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: “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
While Marvel and DC fight for box office dominance, the “Planet of the Apes” series has quietly become one of the best movie franchises of the 21st century. Though it seemed like the most recent iteration of the series had drawn to a close following the trilogy-ending “War for the Planet of the Apes,” 20th Century Studios has decided to continue the story with another installment set 300 years after the events of the last film. As expected, the absence of Andy Serkis’ Caesar is definitely felt throughout the movie, but the new characters grow on you over time, so much so that an entirely new trilogy centered around Owen Teague’s Noa doesn’t sound like such a bad idea by the end. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” admittedly runs a bit long — it’s the longest film in the franchise, and the second act suffers as a result — but it’s yet another solid installment that, despite not matching the highs of the previous trilogy, is still better than most other blockbuster films.
Extras include a making-of featurette and a collection of deleted/extended scenes with optional commentary by director Wes Ball. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Also Out This Week:
Succession: The Complete Series” — HBO’s “Succession” isn’t just one of the network’s best shows of all time — it’s arguably one of the best television dramas period. Everything about “Succession” is top-notch, from the acting to the writing to the direction to Nicholas Britell’s incredible score and more. They all work in unison to create a very specific tone and mood that courses throughout the show’s wildly entertaining four-season run. With that said, it’s hard to look past the extraordinary performances on display, and though they’re all fantastic in their own right, Sarah Snook’s career-making turn as Siobhan Roy is one for the ages. “Succession” really is that good, which made the decision last year to only release this Complete Series set on DVD mind-boggling, to say the least. Fortunately, Warner Bros. has seen the error of its ways by finally making the series available on Blu-ray, which is a major win for physical media collectors everywhere. Extras include the previously released “Inside the Episode” featurettes, character recaps, some cast and crew interviews, and more. FINAL VERDICT: BUY
“The Watchers” — There’s no denying that Ishana Shyamalan is the daughter of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan because her debut feature, “The Watchers,” contains all the hallmarks of his movies, both stylistically and narratively. And just like M. Night’s recent work, “The Watchers” (based on the novel by A.M. Shine) contains an intriguing premise that quickly devolves into a boring, illogical mess. The “twist,” as it were, isn’t all that surprising, while the characters are so poorly developed that it’s hard to care what happens to any of them. Though Shyamalan’s debut isn’t a complete disaster, at least from a technical standpoint, it’s the kind of film that likely never would have been made without the backing of her famous father. Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at making the film and a deleted scene. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
“Watchmen: Chapter 1” — It was only a matter of time before the DC Animated team took a swing at adapting Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal comic book series “Watchmen,” and it’s actually not half bad, though that may be simply due to the quality of the source material itself. It’s certainly better than the typical DC animated film, despite a unique animation style that looks great in some scenes and awful in others. Though it differs slightly from Moore and Gibbons’ original story, “Chapter 1” — which roughly covers the first half of the 12-issue maxiseries — is a mostly frame-by-frame remake that even includes the “Curse of the Black Freighter” story-within-a-story. For as much as the movie gets right, however, this animated version is so much like its source material that it doesn’t really add anything new to the experience. As such, you’d be better off just reading the comic itself or watching the underrated 2009 Zack Snyder film, both of which are much more enjoyable. Extras include a pair of featurettes on the creation of the original comic book series and its adaptation into animated form. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
