As stated in a previous paragraph, this feels more like a remake of the original South Korean film. There's even an homage to the original pizza cutter as the ghost tries to kill off Max's father after he tells him he quits. William Katt as Max's father should have been in the film more, at least in the final moments of the film. He should be relieved that the terror caused by the mirrors that's been haunting his stores over the years is over. I give this film a 2.5/5

Video: 3/5

Into the Mirror (2003): 1/5

Even though the film is presented in 480i, Standard Definition, the presentation is awful. You would not think that this film is ten years old. The video presentation makes it look like this movie was made atleast twenty to thirty years ago. Honestly, this felt like a VHS copied to a DVD. Did Fox honestly think this transfer was acceptable from the South Korean studio? 1/5

Mirrors 2 (2010): 4.5/5

In 1080p, Mirrors 2 is presented in 1.78:1. It seems that all straight to video sequels are always 1.78, whereas the original is 2.35:1. Shot in HD, the film is pretty much flawless in terms of detail. Only time when CGI stands out is whenever you see Elenore the ghost in the mirror. Colors and saturation look great in the daytime and dark and drab in the night time shots when Max is in the mall. I give the video quality a 4.5/5.

Audio: 4.5/5

Into the Mirror (2003): 4/5

Presented in a Korean Dolby Digital 2.0 track, the audio is miles above the video presentation on "Into the Mirror".. I had no real complaints towards the audio. Just the video. 4/5

Mirrors 2 (2010): 5/5

We have a nice and solid DTS-HD MA 5.1 track presented on "Mirrors 2". The movie is very quiet as we have Max trolling the halls most of the movie and trying to find Elenore's ghost. Considering that, the audio is very good. 5/5.

Extras: 3/5

We have deleted scenes, a making of, and VFX process. There's also a PIP function for the film. And a DVD copy of the film along with the original South Korean film on the other side of the disc. The bonus materials are all right. We do see that Christy Carlson Romano wasn't naked when she pulls her head off in the mirror. You see that whole green screen process. It was pretty cool. I give the extras a 3/5.

Overall: 3.5/5

I got this for $8 about a year and a half ago. I think for the price and that it's two movies, despite the fact that the original South Korean is on the DVD. It would have been so much better that the original film was presented in HD. I'd say give it a shot. 3.5/5.

Hansel & Gretel (2013)

Movie: 3/5
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Overall: 4/5

"Dee Wallace Looked Like She Had Fun. Did You?"

I question why The Asylum wanted to do a mockbuster on "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters"? One of the first things that happened right off the bat after realizing that this took place in present day is one simple question; "Who on Earth hated their children that much to name their kids Hansel and Gretel?" Well, Dee Wallace plays the nice old lady who runs "The Gingerbread House" which is a special bakery.

When Hansel and Gretel are told that their father is getting remarried, Hansel runs off in protest and steps on a bear trap while out in the middle of the woods. Lilith (Wallace) helps Gretel with Hansel and they go into her house. She drugs the brother and sister and soon both are shackled and trapped in her basement and face death.

Dee Wallace looked like she was giving it her all and was having fun with the role. But, I don't feel that the source material doesn't work in present day. It honestly felt like a cheap wannabe Rob Zombie movie. Even the back cover states; "A wickedly brutal classic in the vein of Hostel and House of 1,000 Corpses!" I think when they did this, they just took from those two films and added a supernatural element to it with Dee Wallace as the witch.

For a straight to video horror film, I felt it was ok. Dee Wallace is the only good thing about it. Dee Wallace does great at playing the sinister, yet innocent looking witch. I like some of the practical effects were well done. This isn't a CGI heavy film like some of the past Asylum films like Bigfoot or Mega Python Vs Gatoroid. I felt that it was somewhat of a fresh breath for them since it's all been like for the past few films. I give the film a 3/5.

Video: 4.5/5

Presented in 1.78:1. Has The Asylum ever done a film that wasn't 16:9? Presentation is nice and clear with artifacing here and there. Considering all of The Asylum's films are shot digitally, this one honestly has the best transfer out of all of them. Colors and nice and rich. I am very pleased with this one. 4.5/5

Audio: 5/5

There's an error on the box art with the audio listing, "5.1 Surround Sound", well... it's 5.1 DTS-HD MA. And it's a very nice and solid audio track. The Asylum is knocking it out of the park with this release. I didn't feel the need to turn up the audio or turn it down. Very even and linear. As close to perfection as possible. 5/5.

