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: “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple”
Released only seven months after “28 Years Later,” “The Bone Temple” picks up the story right where the previous installment ended, with young Spike now fending for himself on the mainland after leaving the safety of his island. But while the script is once again written by Alex Garland, which is helpful in maintaining a throughline across this new trilogy, the film’s look and tone are noticeably different under the direction of Nia DaCosta, and it serves the story well. It’s certainly an improvement upon the disappointing and disjointed “28 Years Later,” thanks in large part to a pair of charismatic performances by Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell. “The Bone Temple” still doesn’t hit the highs of the original film, but DaCosta brings enough of a fresh perspective to the material to actually get you excited about the potential for a third installment, which is not something that seemed very likely a year ago.
Extras include an audio commentary by DaCosta, a behind-the-scenes look at making the film, a deleted scene and some bloopers. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Also Out This Week:
“Die My Love” — Writer/director Lynne Ramsay isn’t one to stray from difficult material, but while past films like “You Were Never Really There” and “We Need to Talk About Kevin” managed to deliver captivating experiences in spite of their unsettling narratives, “Die My Love” is unable to replicate that formula. Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic in the lead role as a woman suffering from a severe case of postpartum depression, but the story beats are so repetitive and tedious as Ramsay attempts to immerse the audience in her protagonist’s mental health struggles that you feel personally beaten down long before it’s over. That may very well be the point of the film, but while there’s no denying that Ramsay has created an incredibly authentic portrayal of postpartum depression, it’s not something that anyone should willingly want to endure. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
“Primate” — Just when you thought Hollywood couldn’t get any dumber, along comes writer/director Johannes Roberts’ slasher flick about a pet chimpanzee who goes on a killing spree after he’s bitten by a rabies-infected mongoose. It’s a film so absurd that it sounds like one of those fake trailers from “Grindhouse” – the kind of campy midnight movie that is good for a few laughs but nothing else. Unfortunately, “Primate” takes itself so seriously that you can’t even enjoy it on that level. The characters are complete idiots, while the chimpanzee is surprisingly smart and calculated for an animal that’s supposed to be in a state of rabid frenzy. Trying to apply any sort of logic to this B-movie creature feature may be a losing battle, but it only serves to highlight just how little thought went into making it. Extras include an audio commentary by Roberts and producer Walter Hamada, as well as a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes. FINAL VERDICT: SKIP
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
