VIDEO THEY'LL BE BACK ... MAYBE SCHWARZENEGGER, COSTNER SWING AND MISS.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

Two major stars of the '80s and '90s returned with films earlier this year - Arnold Schwarzenegger in ``Collateral Damage'' and Kevin Costner in ``Dragonfly.''

Neither of the stars have the drawing power they once had, and neither of these two films, both out on DVD today, had much firepower at the box office. They are not bad, but mostly ho-hum, giving hints of wanting to be more but never delivering. Curiously, there are similar themes and even odd resolutions, which I won't reveal here.

In ``Damage,'' directed by Andrew Davis (``The Fugitive''), Schwarzenegger plays a Los Angeles firefighter, Gordy, whose wife and son are killed when Colombian terrorists plant a bomb in an assassination attempt. Their deaths are collateral damage in the war on drugs, according to a CIA agent, Brandt (Elias Koteas), who advises Gordy to forget about it and go home. But of course he doesn't and instead heads to Colombia after the killers. (The film's original release date was shortly after 9/11 but was moved for obvious reasons).

There is the usual verbal macho confrontation. ``Seems like we're both willing to kill for a cause, so what's the difference between you and I?'' the terrorist responsible for civilian deaths asks scornfully. ``The difference is,'' Gordy the fireman replies, sounding more like the terminator, ``I'm only gonna kill you.''

This from a man who seemed like Jell-O not long before. Giving Schwarzenegger an emotional face seemed to be part of the plan, but by the end, tired action cliches overwhelm the film, drowning out any sympathy for Gordy or the few substantial plot ideas.

In ``Dragonfly,'' directed by Tom Shadyac (``Patch Adams'' - need we say more?), Costner plays a Chicago doctor, Joe Darrow, mourning for his wife, Emily - a Red Cross doctor who was killed in a bus accident while helping people in Venezuela. Her body was never found, but Joe - who doesn't believe in the afterlife - starts receiving messages from her, mostly from children who have had near-death experiences and have seen her in a white light.

Eventually, after the usual movie eerie events - apparitions, ominous signs, moved objects - Joe sees the light. But it takes him a while, and along the way some pretty good actors - Kathy Bates, Linda Hunt, Joe Morton - pick up a paycheck for playing cliched characters. The DVD includes an interview with best-selling author Betty Eadie, who describes her own near-death experience and seeing the light.

I'm not going to discount Eadie's experience, or anyone else who believes in people communicating from beyond the grave, but my guess is that anyone coming back wouldn't spend time watching this movie.

WHO KNOWS WHAT `EVIL': I never saw the attraction of video games. You spend a lot of time trying to get from one level to another only to run into a different nemesis. Essentially, video games are badly stripped-down action movies - there is a goal and clues to figure out when you're not busy shooting up lots of people, places and things. The key, though, is you (as a participant) are at the center.

Turning Resident Evil, one of the most popular video games around, into a movie illustrates the dilemma of that endeavor. Now you have a stripped-down action movie - with a goal and a few clues for the characters to figure when they're not busy shooting up lots of people, places and things - except without you at the center. So what's the point?

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (``Soldier,'' ``Mortal Kombat,'' another video game), ``Resident Evil'' has wide-eyed Milla Jovovich and tough-girl Michelle Rodriguez trying to stop ... let's not go there. Like a video game, things keep changing. Suffice it to say they are in the Hive, an underground extended laboratory of a greedy biotech firm called the Umbrella Corp. (that's subtle). Also suffice it to say that on one level, life becomes ``Night of the Living Dead'' for the girls, and night of the endless ramped-up violence and numbing music for anyone looking for a real film.

BUILT FOR 'SPEED': Who would have thought that ``Speed'' would look like a classic compared to the previous three films talked about, but the 1994 flick, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper, and directed by Jan De Bont (``Twister''), is as close to a perfect action flick as you're going to get. Today it's out on a special two-disc DVD with extended scenes, Easter eggs, action sequence featurettes and cast interviews.

You remember the pop quiz that bad-guy Howard Payne (Hopper) gives Reeves' character: ``There's a bomb on the bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles per hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, the bus blows up. Whaddya do, Jack?'' Well, if you're looking for summer escapism to bring home, then get on the bus.

``Collateral Damage'' (Warner) lists for $26.90 on DVD and includes commentary by Schwarzenegger and Davis. It lists for $22.90 on VHS.

``Dragonfly'' (Universal) lists for $26.90 on DVD and includes commentary by Shadyac. It's not available on VHS.

``Resident Evil'' (Columbia) lists for $27.96 on DVD and includes commentary by Anderson. It's not available on VHS.

``Speed (Five Star Collection)'' (Fox) lists for $26.90 on DVD and includes commentary by De Bont.

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SCHWARZENEGGER: Out for revenge

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