Product Description

Nicolas Cage, Sean ConneryDirector: Michael Bay

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3916 in DVD
• Brand: Disney
• Released on: 2007-07-02
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Colour
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .26 pounds
• Running time: 136 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
In director Michael Bay's filmography, The Rock came between his high-octane debut Bad Boys and 1998's Armageddon, and consolidated his dubious reputation as the purveyor of crowd-pleasing action extravaganzas. Here, a psychotically disgruntled war hero (Ed Harris) seizes the island prison of Alcatraz and threatens to wage chemical warfare against nearby San Francisco unless the government publicly recognises the men who were killed under Harris' top-secret command. Nicolas Cage plays the biochemist who teams up with the only man ever to have escaped from Alcatraz (Sean Connery) in an attempt to foil Harris' terrorist scheme. As one might expect, what follows is an action-packed barrage of bullets, bodies and climactic confrontations, replete with enough plot contrivances to give even the most jaded action fan cause for alarm. It's a load of hooey, but the cast is obviously having a grand old time, and there's enough wit to make the recycled action sequences tolerable. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
In Michael Bay's The Rock, gung-ho general Francis Hummel (Ed Harris), armed with deadly chemical rockets and aided by violent cohorts, takes over the island of Alcatraz, holding 81 tourists hostage. Hummel promises to deploy the missiles over San Francisco if Washington doesn't make amends to ignored combat victims to the tune of $100 million. A cadre of Navy SEALs are dispatched to quell the situation, assisted by the mysterious, macho John Mason (Sean Connery)--the only man to ever escape from Alcatraz--who must now help the SEALs break back in. Joining them is mild-mannered chemical weapons expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage), who is unaccustomed to such things as guns and military manoeuvres. Their high-octane mission is filled with surprises, particularly after Hummel and company quickly annihilate the SEALs--leaving Mason and Goodspeed to save the day all by themselves.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson (Top Gun, Crimson Tide)--—Simpson actually died just prior to the film's release--—reunited with director Bay, who had collaborated with the pair on Bad Boys the previous year, The Rock benefits from a trio of likeable leads in Connery, Cage and Harris (yes, even the villain of the piece is somewhat endearing), a thundering music score and a bevy of explosive set-pieces that combine to create an action-packed thrill ride of a movie.

Customer Reviews

The Rock - BluRay
Well, based on the other review on Amazon, as well as a couple more elsewhere, I purchased The Rock on DVD last week. It had been my favourite film for a good few years after watching it shortly after it's release. Good story, stong and convincing characters played by Connery, Cage and Harris and a generally great action packed film. I then noticed Amazon's 3 for 2 on selected BluRay discs. Well, I wasn't sure what to buy. But after watching The Rock again I decided I wanted to give it a go, and see if the difference really was poor. In the end, I'd say no. It's a great improvement on the DVD Much clearer visually and the sound is also much better. I'd recommend buying this on BluRay, as it's a fantastic film, and I believe there is a marked improvement on the DVD, which is now going to a friend.

I watched it on my 26" Sony Bravia KDL26P3020U - via my Playstation 3 (HDMI) set to 1080i (although at this size, there's no difference between 1080i and 720p)

A must if you havn't got this on DVD
Action packed, Fast paced and so typically jerry bruckheimer you know exactly what your going to get when you watch The Rock especially if you have seen Conair or Badboys.
Picture qulaity is ok but not as good as newer films but is certainly a marked inprovment on the dvd, Sound is what you would expect as are the extras.
I would say deffernatly get this film if u don't own it on dvd and if u do, only get it if you are a big fan because the improvement isn't huge !

What I watched it on.
Panasonic 42px60 (plasma 1080i)
playstation 3 blu-ray player (HDMI)
JVC th-v70r surround sound (optical) (dolby digital 5.1) (inc tannoy m1 front L/R speakers)

Welcome to The Rock
It's clear to see the stronger visuals in this Blu-Ray release of the 1996 film The Rock. The stunning upgrade can be truly appreciated in 1080p when compared to the DVD. At last we can watch these brilliant blasts form the past as they need to be seen.

The lives of the millions of people in San Francisco hang by a thread when Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris), a military leader gone mad, seizes control of the legendary prison Alcatraz and warn that he will unleash several deadly poison gas missiles at San Francisco. The government realise they need to keep this thing quiet and carefully plan a way of getting the hostages out safely as well as disarming the missiles. This calls for the chemical weapons expert Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) and the federal prisoner John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery). Mason is a necessity as he is the only man ever to break out of Alcatraz and is blackmailed into breaking back in.

Seeing Mason for the first time we immediately find out that he is a very clever man who is capable of escaping almost any situation no matter how many guards there are and in the true Connery fashion it must all be done with a bit of style. As soon as Mason finds out FBI Director James Womack (John Spencer) is involved Mason's strong disliking to this character will soon become apparent.

The car chase is a must see as Mason tears up San Francisco in his oversized Humvee which is apparently capable of hitting everything in sight without getting a scratch. Goodspeed manages to find himself a beautiful Yellow Ferrari which gets some pretty big jumps on the hills of San Francisco. The chase lasts a perfect amount of time with plenty of destruction and will leave you satisfied as we find out a Ferrari can't chase down a Humvee, well not when that Humvee is driven by Sean Connery.

The finale is all about the adrenaline rush as time is slowly running out for Nicolas Cage and we're just trying hoping he's not going to get blown to kingdom come after all the good he has done. Has Mason just left Goodspeed for dead or will he end his tag as a convict and become the hero? It may all have to wait till those final moments.

Special features are pretty much the same as the Criterion 2 disc release they include an Audio Commentary; specially filmed sequences explaining the making of the film; Storyboards; outtakes; a Jerry Bruckheimer interview and the theatrical trailer. English is the only language available with subtitles available in English, Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish

A wonderful cast of the insane mercenaries gives this film an edge over its genre rivals and the chemistry between Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage is clear for all to see. This is definitely a film for action fans and Cage fans, this buy probably depends on your budget but if you can afford it it's worth the upgrade.