Beasts, action and men o’ war
LOGAN: This 4K-UHD release offers a flawless transfer that maximises the impact of the virtuosic visual effects and the wondrous desert landscapes in what’s more like a classic American western or violent road movie than just another X-Men adventure.
On the in-depth commentary and making of extras, director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman, who channels Mel Gibson as a twilight Wolverine, discuss how they wanted Logan to be about the hero’s humanity rather than his superpowers, even though the narrative owes more to the X-23 comic books than Old Man Logan. Beauty and the Beast: Fans of this sumptuously mounted live-action musical will delight in the karaoke-style extra that includes sing-a-long lyrics to the 12 songs (which can be played backto-back independent of the movie).
There’s also an insight into how the songs were costumed and choreographed while the making-of half-hour reveals how the sets and digital effects were created, including the motion capture technology that summoned up the Beast.
The demo-worthy Blu-ray transfer is a beautiful feast of colour, clarity and detail, complete with a 7.1 soundtrack to really make the music pop. The Great Wall: Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal are the Butch and Sundance of ancient China in an action fantasy so daft it makes Kung Fu Panda look like Seven Samurai. They play bantering mercenaries who help to defend the Great Wall from invading hordes of green monsters that might have escaped from a Godzilla movie.
Spectacle wins out over intellect in two hours of mindless, CGI-driven escapism that looks and sounds fantastic in 4K-UHD. The not-so-great extras include deconstructions of three key battle scenes and how the visual effects were achieved. Life: Before next month’s release of Alien Covenant, see how this sci-fi thriller measures up to the Alien of nearly 40 years ago.
About an International Space Station crew who unwittingly unleash on board a murderous life form from Mars, it’s a taut, tightly made tribute to Ridley Scott’s original before the franchise went down the black hole of its own mythology. The shocks are mild but will make you squirm and the visual effects are executed with frightening finesse. The ending’s not a complete surprise but is still a sleight-of-hand hoot while the making-of extras are fun and informative. T2 Trainspotting: This entertaining but far less edgy sequel reunites the Edinburgh junkies in middle-age malaise. While it feels engineered rather than organic, their journey from likely lads to sad dads is sharply written, there are shrewd twists, and the performances and direction enthral.
Extras include half-an-hour of deleted scenes, a chatty commentary with director Danny Boyle and screenwriter John Hodge, and a director-cast reunion in which lead Ewan McGregor reveals Hodge never thought he was the right for the role. So much for talent-spotting. Gold: Matthew McConaughey transforms himself with almost Weta Digital dexterity into a balding, boozing, beer-bellied, ‘80s fortune hunter desperate to rebuild his father’s crumbling mining empire by drilling for gold in Suharto’s Indonesia.
Based on a true story, it leavens one man’s self-destructive quest for redemption with political skulduggery, Wall St subterfuge and ripping adventure. Extras are of the fool’s gold variety, save for deleted footage that would have improved the final cut and a detailed director’s commentary. Black Sails: Ahoy! The fourth and final season of this dazzling swashbuckler lands here two months ahead of the US. The downside of being first to see it on Blu-ray is it has been expedited without the extras that are still being compiled for the US release. So this is a bare-bones version of the skulls-and-crossbones sensation that’s improved from a Vikings-lite in its first season to shades of Master and Commander in its fourth.
The opulent production values are superbly showcased on Blu-ray and while it also lacks subtitles, clear dialogue is one of the 5.1 audio’s strengths.