Blu Tuesday is a weekly column where we review the newest Blu-ray and 4K releases, along with a brief rundown of the included bonus material, to determine whether they’re worth buying, renting or skipping.
Pick of the Week: “The Black Phone”
Marvel fans were admittedly a bit bummed when “Doctor Strange” director Scott Derrickson walked away from helming the film’s sequel due to “creative differences,” but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Not only did comic book fans get to welcome Sam Raimi back into the Marvel fold with “Doctor Strange 2,” but Derrickson went off to make this enjoyable horror-thriller alongside writing partner C. Robert Cargill. Based on the short story by Joe Hill, “The Black Phone” takes the well-worn child abduction narrative and turns it on its head with a supernatural component that feels fresh and exciting. The two main child actors are quite good in their respective roles, while Ethan Hawke delivers a menacing performance as the film’s antagonist. Though “The Black Phone” is definitely more thriller than horror, it’s a well-made genre piece that makes the most of its simple premise.
Extras include an audio commentary by director/co-writer Scott Derrickson, as well as a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes, some deleted scenes and the Derrickson-directed short film “Shadowprowler.” FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Also Out This Week:
“Jurassic World Dominion” — “Jurassic World Dominion” is about as messy as you’d expect for the sixth film in a franchise that has long overstayed its welcome, but at least it’s not as bad as “Fallen Kingdom” or “The Lost World,” both of which are easily the worst installments of their respective series. If there’s any good that comes from “Jurassic World Dominion,” it’s watching the legacy characters (played by Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum) interact with the new franchise stars, even if it takes until the third act for everyone to come together. Sadly, the rest of the movie plays out exactly as expected. There are no real stakes since every major character has plot armor, while many of the big set pieces involve similar situations from past films. (Did we really need another dinosaur brawl?) Despite its many shortcomings, “Jurassic World Dominion” offers just enough enjoyment thanks to its obvious love for the franchise and the characters that inhabit it. Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at making the movie and the Colin Trevorrow-directed short film “Battle at Big Rock.” FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
