Plot: What’s it about?
Lincoln Hawk (Sylvester Stallone) is a tough as nails truck driver, a man with immense physical strength and larger than life courage. Even when faced with hopeless situations, he has persevered and pushed through, to take on more challenges down the road. But now he has to deal with the most difficult challenge he has ever faced, putting his life back on the right track. His ex-wife has just died, leaving his young son behind, which prompts Hawk to step in. He knows he made a mistake when he didn’t spend as much time as we wanted with his son, but the demands of the road forced his hand. Now however, he is determined to take control of his destiny and start a new life for himself, one that involves his son. His son is doubtful of him from the start, which Hawk understands, given the circumstances. But as time passes and his son begins to see how dedicated and tough he is, Hawk starts to create a strong bond with his son. And if Hawk is to win this most important battle, he will need the love and support of his son to do it.
This is a bad movie. A film about a dad trying to rekindle his relationship with his son, while also trying to win an arm wrestling championship. Sounds like a spoof I know, but Over the Top plays it straight, as if this were some kind of dramatic masterpiece. As bad as the movie is, I cannot resist Over the Top and whenever I see it on cable, I have to stop and watch. The preposterous drama is what makes Over the Top so much fun, as you can’t help but laugh at how serious it all is. If the cast tried to play off that, the film would have sucked, but since it is so serious, the movie almost borders on camp at times. The father and son story plays out as always, but is actually handled well, for this kind of flick. Sylvester Stallone is perfect for the role, as he has just enough dramatic talent to think he is in the next Citizen Kane. Over the Top is just a fun movie, but not for the reasons the filmmakers intended, not even close. So while the movie is bad the foundation level, Over the Top is brisk and entertaining, so I give it a solid recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
Over the Top is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a solid looking visual effort, given that the movie is now over a decade old. As expected, the print shows some small defects and grain is often present, but these never lessen the visuals, so while they’re unwanted, they don’t cause much concern. The image is quite sharp here also, with no real softness to report, even in the darkest of sequences. I found black levels to be excellent and very well balanced, while colors are bright, but within a more natural scope. So a very nice treatment from Warner here, especially for a catalog release.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is kind of an action movie and as such, the included Dolby Digital 5.1 option has plenty of chances to shine. The surrounds kick throughout the feature, with powerful presence and some great use of the bass, to add that extra needed punch at times. This one has more than a few tension driven scenes and so there’s minimal downtime for the audio, so the speakers will get an extensive workout with this soundtrack. You’ll also hear some well done subtle use of the surrounds, while dialogue remains clean and clear at all times. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
