Fortress 2: Re-Entry

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Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Action	Theatrical Trailer(s)	Yes, 1 - 1.78:1, Dolby Digital 2.0 (1:30)
Rating		Other Trailer(s)	Yes, 1 - Dolby Digital City
Year Released	1999	Commentary Tracks	None
Running Time	89:01 Minutes	Other Extras	Featurette - *Behind The Scenes* (3:51) Cast Biographies
RSDL/Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu	Cast & Crew
Region	2,4	Director	Geoff Murphy
Studio Distributor	Columbia TriStar	Starring	Christopher Lambert Pam Grier Liz May Brice Anthony C. Hall Willie Garson Yuji Okumoto
Case	Transparent Amaray	Starring
RRP	$39.95	Music	Christopher Franke

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	MPEG	None
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Dolby Digital	5.1
16x9 Enhancement		Soundtrack Languages	English (Dolby Digital 5.1, 448 Kb/s) German (Dolby Digital 5.1, 448 Kb/s)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Macrovision	Yes	Smoking	No
Subtitles	English German Dutch Arabic Czech Danish Finnish Greek Hebrew Hindu Hungarian Icelandic Norwegian Polish Swedish Turkish	Annoying Product Placement	No
Subtitles		Action In or After Credits	No

Plot Synopsis

I have one question that sums up the biggest problem with this film right away: what do you get when you make a sequel to a film that was barely worth watching the first time? Essentially, you get the same kind of film that Christopher Lambert has been starring in since Highlander II: The Quickening came to fruition: ill-conceived slop. The original Fortress was set at a point in the future where a large corporation known as Men-Tel had basically taken over society as we know it and turned it into a prison. John Brennick (Christopher Lambert) was imprisoned in one of Men-Tel's high-tech prisons, known simply as The Fortress, where even an unauthorized process of thought was not allowed. This, of course, was one thing that made me root for the good guys in the original film, but how can you think of unauthorized things when you generally display all the intellectual development of a squashed gnat? In any case, Fortress 2 picks up a little while after the original, with John being the most wanted fugitive in the world of the Men-Tel corporation, and desperately sought for services by the Resistance. Sadly, the corporation gets to him first, and John is placed in a prison with a difference: this one orbits high above the surface of the planet, which would make escape seemingly impossible. Of course, the question here is not whether or not John can escape from the orbital fortress, but how he does it.

To tell you any more about this film would spoil the surprise, so I am just going to say that plot-wise, this film only ranks slightly above Simon Sez, which I would have to rate as one of the worst examples of people being allowed to act when they shouldn't. Admittedly, this sequel is as entertaining as its predecessor, but that is not saying a lot, and it certainly isn't saying enough to justify the forty dollars that Columbia Tristar expects you to shell out for this disc. The implied threat to Karen Brennick (Beth Toussiant) and her son Danny (Adrian Rea), who is now about ten years old as opposed to a developing embryo as was the case in the original film, is nowhere near as pernicious this time around. Sadly, this threat was one thing that made the original Fortress as entertaining as it was. This is definitely a rental-only film.

Transfer Quality

Video

This is yet another almost-reference quality transfer for a film that was hardly worthy of being made, which makes me wonder what is going on in the collective minds of the distributors. The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, and it is 16x9 enhanced, and I am still sick of seeing 1.85:1 films presented in this ratio as I am never quite sure of whether I am getting a taller or a narrower image. The transfer is razor-sharp from start to finish, although some of the scenes involving the use of television footage, or rather computer-screen footage, are deliberately hard to make out. Shadow detail is excellent, with all sorts of frightening details being easy to see in the darkness. There was no low-level noise.

The colours are purposefully muted and dull, reflecting the sterile and oppressive environment of the prison. It is interesting to note that the transfer does not take on any life during the few outdoor scenes, either, which would help the implication that the outside world is just as much a prison under the Men-Tel corporation as it is within their "power stations".

MPEG artefacts were happily absent from the transfer, as were film-to-video artefacts, which gave this transfer a very clean and film-like feel to it. Sadly, film artefacts were found in an excessive amount, although they weren't particularly intrusive. Suffice it to say that the film has a look about it that suggests it was stored in the archives of an independent studio for six months, with the occasional small-to-medium white fleck and the odd black mark here and there making themselves known at one point or another. Most people will not notice these marks in the picture, but those of you out there who look into the picture with discerning eyes will wonder how so many marks can get onto a six-month-old negative.

Audio

The audio transfer is rather ordinary, but serviceable considering the content of the film. There are two audio tracks presented on this disc, both of them in Dolby Digital 5.1: the original English dialogue, and a German dub. I listened to both audio tracks, although I stuck with the English dialogue for the most part due to not having the time to properly analyse the German dialogue. However, the German dialogue is somewhat recessed in the mix compared to the English dialogue. The English dialogue was clear and easy to understand at all times, although Christopher Lambert's well-known tendency to mumble did occasionally make the ears strain a little harder. Audio sync was not a problem at any time in the film.

The score music is credited to one Christopher Franke, but I couldn't help feeling it was pretty similar to the scores for most other action films that I can never quite remember. In any case, it helped create a pleasant, paced feeling within what is mostly a very slow film. There's just nothing remarkable, good or bad, about this score, except maybe for the fact that it was quite recessed in the overall mix until the end credits began to roll. Either that or it suddenly became a lot more dynamic during the end credits.

The surround presence of this disc is rather under-utilized as far as I could discern, with only the occasional mild dose of music and special effects coming out of the rears, giving a very frontal feel to the mix. There seemed to be very little in the mix that really required a surround presence, but nevertheless, the surrounds spent an awful amount of time twiddling their thumbs. Sometimes there would be a heavier sound coming from the rears, such as the spin of a helicopter rotor, but it seemed to be mixed so low that it might as well have not been there.

The subwoofer was well-integrated into the mix, supporting the explosions, gunshots, and punches with a generally powerful bottom-end.

Extras

The Dolby Digital City trailer adorns this disc.

Theatrical Trailer

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, with 16x9 enhancement and Dolby Digital 2.0 sound, this ninety-second trailer makes the film seem much more exciting than it actually is.

Featurette - Making Of

Clocking in at three minutes and fifty seconds, this is basically an extended theatrical trailer for the film that is of no value whatsoever.

Cast Biographies

Biographies for Christopher Lambert and Pam Grier that provide only a limited list of the films they have been in. Nothing to get excited about.

R4 vs R1

Region 4 misses out on;

The much-better original

Region 1 misses out on;

This sequel

Let's call it evens, since both films are not exactly worthwhile pieces to add to one's collection.

Summary

Fortress 2: Re-Entry is a film that stars Christopher Lambert, presented on an excellent DVD.

The video quality is excellent, except for a surprisingly high number of film artefacts.

The audio quality is rather limited, but good enough considering the film itself.

It's a good thing that Columbia Tristar have dropped the pretence and stopped using their extras to justify the higher price tag, because this selection doesn't cut the mustard.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Review Equipment

DVD	Grundig GDV 100 D, using composite output; Toshiba SD-2109, using S-video output
Display	Panasonic TC-29R20 (68 cm), 4:3 mode, using composite input; Samsung CS-823AMF (80 cm), 16:9 mode/4:3 mode, using composite and S-video inputs
Audio Decoder	Built In (Amplifier)
Amplification	Sony STR-DE835
Speakers	Panasonic S-J1500D Front Speakers, Philips PH931SSS Rear Speakers, Philips FB206WC Centre Speaker, JBL Digital 10 Subwoofer