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Here’s a look at a couple of action movies recently released in ultra high definition disc format.
The King’s Man (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment System, R rated, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 131 minutes, $39.99) — Director Matthew Vaughn’s World War I espionage drama from late last year gave a lower-octane prequel to the previous two films in the Kingsman franchise, but a key origin of the secret, high-tech spy organization.
Now available in ultra-high-definition disc format, the story finds a world rocking on the brink of war in the early 20th century.
After witnessing the death of his wife during the Second Boer War, veteran and now pacifist Duke Orlando Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) vows to protect his sons. It creates an elite, ethical and deadly independent intelligence network to protect the British Empire from conflict and help history take a more positive course.
She enlists the help of maid and spy sniper Polly Watkins (Gemma Arterton), butler and bodyguard Shola (Djimon Hounsou) and her grown son Conrad (Harris Dickinson).
The intriguing historical overhaul revolves around stopping a shadow enemy named The Flock from destroying Britain, led by the mysterious Shephard (Matthew Goode).
The group, made up of Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner), and German occultist Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Brühl), is on a mission to manipulate Russia’s leaders, Tsar Nicholas II, England’s King George V and Kaiser Wilhelm. II of Germany, all cousins (and all played by Tom Hollander), went to war.
Throughout most of the movie, the excitement is high replaced by tragedy and emotion. But the last 30 minutes offer a more typical “Kingsman” movie as the team cleverly attacks the herd’s headquarters.
Although less crazy and dazzling than previous films, “The King’s Man” is still a welcome and entertaining addition to the series, led by Mr. Fiennes’ splendid performance and a strong cast.
The 2160p rendering, taken from a 2K digital vehicle, brings to life a grueling rescue mission in No-Man’s Land during the war, and the lavish period piece led by a ship that received a direct torpedo hit and sank to a fiery death.
Viewers will alike appreciate the extensive cinematography on land, air, and sea, the details of the soldiers’ costumes, and the endlessly extravagant rooms of the leader’s palaces.
The best extras: The included Blu-ray disc offers a generous, nearly 90-minute overview of the production, split into six tracks.
It covers extensively most aspects of the film, including story origins, character motivations, actual historical figures to tell the fictional story, actors, locations, spy weapons, set design, close range combat, costumes, cinematography, and musical score. All conclude with words from the director as well as the main cast and crew.
Suffice to say, fans of the franchise will appreciate its depth.
Next up is a detailed 16-minute breakdown of No-Man’s Land’s “silent” bladefight between German Stormtroopers and British Highlanders investigating battle rehearsals, design accuracy and weapons. The episode pulls together a history lesson in which Mr. Vaughn and his crew explain their vision for the climax scene.
Last but not least for the extras is a 30-minute inside look at the military veteran support groups, the Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes. The episode includes interviews with veterans and focuses on recovery through sport and competition, particularly the Invictus Games.
escape from LA (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, R rated, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 101 minutes, $25.99) — Actor Kurt Russell’s iconic anti-hero Snake Plissken returns to screens in 1996 in another post-apocalyptic rescue mission, as chronicled by legendary horror director John Carpenter.
Now remastered in 4K, the story of the decades-old cult favorite transports viewers back to 1998 and the USA in chaos after a major earthquake, with Los Angeles on an island now a prison for those who have committed moral crimes against America.
Fast forward to 2013 and Plissken is one of those morally corrupt and sent to LA. However, President Adam needs help. His daughter Utopia collaborated with the revolutionary Cuervo Jones to give him a world-changing weapon of mass destruction in a black box.
If Plissken secures the box and returns it to the president, he is free. As an added incentive, he’s been infected by a deadly virus, given through a scratch, and has 10 hours to complete the mission or die.
The story really isn’t just for Mr. Russell perfecting his impersonation of the snarling Clint Eastwood, but also for some pop culture icons like Peter Fonda (“Easy Rider”) as the surfer Pipeline; Bruce Campbell (“Evil Dead”) as Surgeon of Beverly Hills; Cliff Robertson (“Spider-Man”) as chairman; Steve Buscemi (“Reservoir Dogs”) as Map to the Star Eddie and Stacy Keach (“Mike Hammer”) for a taste of the scenery.
However, no matter how fondly I try to remember this B-movie as a sort of satirical reflection on society, “Escape from LA” is a $50 million high school production that boasted the most cheesy visual effects, silly dialogues, and an almost run-of-the-mill vibe.
A 4K restoration from the original camera negative was used for the Shout! The factory high resolution was released in 2020.
The same transmission is now available in this UHD version. Given that much of the action takes place at night, including a hilarious surfing and gliding scene, viewers will be impressed by the clarity throughout, punctuated by the occasional lightning bolt, acid rain flood, explosions, gunfire, and Plissken’s. Blue eye.
The best extras: Paramount offers zero bonus content, making it the best-looking version of the movie ever released in home theaters and theaters.
Forget about yelling! Factory put the studio giant to shame with its 2020 release, which is packed with 90 minutes of new interviews.
Could Paramount persuade Mr. Russell to come back and provide a filmmaker interview or optional commentary piece?
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