At long last we get an edition of the movie that is truly as solid as a Rock.
This was Michael Bay's second directorial outing. His first film was another blockbuster called Bad Boys (the one starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence). Michael Bay did not suffer from the "sophmore slump," as is the case with a second effort following a huge debut. Instead Bay proves himself to be the master of the money shot. Though at first he passed on this script when Jerry Bruckhiemer and Don Simpson attached themselves to the picture Bay got on board and the rest is film history.
The movie is a fast paced, character driven action film that is not afraid to slow down to tell a story along the way. Academy Award winners Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage come together in this action packed thriller that catapulted Nick Cage to the status of movie star! In The Rock, all of San Francisco is taken hostage when a vengeful General (Ed Harris – Apollo 13) seizes control of Alcatraz Island, threatening to launch missiles loaded with deadly poison gas! With time running out, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert (Cage) and a notorious Federal prisoner (Connery) have the skills to penetrate the island fortress and defuse the lethal situation.
Being a fan of the movie when it fist came out in 1996, I could not wait to see this on DVD. However, the previous incarnation of the film on DVD was a rather bare bones treatment not worthy of the film. Criterion did a great job here as usual.. For starters it is a two disc set. The fist disc contains the movie itself. It is an anamorphic transfer to begin with, and the transfer is pristine. The sound as well is awesome, there are Dolby digital 5.1 and DTS soundtracks as well as a commentary features Bay, Cage, and Harris! The commentary is chock full of interesing insights, humorous personal anecdotes and a look into many technical aspects of how the film was made.
The second disk is full of goodies, some better than others, here is a list of them:
Interviews Photo Gallery Outtakes Scene Access TV Spots Theatrical Trailer Story Boards Production Notes Audio Commentary Interactive Menus Documentaries Featurette
C's final word - DA BOMB!
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