Plot: What’s it about?
Slade Craven (John Mann) and his death metal band are set to perform in their final live performance, but this is one band that is going out in style, to be sure. The band has agreed to play this last show on board a specially modified plane, complete with live web coverage and of course, a large group of lucky fans. The hip, web based station Z WebTv plans to cover the event and they have made all the needed preparations, such as safety checks, omnipresent cameras, wild fans, and of course, tons and tons of promotion to make people want to watch. As the show starts, a hacker (Craig Sheffer) works his way inside the mainframe, in order to access all the video channels, as opposed to just the ones broadcast. So the millions of fans have logged on to see the show, but of course, some issues snap and before long, Craven’s reputation for being macabre turn real, as he kills a pilot. But all is not as is seems, as the hacker and an F.B.I. special agent soon discover. Can someone stop Craven before he enacts a vicious plan to fulfill a bogus prophecy of death, destruction, and good old fashion Satanism?
The original Turbulence starred Ray Liotta and offered some cool moments, but the two direct to video sequels have been less than impressive. I hesitate to use the word sequel, as this movie has nothing in common with the previous two, aside from the presence of Craig Sheffer (in a different role this time) and the fact that most of the film takes place on a plane. Still, Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal has some positive elements, mainly unintentional humor and outlandish situations, which you can’t help but marvel at. Imagine Air Force One, but take out Harrison Ford and replace him with Alice Cooper, and you’d have Turbulence 3 in a nutshell. As humorous as that sounds, the filmmakers take a serious approach and in the process, ensure that this one sinks. If they had injected more humor into the dialogue and especially toward the hilarious Goth stereotypes, this could have been a fresh, wild picture, but instead, it tries to project Goths as positive people. I had hoped this would be a movie, not a sermon from the mainstream, but we can’t win them all. The laughable moments with Slade Craven are worth a look, but in the end, this one is best suited as a rental.
As I viewed this movie, I almost felt sorry for John Mann, as he has a role no one would want, as no one can believe his character. Yes, we’ve seen all the Alice Cooper hacks of late, but when you make this kind of person into a hero, it’s just rehashing what we see on MTV, which doesn’t make for a cool flick. Mann has some moments of sheer hilarity, as he tows the line between insanity and intelligence, as the role demands. I found this to be a pitiful character in terms of development, as if some Goth rocker wrote it, in an effort to make a Goth hero of some kind. That might make a good premise in the right hands, but Mann has to suffer inside a poorly written role, which shows on screen. His presence is even weaker to his inexperience and in the end, let’s hope he doesn’t put this down on his resume, for his sake. The cast also includes Craig Sheffer (Nightbreed, The Program), Rutger Hauer (Wanted: Dead or Alive, New World Disorder), and Gabrielle Anwar (Scent of a Woman, Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken).
Video: How does it look?
Turbulence 3 is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a very good visual presentation, but a few trouble spots keep the score down a little. Some of the exterior shots of the plane look pretty bad, while a couple other shots look off too, which results in a slight score reduction. But aside from those problems, this is a smooth and on the mark effort and I think viewers should be pleased. The dark visual scheme is intact and looks great, thanks to razor sharp contrast levels, high detail presence, and minimal grain. The colors look good also, but the black levels are what count here, to be sure. This is not a reference level transfer and it falters at times, but this is a very good overall presentation, so it deserves a very good score.
Audio: How does it sound?
As you can imagine, this is a pretty active audio experience, between the action sequences and hard rock soundtrack. As such, the included Dolby Digital 5.1 option is able to spark at times, especially when guns get fired, fists start to fly, or the music kicks in. This won’t blow your mind by any means, but it is a more active and memorable audio track than I expected, to be sure. The dialogue is never lost in this mix however, so all the vocals are clean and at a proper volume balance. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround option, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, in case you might need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s trailer, as well as an audio commentary with actor John Mann (Slade Craven), producer Ogden Gavanski, and writer Wade Ferley. The three have a fun time in this track, but seem to think it all turned out better than it did, to be sure. I was surprised by some of the comments made here, but some welcome production information is also found, so it all evens out. I commend Trimark for including an audio commentary track here, as we movie fans love to listen them, even on flicks as bad as this one.
