Blu-ray Review - Jarhead 3: The Siege

R/Unrated; 89 minutes;

Arriving on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD From Universal Pictures Home Entertainment today is the action-flick Jarhead 3: The Siege, featuring both the unrated and rated versions. Directed by Will Kaufman (The Hit List), the film stars Charlie Weber, William Kaufman (24) and Scott Adkins (The Bourne Ultimatum).

The film centers on Marine Corporal Evan Albright being assigned to a security team at an U.S. embassy in the Middle East. To him it's a boring job, but he tries to do his job as best as he can.

Out of nowhere, a militant group attacks the embassy and kills most of the soldiers. Albright and few of the remaining soldiers must retrieve and protect a bag full of evidence that is locked in a safe that is located in the embassy. Then they must try to survive.

There is only one featurette:

• Making of Jarhead 3: The Siege - Go behind the scenes of Jarhead: The Siege for an inside look at the making of the film. Hear from the cast as they discuss why they were interested in joining this enthralling franchise, what it was like to shoot the battle scenes, and how the filmmakers’ vision and collaboration brought this impactful war film to life. We’ll also hear from the actors on what it was like working with one another while playing soldiers who have to overcome differences and come together for the greater good.

Final Thoughts: Hollywood studios have a bad habit of milking an old franchise with direct-to-video sequels, which is exactly what has happened with the Jarhead franchise. Yes, I said franchise! The 2003 critically-acclaimed Jarhead, based on the memoir of the same name, received a direct-to-video sequel in 2014, Jarhead 2: Field Of Fire. Despite having nothing to do with the original film, I actually enjoyed the sequel. (You can read my review for it here!)

Jarhead 3: The Siege goes a similar route as it has nothing to do with the first two films. With a lower budget, bad acting, horrible dialogue and a very thin plot that rips off 13 Hours, the third entry doesn't have much going for it. While Scott Adkins gets top billing, he doesn't have a very big part, and Dennis Haysbert only has about five-minutes worth of scenes. The first half hour is a complete sleepfest (yes, I drifted off a few times), but once "the siege" occurs, the film is action packed for the rest of the running time.

Both the unrated and the rated versions are exactly 89 minutes and I couldn't tell the difference between the two.

Overall, Jarhead 3: The Siege is a mindless (and at times pointless) sequel with a decent amount of action scenes. It's not the greatest film in the world, but at least the last hour is entertaining.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.