Extras: 2.5/5

I wasn't too impressed with the extras on this disc. We have a commentary. Then we have the "Making Of" which is a few minutes. Dee Wallace said that she was busy but was begged to do the film. I found that kinda funny. In the "Gag Reel", cast and crew talk about their favorite candy with bloopers spliced in, along with footage of Dee Wallace in full witch make up having fun on set. Hell's Crafty which is a Gordon Ramsey parody with a Kraft service guy who passed away. And then we finally have trailers for upcoming films and some that are all ready out and the 15th anniversary trailer was funny. I give the bonus features a 2.5/5.

Overall: 4/5

I felt this was a decent Asylum film. As stated, this felt like a wannabe Rob Zombie film with how some of the shots are set up. Other than that, it's good for some laughs. If you're big on Asylum films, I'd recommend going after this one. I also managed to score this during Best Buy's Upgrade and Save for $5 plus tax. Worth it at that price. 4/5.

Immortal (2004)

Movie: 3/5
Video: 2.5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

"I've Seen Better."

Movie: 3/5

In Immortal, Jill (Linda Hardy) is half human, half alien who is rescued by Elma (Charlotte Rampling; Babylon A.D, Cleanskin). Elma is a scientist who is interested in her for science. Nikopool (Thomas Kretschmann; Blade II, King Kong) is awaken from a cyrogenic sleep. At the same time this happens, there's a flying pyramid in the sky with the Egyptian Gods living in it. At the same time, Horus leaves in order to take human form and takes over Nikopool's body. At the same time, the head of New York is on high alert as he learns that Nikopool has escaped from his sleep and wants him dead.

Immortal leaves more to be desired. While the visuals look great; what disappoints me is the fact that most people are CGI whereas there's about five or six people in the film are real. It kept taking me out of the film. Also, the plot was confusing as to why the head of New York wanted Nikopool dead. I was confused on that. Sin City and Casshern did it much better in terms of films that are shot on green screens. I find it funny how they caked on make up on Charlotte Rampling and made her look about twenty to thirty years younger.

I think all of the real people who are in this film and not the CGI creations did a great job in this film. I can understand CGI'ing the Egyptian Gods, but, they should have had all of the people and aliens to be either real or CGI and not both. Thomas Kretschmann, Linda Hardy, and Charlotte Rampling did a fantastic job. Kretschmann's rants and struggles against Horus are amusing. And Linda Hardy is very nice to look at. I give this movie a 3/5.

Video: 2.5/5

Considering the live action footage was all shot on 35mm, is the video quality supposed to be this bad? I think that TF1 did all the mastering in either 720 or 576 and blew it up to 1080 for their HD Master. When the opening screen came on, there's this halo around the borders of the image. Most of the image is decent, but not that strong. Close up shots of faces are detailed, but, not that strong. Transfer wise, this left me for more, shame. 2.5/5.

Audio: 5/5

First Look Pictures (Millennium Media) gives us two audio presentations on the disc; English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks. Why on Earth do studios add multiple audio tracks along with the DTS-HD MA track? However, both sounded good. I give the audio a 5/5.

Extras: 2.5/5

We have a "Special Effects Featurette" that is almost eleven minutes long. Then a "Making Of" that is a half hour long. Some of the "Special Effects Featurette" stuff that is discussed is brought up again in the "Making Of" segment. The back cover states "Immortal Theatrical Trailers", well, there's one. That's singular, not plural. Then we have trailers for; "Sukiyaki Western Django", "War Inc.", "Blood Brothers", and "Cyborg Soldier". Video quality on all of these bonus features is horrible. Especially the trailer for "Sukiyaki Western Django", it looked as if it was sourced from a VHS tape. 2.5/5.

Overall: 3.5/5

I think this film needs a remaster. For a film that's shot on 35mm and is not even ten years old yet should not look this rough. I think it has some great performances despite the jumbled plot. I got this for free and I can recommend it since you can get it for $5. I wouldn't pay more for it than that. 3.5/5.

Dragonquest (2009) / Merlin and the War of the Wizards (2008)

Movie: 3/5
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 0/5
Overall: 2.5/5

"The Asylum Goes to the Dark Ages!"

Movies: 3/5

Dragonquest: 2.5/5

I guess "Pebblequest" was too much of a boring title? Plot of this film is that a young boy who likes to smoke weed is "the chosen one" and must quest to save the world from a fiend (Brian Thompson; Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Joe Dirt) who unleashes a dragon to destroy the world. While questing to find all the pebbles, our protagonists likes to pull the pipe out and give a few puffs here and there to get some clarity. He'll smoke while even in the belly of a sea monster while questing.

