Should I take it as a bad sign that I once watched 2002’s The Transporter but I don’t remember doing so? Maybe not – after all, when you review as many movies as I do, it seems inevitable that some will recede from memory.

That said, I usually maintain some awareness that I saw a flick, whereas in this case, I was sure I never viewed Transporter - until I checked the review archives and saw my write-up of it. There it sits, evidence that I watched Transporter 10 years ago!

Time flies, I guess, and 2015 brought a reboot, as the fourth film in the franchise goes back to the beginning. Set in 2010, The Transporter: Refueled reintroduces Frank Martin (Ed Skrein), the title character. He earns that moniker because he’ll transport anything to anywhere with no questions asked.

Frank maintains a policy by which he avoids all knowledge of the materials he moves, but he violates this when he takes a job to Anna (Loan Chabanol). A woman with a shadowy past, she recruits Frank to transport two “packages”: women named Gina (Gabriella Wright) and Qiao (Wenxia Yu). We follow Frank’s exploits and the complications that come along with this unusual assignment.

Given that I possess so little memory of the original film, I find it tough to compare it to Refueled, but I can contrast the lead actors. I’ve seen enough of “original Frank” Jason Statham to know what he brings to the table, so I feel secure in the belief that Skrein can’t fill his shoes.

Not that I claim to be a big fan of Statham, as I think he possesses a limited acting skill set. However, his talents suit a film and role like this, whereas Skrein’s don’t. Statham can create a believable action hero and Skrein can’t.

At least, that’s the impression I get based on Skrein’s diffident performance in Refueled. Skrein after Statham feels like Moore after Connery: the new actors simply lack the charisma and power to handle their roles.

That becomes a major weakness, as Skrein simply seems wimpy as Frank. He feels more like a butler than a badass, and no matter how hard the stuntmen work to create an alternate impression, the situation doesn’t change. Skrein offers an unconvincing lead.

It doesn’t help that the movie constantly contrasts Skrein with Ray Stevenson as Frank’s dad. Stevenson delivers the kind of charismatic, compelling performance we want but don’t get from Skrein. Frank Sr. provides all of the film’s good moments – and makes us wish we could see more of him instead of his boring son.

When a movie suffers from a lackluster lead, that’s a problem, and the muddled storyline doesn’t help. At its heart, Refueled features a simple plot, but the film tells this tale in such a mushy way that it seems unnecessarily complicated and confusing.

Perhaps those involved felt their storytelling methods would build intrigue, but they don’t, so the end result seems meandering. This feels less like an intentional attempt to tell a mystery and more like an aimless script.

Refueled manages a few good stunts and a handful of exciting action moments, but these can’t overcome its basic flaws. With a wimpy lead character and a lackluster story, Refueled winds up as a forgettable flick.

The Transporter: Refueled appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Across the board, this was an appealing transfer.

Sharpness always looked strong. No signs of softness marred the presentation, as it gave us a tight, well-defined image. Jagged edges and moiré effects remained absent, while edge haloes also failed to appear. Print flaws stayed absent as well.

Like most modern films of this sort, Transporter went mainly with teal and orange. These tones seemed predictable, but they worked fine within the movie’s design parameters and showed good delineation. Blacks were dark and tight, while shadows usually showed nice clarity and smoothness; a few scenes were a bit dense, but those weren’t an issue. I felt this was a consistently strong image.

I also felt pleased with the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. With a fair amount of action on display, the mix used the channels in an involving manner throughout the majority of the film. This meant cars, gunfire and other mayhem all around the room, and the elements connected in a concise, smooth manner. Add to that music as a bold partner and the soundscape turned into an aggressive partner.

Audio quality always satisfied. Music was dynamic and full, and effects followed suit; those components came across as accurate and well-developed. Speech seemed distinctive and crisp, without edginess or other issues. Everything impressed in this strong soundtrack.

The Blu-ray presents three featurettes. Frank Martin: The Reluctant Hero goes for nine minutes, 18 seconds and offers comments from director Camille Delamarre, fight choreographer Alain Figlarz, and actors Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol, Ray Stevenson and Gabriella Wright. We learn of Skrein’s casting and training as well as aspects of the lead character. Not much depth emerges here, but we find a decent overview of the topics at hand.

The Couer Brise: Les Femmes of Refueled lasts five minutes, 32 seconds and includes Wright, Stevenson, Delamarre, Chabanol, and actors Tatiana Pajkovic, Noémie Lenoir and Wenxia Yu. This one looks at the female characters/cast of Refueled. It seems superficial but acceptable.

Finally, we get the five-minute, 40-second Rocketing from 0 to 60. It features Skrein, Delamarre, Chabanol, Pajkovic, Wright, Stevenson and car stunt coordinator Michel Julienne. As implied by the title, “Rocketing” discusses action and vehicles. It provides another quick but passable summary.

The disc opens with ads for Deadpool, SPECTRE, Hitman: Agent 47 and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. Sneak Peek adds promos for Homeland Season Four and Vikings Season Three. We also get a trailer for Refueled.

Did anyone really want a reboot to the Transporter franchise? Probably not, and the lackluster reception Refueled received leads me to believe we won’t get sequels. Based on this film, that’s fine with me, as Refueled provides a cliché and forgettable flick. The Blu-ray delivers very good picture and audio but lacks substantial bonus materials. I’ve seen worse action movies, but Refueled remains mediocre at best.