The Charge

The movie event of a generation.

Opening Statement

This is your typical made-for-TV movie—no substance, poor acting…in other words—BORING!!!

The Evidence

The only good thing I have to say about this disc is that it was a good transfer. I was afraid that the multitude of psychedelic colors used would bleed together, but, to my surprise, they didn't. All scenes were true-to-life including both indoor and outdoor shots. Clarity of images was not sacrificed and flesh-tones were almost perfect.

The film is presented in its original made-for-TV aspect ratio of 4:3. Honestly, this is one of the reasons I have never been a fan of movies-of-the-week. But, what do you expect from broadcast television?

The audio was adequate for a Dolby Stereo 2.0 movie. Dialogue was clean, clear and concise. The music featured in the movie was by some of the classic rock bands of this era—The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane and James Brown, et cetera. Although I am not a big fan, the songs used were quite entertaining and sounded great.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

The movie is simply a montage of historical events that occurred in the '60s with very weak stories of two families, one black and one white, affected by them thrown in between each event. I found it hard to believe that the white family, consisting of your typical baby-boomer parents, also included a Vietnam vet, a freedom fighter and a teenage daughter who gets knocked up. How can so many catastrophes befall one family? The same goes for the black family except the parents are involved in getting the blacks in their racist (Alabama/Mississippi?) town registered to vote and somehow end up in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles before and during the riots.

I could go on about the poor acting and sappy ending of the movie but find it too taxing on my brain.

Closing Statement

Don't waste your money buying this disc unless you would like to take a refresher course of '60s history or love the music from that era. Personally, I know I would much rather go shopping for a fashionable piece of clothing than opt for this disc in my collection. That's a woman for you!

The Verdict

Life imprisonment with no chance for parole. I could not bring myself to give the death penalty because the transfer was great.

Similar Decisions

• Shattered Glass
• Waiting To Exhale
• A River Runs Through It
• Losing Isaiah

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