This movie was funny. Brian Thompson plays a good villain. And to basically sum it up, it's a Medieval Star Wars. Brian Thompson is Emperor Palpatine and has holograms of himself popping up and uses the force to choke kill people for fun. The female protagonist is dressed almost exactly like Aya Ueto from Ryuhei Kitamura's Azumi. And Mark Singer is essentially Yoda mixed with Nick Nolte. I give this a 2.5/5.

Merlin and the War of the Dragons: 3.5/5

The Asylum went to England and shot a Dark Ages knight and swords action film. The title is misleading; "Merlin and the War of the Dragons" with the emphasis on "War of the Dragons". Merlin is an orphan being trained by a powerful wizard (Jurgen Prochnow). While his best friend convinces him to take the wizard's book to learn who his father is, tables are turned and his best friend becomes England's biggest enemy. As Merlin tries to put a stop to his sorcery, his rival is now turning people into dragons.

Dragons are probably seen for about five minutes tops throughout the film. It would probably be suiting to call the film; "Merlin Saves Humanity". The CGI for the dragons is hit and miss and Jurgen Prochnow does a great job and is in it for about half of the film. The two sirens/nymphs are cute to look at too. This Asylum film isn't that bad for ninety minutes. Also, the ending gives it the look that it's set up for a sequel/trilogy, but I guess the critics hated it enough for The Asylum to leave it unfinished. However, I give it a 3.5/5.

Video: 3.5/5

Dragonquest: 2.5/5

The transfer provided for "Dragonquest" on this Blu-ray release is problematic. After the fifty-three minute mark, things go downhill. After you have the low resolution-rendered CGI spider show up, the image starts to ghost as the young hero gets out of the cave. Almost as if they shot in the wrong frame rate. Also, shots are slowed down for dramatic effect which also shows problems with the video quality. Other than that, shots are mostly detailed and grain is decent. 2.5/5.

Merlin and the War of the Dragons: 4/5

Echo Bridge has been given a great HD transfer for the film. However, in some of the green screened and CGI renders in the film, the quality is kinda degraded. Also, some of the dragons are chopped off at the top and left hand side of the image whereas they are supposed to be flying off. Someone at The Asylum should have checked that before giving the "All Clear" on the transfer. Contrast in the colors and grain looks fantastic! I wonder if The Asylum used different equipment than the usual fare that we've seen for "I Am Omega" and "War of the Worlds 2" for example. Video on this portion of the disc gets a 4/5.

Audio: 3.5/5

Dragonquest: 3.5/5

Audio presentation on "Dragonquest" is English Dolby Digital 2.0. It's soft. I had to turn up the sound as I played it back. Action is decent, sound wise. I give it a 3.5/5.

Merlin and the War of the Dragons: 3.5/5

Echo Bridge has given us a nice English Dolby Digital 5.1 track. I think this must have been the same 5.1 track on the Asylum's DVD release of the film. The track is good, however, it did feel a bit subdued at times. I did have to turn it up a bit during the first few minutes of the film. However, after the first half hour, the sound is decent. I give the audio on "Merlin and the War of the Dragons" a 3.5/5.

Extras: 0/5

Like most early Echo Bridge Blu-ray releases, no extras.

Overall: 2.5/5

I picked this up for about $7 after taxes at Best Buy during Summer 2012. I would say this is a decent double feature from The Asylum. If you're looking into giving any Asylum Blu-rays a chance, go for my favorite Asylum film "I Am Omega". That double feature was good with "The Haunting of Winchester House". If The Asylum films aren't for you, skip this. I give this release a 2.5/5.

Mega Piranha (2010)

Movie: 2/5
Video: 4/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 0/5
Overall: 3/5

"Mega Whatever"

What makes a celebrity do an Asylum film? Traci Lords did Princess of Mars for daycare money. And The Asylum has royally bashed her for bashing them over this incident. Mark Dacascos knows one of the people who was running I Am Omega. What could have possessed Tiffany to do not one, but two Asylum films?

Tiffany plays a scientist who creates a genetically enhanced species of piranha. After a U.S. representative is eaten by the piranha, a specialist is brought in to figure who killed the diplomat. After the specialist comes face to face with the killer fish, he brings it up to the corrupt general and shrugs it off. Now, the fish are growing bigger and hungry with every passing minute.

I am giving this film a 2/5. I was annoyed at the inconsistancies in the size of the killer fish. Whenever they talk about the size, they'll say it's as big as a car. Then it shows it as big as a car, in one shot. Then, it'll cut to another shot and it's about a quarter of the size whenever they are jumping about in the water. Acting is pretty rough in this too and not believeable. Tiffany looks rough as hell in this movie, in comparison to Mega Python Vs Gatoroid.

