The Marine 3: Homefront [Blu-ray]

The Marine 3: Homefront opens with an unapologetic commercial for the Marines before it settles into the familiar rhythms of a formulaic action flick. Marine sergeant Jake Carter (professional wrestler Mike "the Miz" Mizanin) comes back to his small-town home in Washington state, only to rub his independent sisters the wrong way by acting paternal and disapproving of their boyfriends. But when trouble appears in the form of a domestic terrorist (played by the icy blue eyes of Neal McDonough, Desperate Housewives), everyone's glad to have Jake around… and butt kicking ensues. The Marine 3 (which bears no connection to the previous Marine movies other than that the hero is a Marine) is rote stuff, pedestrian but competent, though given a little twist with the villain's topical grudge against the banking system. McDonough lends a touch of gravitas to the bad guy, and Mizanin is likable enough--this is action-movie comfort food, served up with no pretensions, plenty of gunfire, and just a garnish of upraised patriotic chins. --Bret Fetzer