If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

For perhaps the first time in WWF history, the 1993 edition of the Royal Rumble managed to create individual matches in the event (in this case Michaels/Janetty and Hart/Ramon) that overshadowed the Rumble itself. Unfortunately, this was only because the Rumble was so weak in and of itself.Basically, besides a few guys (Ted DiBiase, Randy Savage, Undertaker) that were still likable (although most of those were even past their respective primes), the entire "main event" consisted of nothing but "jobbers" (wrestle-speak for placeholders in between stars) and big fat guys (always go over better than shrimps). It wasn't anything like years past, where every other guy would elicit a huge reaction (one way or another) from the crowd.Plus, although commentator Gorilla Monsoon is always excellent, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan again will make you want to watch the whole tape on "mute", which really takes away a lot of the fun (at least it would have in the Jesse "The Body" Ventura years).Overall, this is a very "skippable" event in your quest through the RR series. It serves its purpose to advance the story lines into Wrestlemania and even puts together a few good stand-alone matches, but the main event is utterly boring.

Live from Sacramento, CAAttendance: 16,000Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby HeenanThe Steiner Brothers Vs The Beverly BrothersThe Steiner's win after Scott hits a frankensteiner. This was an above average opener. I felt this was a good debut match for The Steiner's to really strut their stuff. You can't ask for much more than you got here.**3/4Intercontinental ChampionshipShawn Michaels (C) Vs Marty JannettySensational Sherri is gonna be in a neutral corner. Shawn wins with a superkick after Sherri accidentally nails Janetty with her shoe. These two stole the show with this match! Jannetty starts off like a house of fire like any intense feud should. Shawn and Marty also gave us some excellent psychology before the match turned into one near-fall after another. It's an excellent match. Thankfully, all the Sherri drama didn't detract from the match****Shawn Michaels confronts Sherri backstage and tees off on her. Marty runs in and brawls with Shawn. The Big Bossman Vs Bam Bam BigelowBigelow wins with a diving headbutt from the top. These guys were doomed to fail after the clinic Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty put on, but it still wasn't a very good match. It moved at a pretty slow pace and lacked excitement. Both of these guys are good wrestlers for their size. They just didn't click here.*1/2WWF ChampionshipBret Hart (C) Vs Razor RamonBret wins with the Sharpshooter. This is an underrated match. Bret proved he was the best wrestler in the world at the time, and Razor held his own as well. This is one of those matches that doesn't get talked about enough as far as great Rumble matches go.***3/4Bobby Heenan unveils "The Narcissist" Lex Luger. It's worth watching simply for Bobby Heenan's performance. He's magnificent here.Royal Rumble MatchYokozuna wins after eliminating Randy Savage. This is an average Royal Rumble for the most part. It does have some standout moments. Mr. Perfect eliminating Ric Flair garnered a big pop from the crowd. Bob Backlund lasted all the way until the end and got a standing ovation for his efforts. The crowed booed when he got eliminated. Giant Gonzalez debuted and eliminated The Undertaker. (That was more dubious than standout) One thing that made me shake my head was how Yokozuna won the rumble. Savage hits the flying elbow from the top and goes to pin him. Yokozuna simply powers him off over the top rope and to the floor. It made Savage look really stupid. **1/4Aside from the Royal Rumble match itself, this was a really good card. Shawn Michaels vs Marty Jannetty and Bret Hart vs Razor Ramon are both fantastic matches. If the Rumble match wasn't so forgettable, this could have been a classic PPV.6.5/10

*SPOILERS*The Royal Rumble seems to follow an inverse proportion: the better the Rumble, the worse the undercard. The exception is 1991, which had a great undercard and the best battle royal yet. Nowadays, the undercard is always fantastic, while the battle royal is just short of pathetic.In 1993, the undercard was fine, while the battle royal started off well and just ended horribly. The Steiners had about as good a match as was possible with the Beverly Brothers. The Big Bossman and Bam Bam Bigelow, the two best superheavyweight performers ever, did quite well.The two title matches were outstanding. Few remember that Razor Ramon was actually favored to beat Bret Hart. This match showed us that Bret was not a fluke champion and solidified him as one of the better champions. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty put on a great match. Remember, later that year they would wrestle in 1993's Match of the Year. The aftermath of this match is a treat, as Sensational Sherri gets really emotional and Gene Okerlund uses language that is still WWE taboo.The battle royal was mixed. Curt Hennig was impressive, eliminating three legends (Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler and Skinner). The Undertaker also accounted for himself well. Bob Backlund performed none of the heroics of Ric Flair from the year before and probably should not have broken iron man record. Backlund's record will never be broken. Once Yokozuna showed up, it was downhill. The match had a really boring ending, and they probably could have done better. Still, it was a good surprise having him win. So see it if you can.

Highlights: Steiners and Beverlys had a decent opener, Steiners first PPV in WWF. The IC title match was great, Jannetty returned after a year and Sherri returned after 3 months but Michaels still gets the better of them both. The match : Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect's confrontation was classic especially with Bobby Heenan selling in the booth. The WWF should have used Perfect's performance to built him into a main-eventer. The crowd went nuts for him! Bob Backlund showed he can still go. Nice to see Carlos Calon on a PPV. Yokozuna and Earthquake also had a great standoff, and he was the right choice to go over. Lex Luger should not have been brought in like that. Bigelow's match with Bossman was a squash. Bret Hart and Razor Ramon was forgettable. Giant Gonzalez run in took way