Video: 4/5

Shot digitally like all Asylum films, if you've seen my reviews on past titles, then there is nothing new to report. With the exception that the PQ is slightly better this time around. Details are fair and there's a nice level of grain that pops up. I give Echo Bridge's video presentation a 4/5.

Audio: 5/5

Considering that Echo Bridge released this film right off the bat that it got it's general DVD release from The Asylum, we have an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 track for the film. Sound is really good for a 2.0 track. Generally, with Asylum DVDs, you'll have a 5.1 Dolby Digital track. It's a shame that we couldn't have the 5.1 DD over the DTS-HD MA 2.0 track, but, it'll do. 5/5 for the audio.

Extras: 0/5

Like all these Echo Bridge/Asylum Blu-rays, no extras.

Overall: 3/5

You can get this for $5. If you can't find it airing on the Sci-Fi channel or Starz, I'd say it's worth the $5 plus tax. Considering that you can get other Echo Bridge/Asylum Blu-rays for the same price, I'd suggest getting "I Am Omega" or "Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus". 3/5 for this Blu-ray.

Dragon Lord (1983)

Movie: 5/5
Video: 3/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: .5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Dragon Lord is one of Jackie Chan's earlier films where he really shows off his abilities as a stunt actor. Jackie plays Dragon, a young man who ends up fighting his best bud Cowboy but is called Mars throughout the film. Through their fighting, we realize that Mars isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed as they clown around and Mars comes close to killing him numerous times. After putting their differences aside, the duo go quail hunting and end up discovering a sinister plot by a crime lord who wants to steals China's classic treasures.

While story and plot might be minimum for an hour and a half, what makes up for this film is the fact that Jackie is kicking butt. A lot of stunt scenes. Especially in the grand final fight in which Dragon and Cowboy fight the Big Boss. That fight was brutal and hilarious at the same time. Jackie really shines as he shows his abilities. And for that, I give the film a 5/5.

Video: 3/5

Presented in 1080p with a 2.35:1 transfer, Echo Bridge has given this film a good transfer. It's not perfect and it shows. Is it high definition? Yes and it is not a crappy upscale of an SD master that Fortune Star has provided to Jackie Chan with their releases. Print damage is constant, however, it is not totally distracting. Colors also go off here and there, but, it's more or less towards the end whenever it cuts to different angles and shots in scenes. Overall, I give this a 3/5.

Audio: 5/5

Despite only being the English dub presented in DTS-HD MA 2.0, the track is nice. It's sad that the original Chinese audio is not present on the disc, let alone the full cut of the film. The audio is nice and clear. I cannot complain about this presentation, even if it's just an English dub track. 5/5.

Extras: .5/5

Despite being listed as a "Theatrical Trailer", it's a thirty-two second video spot that you would see on a Miramax/Dimension/Touchstone/Disney/etc VHS from back in the day. Extras get a dismal .5/5.

Overall: 3.5/5

Despite this is SOB abomination edit conducted by Harvey Weinstein, I can recommend it for the price. Echo Bridge did a good job on this release. It's just a shame that they couldn't secure the original Chinese version. You can get this for $6 at Best Buy. For that price, you cannot beat it. 3.5/5.

Crime Story (1993) / The Protector (1985)

Movie: 5/5
Video: 2/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 5/5
Overall: 4/5

"This is an Insult to Jackie Chan's Legacy."

Movie: 5/5

The Protector (1985) - 5/5

Jackie Chan is Billy Wong in his first leading, English speaking role. While celebrating his tenth anniversary of living in America, Billy and his partner are partying at a bar when robbers come in and start shooting the place up. Billy's partner is killed in cold blood and Billy guns down all of the killers involved, even as going as far as chasing the lead gunman down by boat to kill them all. While morning the loss of his partner and friend, Billy goes to a party where a crime boss's daughter is kidnapped by henchmen who work for Harold Ko. Billy, a Chinese immigrant takes on a new partner and go to Hong Kong to save the kidnapped woman.

We have both American cuts and the Hong Kong version which has additional scenes written and directed by Jackie Chan. In the Hong Kong version, Jackie's character, Billy has a side story with a female character who is new to the film. For his first English speaking role, Jackie does a good job. And I find it really funny yet awkward when Billy says; "Give me the fu**ing keys!"

I cannot remember off the top of my head, but I think that's honestly the only time I have ever heard Jackie say that word in any of the English speaking films that I have seen him in. I think James Glickenhaus did a good job directing him in this movie. I did enjoy both cuts of the film. Do I think Jackie's new scenes were needed? Not really. But, including both cuts, I do give this a 5/5.

