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: “Loki: The Complete Second Season”
Much like its recent output in theaters, Marvel’s small-screen projects have been pretty hit-and-miss as well. At the top of that “hits” list is “Loki,” which builds upon its well-received debut season with an even better follow-up that puts a nice little bow on the God of Mischief’s 10-year arc in the MCU. Tom Hiddleston is once again fantastic as the title character — perhaps only second to Robert Downey Jr. as Marvel’s smartest piece of casting — but it’s the return of Jonathan Majors (as Kang variant Victor Timely) that really supercharges the second season. It’s unfortunate that Majors’ personal issues muddied his involvement in the series (and landed him the axe from future projects) because his performance here is so engaging and so unique from his previous Kang characters that he could have been Marvel’s next great villain. Though Disney would almost certainly continue to crank out additional seasons of “Loki” if it were up to them, Marvel’s decision to finish things on their own terms provides the perfect ending not just for Loki but for Hiddleston as well.
Extras include the “Assembled” making-of documentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel and more. FINAL VERDICT: BUY
Also Out This Week:
“The Mandalorian: The Complete Third Season” & “Ahsoka: The Complete First Season” — The “Star Wars” franchise may have stalled out on the big screen, but the TV division has shown no signs of slowing down since the debut of “The Mandalorian” back in 2019. The Pedro Pascal-led drama remains the crown jewel in the Lucasfilm streaming library, and it continues to thrive in its third season thanks to its great cast of characters. However, the first season of spin-off series “Ahsoka” provides the better overall experience, both as a continuation of the animated series “The Clone Wars” and through its water-cooler moments, especially the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker. Though neither season is among the best things that Disney+ has released under the “Star Wars” brand, they’re both solid additions to the franchise that succeed in furthering the existing mythology while also providing the kind of fan service that makes “Star Wars” so much fun to support. Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at making the two series, as well as a tribute to actor Carl Weathers. FINAL VERDICT: BUY
“Alien: Romulus” — Set between the events of the original “Alien” and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, “Alien: Romulus” is a mostly pointless installment that does nothing to deepen or further the overarching mythology. Additionally, the characters aren’t particularly interesting except for David Jonsson’s synthetic Andy, with most of them becoming cannon fodder before the midway mark. Though the film delivers everything you’d expect from an “Alien” movie, including face huggers, Xenomorphs and the cold loneliness of space, it feels like director Fede Alvarez is simply checking off boxes rather than trying to tell a compelling story. Alvarez creates some nice tension early on, and there’s a cool zero-G sequence in the final act, but those moments are few and far between, leading to one of the dumbest endings in the entire franchise. “Alien: Romulus” was supposed to be a new beginning for the series, but just like “Prometheus” and “Covenant” before it, “Romulus” fails to replicate what made the first two movies cult classics. Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at making the film, a conversation with Alvarez and Ridley Scott for the “Alien” 45th anniversary theatrical re-release, some deleted scenes and more. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
“Watchmen: Chapter 2” — Whether you loved or hated “Watchmen: Chapter 1,” DC’s animated adaptation of the first half of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal comic book series, your feelings about “Chapter 2” are unlikely to be any different, as it’s pretty much just more of the same. If nothing else, the release of “Chapter 2” only highlights just how silly (and greedy) it was to break up the story into two parts because it’s best experienced as one cohesive piece. While this animated version captures all the highlights of the comic, including the infamous giant squid that was cut from Zack Snyder’s live-action film, it’s so much like the source material that, much like “Chapter 1,” it’s hard to justify its existence. Extras include a pair of featurettes on the creation of the original comic book series and its adaptation into animated form, as well as a deeper look into Gibbons’ design of the “Watchmen” universe. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
“Pulp Fiction: Collector’s Edition” — If “Reservoir Dogs” is the movie that put Quentin Tarantino on the map, then “Pulp Fiction” is the film that made him a household name. Though it’s a much bigger movie — in size, scope and ambition — it shares many of the same technical and thematic elements of his directorial debut. “Reservoir Dogs” arguably has the snappier dialogue, but the screenplay for “Pulp Fiction” is richer and more nuanced, showcasing Tarantino’s mastery of character and storytelling, especially the way that the nonlinear narrative rewards the audience with additional layers and hidden details. It also contains some knockout performances from Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta, as well as a bevy of fun supporting turns from Uma Thurman, Eric Stoltz, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer, among others. Though this isn’t the first time “Pulp Fiction” has been released on 4K, this latest edition celebrating the film’s 30th anniversary comes packaged with collectibles like lobby card reproductions, a photography contact sheet and stickers. Extras include a roundtable discussion with Tarantino and the cast, a behind-the-scenes look at making the film, deleted scenes, an enhanced trivia track and more. FINAL VERDICT: BUY
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
