Release Date:
11/25/2008
The Skinny: Making for a perfect Peter Berg double feature alongside Hancock, The Kingdom is the director's Saudi Arabia–set actioner about a team of FBI agents (Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and, yes, Jason Bateman) investigating a suicide bombing in a U.S. embassy.
The Good: Putting aside the political bad taste that the general plot and setting put in your mouth and viewed solely as an action film, The Kingdom mostly delivers. You get moments of tense humor and a race-against-the-clock finale that, had it been more generically set, might have won over more people. For the Blu-Ray release, Universal has taken care to carry over all of the features that were on the HD-DVD disc.
The Bad: Because the opening titles make a pretty pointed political statement, it's understandable that you won't be able to overlook the "message" and will utlimately turn off the movie expecting more. The conflict's tidy resolution smacks of wish fulfillment.
Best Extra: Even though the opening credits (which present an animated timeline of Saudi Arabia) actually set the movie up for failure, they are really impressive, and the DVD includes a more fleshed-out version that is worth a look for your own edification.
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: If you haven't seen the film, renting the Blu-Ray disc will give you the full visual and aural punch, so do it. Otherwise, ownership is strictly for hardcore Berg fans.
The Good: Putting aside the political bad taste that the general plot and setting put in your mouth and viewed solely as an action film, The Kingdom mostly delivers. You get moments of tense humor and a race-against-the-clock finale that, had it been more generically set, might have won over more people. For the Blu-Ray release, Universal has taken care to carry over all of the features that were on the HD-DVD disc.
The Bad: Because the opening titles make a pretty pointed political statement, it's understandable that you won't be able to overlook the "message" and will utlimately turn off the movie expecting more. The conflict's tidy resolution smacks of wish fulfillment.
Best Extra: Even though the opening credits (which present an animated timeline of Saudi Arabia) actually set the movie up for failure, they are really impressive, and the DVD includes a more fleshed-out version that is worth a look for your own edification.
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: If you haven't seen the film, renting the Blu-Ray disc will give you the full visual and aural punch, so do it. Otherwise, ownership is strictly for hardcore Berg fans.