I
really like Samuel L. Jackson as an actor and usually try to check out
every movie he is in. Jackson just projects a whole lot of attitude, which
makes just about every film in which he appears either interesting or fun.
FORMULA 51 ($28) is definitely of the latter category; a film that
combines Jackson’s attitude with Hong Kong director Ronny Yu’s fast
paced movie styling to create an entertaining action/comedy cocktail.
Okay, so much of the film’s comedy is tinged black (no pun intended),
which made me like FORMULA 51 a whole lot more than I probably
should have.
In
FORMULA 51, Jackson portrays Elmo McElroy, who runs afoul of the
law on the very day he gets his degree in pharmacology. Thirty years
later, Elmo is a master chemist working for a drug syndicate headed up by
a badass known as The Lizard (Meatloaf). Wanting to get out from under
once and for all, Elmo attempts to vaporize The Lizard and his entire
syndicate, and then heads off to England for a twenty million dollar
payday. In England, Elmo has made arrangements to sell his latest
creation- a powerful new designer drug, which can be made from completely
legal "over-the-counter" components. Unfortunately for Elmo, the
Lizard survives being vaporized, and the big man puts an assassin on his
tale, who ruins Elmo’s big score by eliminating anyone looking to do
business with him. The cast of FORMULA 51 also features Robert
Carlyle as Elmo's liaison to the disorganized crime of the British
underworld, as well as Emily Mortimer as the beautiful assassin and Rhys
Ifans as British crime lord with "issues."
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made FORMULA 51 available on DVD in
a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on
16:9 displays. A full screen presentation is provided on a separate layer
of the DVD for anyone who cares. The wide screen version of FORMULA 51
is pretty typical for a new movie from Columbia; in other words, it looks
great. The image is crisp, clean and very nicely defined, with no major
problems to detract from the presentation. Colors are generally strong and
flesh tones tend to be quite appealing. Blacks are deep and inky, while
the whites are clean and completely stable. Contrast is quite smooth, plus
the picture boast good shadow detail and depth. Digital compression
artifacts remained well concealed throughout the film’s ninety-plus
minute running time.
FORMULA
51 comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack that features a
solid action movie mix. All of the discrete channels engage frequently to
create and a wild ride during the film's action sequences. Sound effect
bounce nicely around the soundstage, while maintaining a cohesive sonic
environment. Dialogue is crisply rendered, and intelligibility is only
limited by one’s ability to get past some of the more pronounced British
accents. The Bass channel is suitably deep and provides a nice, solid
wallop. No other language tracks are included on the DVD, although English
and Spanish subtitles are present.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as a couple of extras. The main extra is the Cinemax
Special: The Making Of Formula 51. This thirteen minute program is
a fairly straightforward PR piece, although the interviews have a few
interesting insight and keep the "happy talk" to a minimum.
Theatrical trailers for FORMULA 51, BAD BOYS, HALF PAST
DEAD, SNATCH and XXX close out the extras.
FORMULA
51 is a dark action comedy that I found enjoyable for the Samuel L.
Jackson factor, its fast pace and some bits of British flavored humor.
Columbia TriStar’s wide screen presentation looks and sounds great, so
if you are a Jackson, Yu or Carlyle fan, I think you’ll want to check
out FORMULA 51 on DVD.
I
really like Samuel L. Jackson as an actor and usually try to check out
every movie he is in. Jackson just projects a whole lot of attitude, which
makes just about every film in which he appears either interesting or fun.
FORMULA 51 ($28) is definitely of the latter category; a film that
combines Jackson’s attitude with Hong Kong director Ronny Yu’s fast
paced movie styling to create an entertaining action/comedy cocktail.
Okay, so much of the film’s comedy is tinged black (no pun intended),
which made me like FORMULA 51 a whole lot more than I probably
should have.
In
FORMULA 51, Jackson portrays Elmo McElroy, who runs afoul of the
law on the very day he gets his degree in pharmacology. Thirty years
later, Elmo is a master chemist working for a drug syndicate headed up by
a badass known as The Lizard (Meatloaf). Wanting to get out from under
once and for all, Elmo attempts to vaporize The Lizard and his entire
syndicate, and then heads off to England for a twenty million dollar
payday. In England, Elmo has made arrangements to sell his latest
creation- a powerful new designer drug, which can be made from completely
legal "over-the-counter" components. Unfortunately for Elmo, the
Lizard survives being vaporized, and the big man puts an assassin on his
tale, who ruins Elmo’s big score by eliminating anyone looking to do
business with him. The cast of FORMULA 51 also features Robert
Carlyle as Elmo's liaison to the disorganized crime of the British
underworld, as well as Emily Mortimer as the beautiful assassin and Rhys
Ifans as British crime lord with "issues."
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made FORMULA 51 available on DVD in
a 2.35:1 wide screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on
16:9 displays. A full screen presentation is provided on a separate layer
of the DVD for anyone who cares. The wide screen version of FORMULA 51
is pretty typical for a new movie from Columbia; in other words, it looks
great. The image is crisp, clean and very nicely defined, with no major
problems to detract from the presentation. Colors are generally strong and
flesh tones tend to be quite appealing. Blacks are deep and inky, while
the whites are clean and completely stable. Contrast is quite smooth, plus
the picture boast good shadow detail and depth. Digital compression
artifacts remained well concealed throughout the film’s ninety-plus
minute running time.
FORMULA
51 comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack that features a
solid action movie mix. All of the discrete channels engage frequently to
create and a wild ride during the film's action sequences. Sound effect
bounce nicely around the soundstage, while maintaining a cohesive sonic
environment. Dialogue is crisply rendered, and intelligibility is only
limited by one’s ability to get past some of the more pronounced British
accents. The Bass channel is suitably deep and provides a nice, solid
wallop. No other language tracks are included on the DVD, although English
and Spanish subtitles are present.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as a couple of extras. The main extra is the Cinemax
Special: The Making Of Formula 51. This thirteen minute program is
a fairly straightforward PR piece, although the interviews have a few
interesting insight and keep the "happy talk" to a minimum.
Theatrical trailers for FORMULA 51, BAD BOYS, HALF PAST
DEAD, SNATCH and XXX close out the extras.
FORMULA
51 is a dark action comedy that I found enjoyable for the Samuel L.
Jackson factor, its fast pace and some bits of British flavored humor.
Columbia TriStar’s wide screen presentation looks and sounds great, so
if you are a Jackson, Yu or Carlyle fan, I think you’ll want to check
out FORMULA 51 on DVD.
