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: “F1: The Movie”
Director Joseph Kosinski earned a lot of praise for his work on “Top Gun: Maverick,” and rightfully so, but for my money, “F1: The Movie” is a better film. It’s one of the best sports dramas in recent memory — a ridiculously entertaining crowd-pleaser that delivers authentic, high-octane racing sequences that make you feel like you’re in the driver’s seat. The cast is solid across the board (especially Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon and relative newcomer Damson Idris), but this is Brad Pitt’s film through and through, and the actor delivers a classic Pitt performance in a role that feels almost tailor-made for him. Though there have been some pretty great racing movies in recent years, from “Ford v Ferrari” to “Gran Turismo,” none deliver an experience quite like “F1: The Movie.” It may be formulaic, which is a product of the subgenre itself, but it’s a winning formula that works extremely well, resulting in a familiar yet exhilarating underdog sports movie that is not only incredibly enjoyable but immensely rewatchable as well.
Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at making the movie — from table reads to location shooting to recording the score — as well as in-depth featurettes on filming the crash sequence, the Red Flag sequence and more. FINAL VERDICT: BUY
Also Out This Week:
“The Bad Guys 2” — As far as DreamWorks Animation franchises go, “The Bad Guys” is certainly one of their better properties, even if the movies themselves aren’t all that memorable. Loosely based on the children’s book series by Aaron Blabey, “The Bad Guys 2” follows the titular gang of criminal critters as they navigate their new lives as reformed “good guys,” only to get pulled back into the world of crime when they’re framed for a series of heists. Though the humor is about as sophisticated as you’d expect for a kid’s movie — which is to say, expect plenty of fart jokes — “The Bad Guys 2” manages to stand out in other ways, from its stylized animation to its excellent voice cast. The plot itself is fairly predictable, and the pacing could be tighter, but it’s a serviceable follow-up that should satisfy fans of the first film. Extras include an audio commentary by director Pierre Perifel, co-director JP Sans and various crew, as well as a collection of behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes and the new short film, “Little Lies and Alibis.” FINAL VERDICT: RENT
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” — The “I Know What You Did Last Summer” franchise has been riding the coattails of the “Scream” series since the ‘90s, so it’s only fitting that the teen slasher flick has received its own legacy sequel following 2022’s “Scream.” Unfortunately, the 2025 rendition is a complete waste of time. The cast is boring, the death scenes are mostly pedestrian, and even the setup itself is dumb, changing the circumstances of its central conflict so that the characters involved aren’t even really at fault. The big twist is also poorly conceived, giving away the killer’s identity within the first 30 minutes to anyone paying attention, not to mention the fact that their motivation makes no sense. Though Hollywood has proven that it’s more than happy to mine old ideas instead of coming up with new ones, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” is a stark reminder that it takes more than a little nostalgia to make a good movie. Extras include a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, outtakes and more. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
“Silverado” (4K) — After decades of prominence in Hollywood, the Western had all but died out by the 1980s. There were still people working within the genre, but far fewer than before, and even fewer of the films were any good. 1985’s “Silverado” is arguably the most well-regarded of that era thanks to its star-studded cast and traditional Western aesthetic. All four leads deliver solid work in their respective roles, while supporting turns from Brian Dennehy, Jeff Goldblum, Linda Hunt and John Cleese round out the fantastic ensemble. Although the movie feels a bit unfocused at times due to the episodic nature of its script, especially in the second act as the gunslinging heroes go off on separate adventures before eventually reuniting for the big climax, “Silverado” hits enough of the right notes to succeed as an entertaining throwback to classic Western films. Extras include an audio commentary by film historian Frank Thompson, University of New Mexico history professor Paul Hutton and UCLA history professor Steve Aaron, as well as a making-of featurette and an interview with Kevin Costner. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
“The Quick and the Dead” (4K) — After gaining notoriety with the “Evil Dead” films, Sam Raimi spent much of the ‘90s trying to expand his horizons by working in all sorts of genres, from crime thrillers (“A Simple Plan”) to sports dramas (“For the Love of the Game”) to supernatural horror (“The Gift”). Perhaps his most popular film of that era is 1995’s “The Quick and the Dead,” which blends classic Western elements with his high-energy (and at times cartoonish) visual style to create an incredibly distinctive genre flick. Unfortunately, that combination causes the movie to be at odds with itself more often than not, as Raimi’s highly stylized direction clashes with its somber narrative. The cast is so good — especially Gene Hackman as the villainous town mayor — that the film is enjoyable in spite of its flaws, but while “The Quick and the Dead” has gone on to become a bit of a cult classic, it never reaches the heights that it probably should. Extras include a collection of deleted scenes. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
