High-Octane
Summary
Complaints about the over use of DNR on this new 4K of True Lies are justified and it is at times distracting, however the film still looks and sounds better than it ever has and despite not having a huge amount of special features, this is still worth adding to the collection.
Plot: Secretly a spy but thought by his family to be a dull salesman, Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is tracking down nuclear missiles in the possession of Islamic jihadist Aziz (Art Malik). Harry’s mission is complicated when he realizes his neglected wife, Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), is contemplating an affair with Simon (Bill Paxton), a used-car salesman who claims he’s a spy. When Aziz kidnaps Harry and Helen, the secret agent must save the world and patch up his marriage at the same time.
Review: There has been a bit of an uproar with the recent 4K release of James Cameron’s True Lies; we’ve been waiting many years for it to get a proper HD treatment, but there have been complaints about too much DNR and how it’s been tweaked with AI. It certainly is noticeable, and at times quite distracting, but this is still the best the film has ever looked or sounded. I’m pretty sure I say that with most 4K releases, but this is a point I’ve heard most reviewers go over.
I found the lighting in a few scenes a little jarring, but generally the quality didn’t bother me too much. I still enjoy the film a lot as this is classic Arnold, but it’s also one of his most ridiculous pictures… and that’s saying something. I do have to be in the mood for it, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously and Tom Arnold has some good lines like “I remember the first time I got shot out of a canon” which has me rolling to this day.
As this is James Cameron, the action is every bit as spectacular as you’d expect and I still love the utterly ludicrous finale which has one of the all time great bad guy deaths. Art Malik may be a bit one note, but he’s a hateful villain and we cheer his epic demise.
Aside from Arnie being his usual awesome self this is really Jamie Lee Curtis’s picture as she goes from bored housewife to bad ass spy; she even has a final showdown with Tia Carrera who is one of the antagonists, but it’s so hard to dislike her because well… it’s Tia Carrera.
Bill Paxton also shines, although I do find that part of the film drags a little and could have maybe been a little tighter. For the most part the film is well paced and has some quality one liners, but Arnie doesn’t say “I’ll Be Back” in it which was rare. I do wish Cameron would get back to making movies like this rather than more Avatar sequels, but I think that’s how he’s going to finish out his career.
Brad Fiedel’s score isn’t as iconic as say his Terminator music, but True Lies does have a cool and heroic main theme which is used to perfection at regular intervals.
In terms of special features True Lies has the following which are only on the Blu-ray, not the 4K –
- Fear is Not an Option: A Look Back at True Lies (HD – 43:27)
- Archives: Script, Artwork, Marketing
- Theatrical Trailer (SD – 2:22)
- Original Script
- Storyboards
- Blueprints
- Unit Photography
- Location Photography
- Poster Gallery
It’s really just the Fear is Not an Option featurette which is worth mentioning, but aside from that it’s quite bog standard stuff. Thankfully the movie alone is worth owning in itself.
Overall, True Lies may have disappointed some 4K purists due to the over modernization of the picture, but a few gripes aside it still looks mostly fantastic and the fact we finally got a new physical release of the film is a major plus. The film itself is a preposterous but fun spy caper and the type of film we rarely see anymore; I do miss seeing these kinds of blockbusters. Either way, if you own a Blu-ray player or a 4K player then you’re likely going to pick this up and despite the flaws, it’s worth owning.