# The Marine 5: Battleground - Blu-ray Review



## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=95826[/img] 
*Title: The Marine 5: Battleground* 

*Movie:* :3stars:
*Video:* :4stars:
*Audio:* :4stars:
*Extras:* :1.5stars: 

*HTS Overall Score:*71



[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=95834[/img]*Summary*
These “Marine” sequels have pretty much got the art of the sequel down to a science. They seem to be copying the ways of the 1980s “Cannon Films” movies by grabbing whatever hunk of meat WWE star they can find and make him beat the living snot out of bad guys. Cover them with blood, make horrible one liners and fill in the rest with gunfire and fisticuffs. “The Marine” was no work of art, but it was actually one of the better WWE produced films of the time and John Cena was a blast to watch as her tore through bad guys like paper tigers. The sequel stuck Ted DiBiase Jr. in the role of a marine out for revenge, but it was largely a forgettable film as he could act even less than John Cena could. However, with the 3rd movie the powers that be seemed to find a hero in Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, who still can’t act, but made for a decent hero. It seems he made an impression as Mike has stuck around the longest making this his THIRD “The Marine” film to date and even they’re not high art, these are easily the best films he’s done (try watching him become Santa Clause, it’ll make your skin crawl). 

Lt. Jake Carter (Mike “The Miz” Mizanin) is having ANOTHER bad day (and another career change). After his brief stint in private security Jake has decided to save people by becoming an EMT. After losing a patient (who happens to be his wife and WWE Diva Maryse Mizanin) Jake and his partner Zoe (Anna Van Hooft) get called to a rundown amusement park after a pair of dying hoodlums call 911. Upon arriving on the scene one of them is dead, and the scared survivor is terrified to death. It seems that and his partner just pulled off a hit on a meaaaaaaaaaan group of bikers known as the Lost Legion, and they are hot on his trail with vengeance on their mind. It seems that that his hoodlum (Cole by name, played by Nathan Mitchell) has taken part in a murder of their LEADER, Rodriguez, meaning that these bloodthirsty bikers aren’t going to be leaving unless they’re taking a dead body with them.

Refusing to let any more people die tonight, Jake puts up a valiant effort to save his partner and Cole’s life at the same time, only to watch Zoe get gunned down for his efforts. With her dead and Cole’s life slipping away, Jake the EMT fades away and Jack the cold blooded Marine killers boils to the surface and this one man is going to make each and every one of the Lost Legion pay, and pay with blood for what they’ve done that night. 

[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=95842[/img]This is the 5th “The Marine” film for WWE studios, but the very first time that they’ve put the series on the Sony label (so far they have all been 20th Century Fox productions), but even with the label change the formula and feel for the series is pretty much the same. Except this time there is a little bit of twist with the baddies. Usually it’s been ex-military commandos or security forces that Jake or the other Marines have been up against, but this time it’s grungy, dirty bikers. While it may not seem like a whole lot of different WHO the baddies are on paper, it gives the movie a distinctly different vibe. The professionalism and ability of the villains are changed from well-oiled to a rabid dog like nature that the bikers provide. I won’t say that it make “Battleground” a better or worse film than the others (in fact I would say it’s about on par with #3 and #4), but it definitely spices things up a bit.

If you’ve watched one movie in the franchise you’ve seen this one. Jake goes up against a host of baddies who are about as generic as they come (although there’s more WWE stars amongst the cast than usual) and he gets to wreak havoc with his physicality. Things go boom, Jake gets hurt, then he kills everyone in his way. Rinse and repeat until the very end. Nothing is ever surprising or out of the normal low level action movie clichés (the “twist” at the end was seen coming from about 40 minutes out), but there’s enough action and livable choreography to enjoy the film for what it is. B level action trash that doesn’t take itself too seriously. 




*Rating:*

Rated R for strong violence, and for language




*Video* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=95850[/img]“The Marine 5” is shot on digital cameras like most of the rest of the WWE films lineup, and looks pretty good considering that most of the film takes place in an underground parking garage, or in the middle of the night out in the funhouse. The movie employs a fairly neutral color grading, with clean details and good coloring, but when the scenes shift to the dull yellow lighting of the upstairs garage, facial details and overall clarity take on a distinct and sickly yellow hue to them. Details are solid, but never overly revealing, and the fine detail on up close and personal facial shots show the best of the movie. Blacks are good and solid, with no major crush, but there is some banding from the headlights of the biker gang’s motorcycles in the underground lot. 








*Audio* :4stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=95858[/img]Sony does what it does best by providing multiple lossless audio tracks (English, German and French), and the English lossless track is just as good as the video. The surrounds are actively engaged with bullets ricocheting off the cement pylons and the roaring of Haley Davidson’s as the gang tears up the echoey garage. Gunfire is appropriately weighty, but not overly heavy and bassy. LFE is surprisingly light this go around (the last “The Marine” movie was chock full of it), but there are ample moments where the LFE channel gets to stretch its legs, even if it isn’t overly aggressive or ferocious. Dialog is well placed in the center channel and does a good job despite some of the echoes and reflections created by the cement walls, although Mike “The Miz” has a tendency of mumbling just a bit too often. 







*Extras* :1.5stars:
[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=95866[/img]
• "Superstar Studded" featurette
• "Evening the Odds" featurette
• Trailers







*Overall:* :3.5stars:

Is “The Marine 5” Battleground” a good movie? Nahh, not in the least. It’s your typical B movie action trash, but it’s surprisingly fun action trash for me personally. I’ve enjoyed each of the 5 films for what they are and don’t put much thought into them besides watching a big hunk of meat beat people up with his bare hands and shoot them when that doesn’t work. Kind of like watching a Jean Claude Van Damme or Charles Bronson sequel coming from Cannon films, it’s junk but still guilty pleasure junk. The audio and video specs are well within line for a DTV WWE Studios film and the extras mirror that as well. Cheesy Rental for the recommendation.



*Additional Information:*

Starring: Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, Maryse Mizanin, Heath Miller
Directed by: James Nunn
Written by: Scott Wiper, Edward McHenry
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, German DTS-HD MA 5.1, Portuguese, Russian DD 5.1
Studio: Sony
Rated: R
Runtime: 93 Minutes 
Blu-ray Release Date: April 25th, 2017




*Buy The Marine 5: Battleground On Blu-ray at Amazon*







*Recommendation: Cheesy Rental​*







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