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: “Minions & Monsters”
The “Minions” movies have never quite lived up to the “Despicable Me” films, mainly because the spinoff franchise feels more like a cash grab designed to sell merch and theme park tickets than anything of actual substance. The films lack the emotional core of the main series, and the chaos-loving creatures are just more effective in supporting roles. With that said, “Minions & Monsters” is the first installment that is actually somewhat enjoyable, thanks in part to the decision to focus on a different tribe of Minions. Though its canon-breaking premise ignores everything that came before it, this love letter to silent-era Hollywood is the perfect vehicle for the Minions’ Chaplin-esque antics. The movie loses steam in the latter half as it pivots to a more traditional narrative, but there are enough fun gags to keep you entertained.
Extras include a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes and more. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Also Out This Week:
“Batman: Knightfall – Part One” — The ‘90s comic book era was defined by major crossover events and bold character shakeups that radically transformed the industry, and DC Comics played a prominent role with the publication of story arcs like “The Death of Superman” and “Knightfall.” The latter served as my gateway into Batman comics as a kid, so it’s awesome to see the iconic story finally brought to life on the screen, even if it’s only in animated form. Though the quality of DC Animation’s films has gotten pretty bad lately, “Knightfall: Part One” is an encouraging step in the right direction. It’s far from perfect, but it’s a mostly faithful adaptation that does a good job of exploring a different side of the Caped Crusader while also introducing one of his most dangerous enemies in Bane, who has never been more terrifying than he is here. Granted, the next two installments will ultimately determine if DC Animation was successful with its adaptation of “Knightfall,” but it’s off to a promising start. Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at making the film and a featurette on the important role Robin plays in Batman mythology. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
“Passenger” — Jump scares can be incredibly effective when used the right way, but André Øvredal’s supernatural horror movie “Passenger” relies on them so often that it becomes a crutch, especially when the film offers little else. It’s neither suspenseful nor particularly thrilling, and though the demonic entity who’s stalking the nomadic couple at the center of the movie is certainly creepy, the viewer is given so little information about how or why any of this is happening that it feels like the filmmakers are just making it up as they go along. “Passengers” could have been a lot scarier if it did a better job of injecting the movie with the kind of suffocating, relentless dread found in fellow supernatural stalkers like “It Follows,” but as it stands, the film is so lackluster that it’s a bit of a nothingburger. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
