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: “Final Destination: Bloodlines”
The “Final Destination” series is one of the few horror franchises that truly understands its audience, but the last two films (2009’s “The Final Destination” and 2011’s “Final Destination 5”) were so underwhelming due to the repetitive formula and growing sense of diminishing returns that Warner Bros. seemingly lost interest in continuing the series. So, it came as quite the surprise when the studio announced it would be resurrecting the horror franchise with the first new installment in nearly 15 years. Though “Final Destination: Bloodlines” struggles to match the highs of the first three films, it’s a much better movie than the 2009 and 2011 editions thanks to some tense, well-designed death scenes as well as a few very big laughs. “Bloodlines” is not without its faults, but it’s a mostly enjoyable return to form for the series that delivers all the gory, over-the-top fun that fans have come to expect.
Extras include an audio commentary by directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes and an interview with actor Tony Todd. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Also Out This Week:
“Small Soldiers” (4K) — I never would have imagined a film like “Small Soldiers” would be given the 4K treatment before so many other deserving movies, but credit to Paramount for acknowledging the cult fanbase that the film has amassed over the years with this new SteelBook release. With that said, “Small Soldiers” is not a good movie, and it hasn’t aged particularly well, either. Though the practical effects by Stan Winston are great, and Joe Dante (“Gremlins”) was an inspired choice to direct the film, “Small Soldiers” is so cheesy, campy and just plain ridiculous — especially in the wake of “Toy Story,” which did the whole toys-come-to-life premise so much better — that it fails to fulfill its true potential. Extras include a making-of featurette and a blooper reel. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