Crime Story (1993) - 5/5

This is one of my all time favorite Jackie Chan films. Whenever Jackie does his police dramas, he always shines. In "Crime Story", a gang of thieves go after a crooked business tycoon named Wong Yat-Fei.

Video: 2/5

The Protector - 1/5 - Rating of Both Cuts Combined

James Glickenhaus' cut of the film is presented in 1080p and Jackie Chan's cut of the film is presented in 480p, which is in Standard Definition. Not that it matters, the Glickenhaus' cut is an SD upscale. This is an insult to Jackie Chan's legacy! I know Echo Bridge got crap for using a cropped version of Supercop, that's bad. This is worse in my opinion. Fortune Star, which owns the Golden Harvest's library, has chosen to let all of these films fall to the way side! These need remastered! Jackie Chan is one of China's biggest stars, if not the biggest, and this is how the Chinese studio chooses to treat his films?

The Jackie Chan cut presented in SD, is horrendous. Print damage and macroblocking is present throughout the whole entire film! Brightness is blown out. Just like in my review for the Canadian Blu-ray for "The Killer" and "Hard Boiled", the brightness is blown out and the white bleeds through the whole image like a poor quality VHS tape. It is infuriating how bad the quality is on this. I give the Jackie Chan cut a .5/5 in terms of quality.

James Glickenhaus' cut of the film is presented in 1080p and is not a high definition transfer, color is decent, if that's the only pro about both cuts of the film. Detail is void in most shots and there's even points where the image gets this blocky/line haze to it. Like there's a scene where they're on a boat in Hong Kong and whenever one of the characters on the boat moved their head, you can kinda tell it's some sort of interlacing problem. I can honestly tell you if there's any print damage because it's an upscale transfer, void of any detail. I give the Glickenhaus' cut of the film a 1.5/5. Which gives us an overall 1/5 for both cuts combined.

Crime Story - 2.5/5

Another SD master upscaled to HD. For an upscaled transfer, it is watchable and it's not as bad as both transfers for The Protector. Color and saturation and contrast is strong while detail and sharpness is flat. Why can't you muster the money to properly restore all of Jackie Chan's films? At least Echo Bridge gave us HD transfers in OAR for Twin Dragons, Supercop, and Dragon Lord. Such a shame. 2.5/5

This gives us an overall of 2/5 for the transfers. Why?

Audio: 4.5/5

The Protector - 3.5/5

The American cut of the film has both an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and a DD 2.0 track. I've brought this up before, I am sure; but why would you include a DD track when you have a DTS-HD MA track for the film? It's a waste of space. I know it's not much, just a few hundred MB of space, but still. The DTS-HD MA track sounds good. It's a shame Fortune Star would focus on audio over video and not both together. 5/5.

The Jackie Chan version only has a DD 2.0 Chinese track. It's bad quality like the video. The dubbing sounds muffled and subdued. Overall it sounds subdued. I give the audio on this version of the film a 2/5. This gives us an overall 3.5/5 for the audio portion of "The Protector".

Crime Story - 5/5

For Crime Story, the story is the same as we have English and Chinese DTS-HD MA 5.1 tracks and English and Chinese DD 2.0 tracks. The English dub is okay in DTS-HD MA and the Chinese is great. I give the audio a 5/5.

Overall for the audio portion, 4.5/5.

Extras: 5/5

The Protector - 5/5

"From New York to Hong Kong", an interview with James Glickenhaus discussing working with Jackie and how he was surprised that Jackie was not pleased with the film and creating another cut and calling himself the director. "Locations: Then and Now", which shows the differences between 1985 and 2012. "Behind the Scenes", a Chinese making of. Contains no subtitles. And finally U.S. and Chinese trailers for the film. 5/5 for the extras.

Crime Story - 5/5

"Interview with Kirk Wong", director talks about the production process and explains how he filmed at the real locations in which the story is based on. Like the road where the kidnapping takes place, it's kinda surreal. "Deleted Scenes" that cut out the love interest aspect of the film where Jackie's character is in love with his therapist. And finally the trailers. Considering it's not as much as The Protector's material, the deleted scenes do kinda give some emotional side to Jackie's character. 5/5.

Overall: 4/5

Does this release deserve the overall score of 4/5? Hell no! This is an embarassement to Jackie Chan's legacy. Why Shout! wouldn't just give this a regular DVD release like the double feature featuring Killer Meteors is beyond me. I would never do that as a studio, unless it was shot on video. Never! 4/5, this is a disgrace.