Legion of Super-Heroes (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
February 7th, 2023 by Gregg Senko
DC and Warner Bros. Animation keep churning out hit after hit with their animated films. While some are certainly better than others, this line of films seems to do quite well in the direct-to-disc format. The first DC Universe film this year is Legion of Super-Heroes directed by Jeff Wamester. Wamester is no stranger to the animated scene as he previously directed Batman: The Long Halloween and Justice Society: World War II, just to name a mere few from his lengthy resumé.
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On January 24th, Lionsgate released the 25th Anniversary Edition 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray of the film Belly, which was the only film directed by prolific music video director Hype Williams. Boasting tow of hip hop’s biggest names at the time; Nas and DMX, the film features some big stylistic flourish and a bumping soundtrack. This new edition features a Dolby Atmos track and carries over its previous extras. There’s a steelbook version and a standard version available for the film. If you’re wanting the standard 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray, you can order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of this page following the review.
Last fall, Disney unleashed their sci-fi family animated adventure Strange World upon theaters. Unfortunately this one was a whiff for them at the box off. Coupled with Lightyear, it was not a financially sound year at the box office for their animated science fiction fantasies. Nonetheless, it became their Christmas Day Disney+ movie release and will now be making its way to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. It comes with an Atmos track as well as a handful of bonus featurettes. If you order from Best Buy, you can get the collectible steelbook version which was the edition that was used for this review. If you don’t care for fancy packaging, then there is a standard 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray version that you can order from any given retailer. Both versions arrive on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, so maybe you get one for that person you fancy or they get one for you?
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was one of the top grossing films of last year, and one that probably peaked the most curiosity of tentpoles. The loss of Chadwick Boseman was one of the most tragic and I’m sure we all convened together in fandom for this movie to be his wake. Its not time for it to hit the streaming and home video platforms. For us physical media collectors, the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release of the film will be arriving on shelves and online stores on February 7th. It comes with an Atmos track, a couple featurettes, commentary, deleted scenes and a gag reel (Aaron Neuwirth’s favorite special feature). Various retailers will have different version of it available (Steelbook, digibook, etc). You can order yourself the standard one by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Scream Factory is continuing to make a sweep of updating its former Blu-ray Collector’s Editions to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. Next up for them is the Don Coscarelli cult classic Bubba Ho-Tep that stars Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis as an aged Elvis and man than thinks he’s JFK in a retirement home being attacked by an ancient mummy. All of the previous Collector’s Edition’s bonus materials are being carried over as well as the audio. You’ll be able to pick this one up on February 7th. You can order yourself one or buy the coolest gift for a loved one, by pre-ordering a copy using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Back in 2017, Scream Factory unleashed a pretty stacked 2-disc edition of Zack Snyder and James Gunn’s retread through the mall zombie epic Dawn of the Dead. That edition had 2 cuts of the film and discs full and full of new material and archival features. Now, its come time for them to give it the 4K Ultra-HD upgrade. This time around, only the video transfer is going to be new. They’ve polished up the Unrated cut of the film with a new 4K scan from the original negative (2K for the insert footage). Dawn of the Dead (2004) will release at the very end of January on the 31st. Be sure to get your pre-order in using the paid Amazon Associates link that will be there when you scroll to the bottom of this review.
This past October, Dwayne Johnson’s long courted passion project over at DC of bringing to life a film about the Shazam villain Black Adam, finally unleashed upon audiences. What promised to change the hierarchy of the DC Universe did so in many ways I think it did not plan on. Nonetheless, Johnson’s project DID finally get made. And now its coming to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on January 3rd, making it the first superhero comic book movie on home video in the year of 2023. This comes loaded with extras and a Dolby Atmos track. Pre-order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
25 years ago, I had a great year with films. All mainstream, yet somehow so wonderful, different, and fun, I was lucky enough to see quite a few that left an indelible mark on my love of movies. One such movie, My Best Friend’s Wedding came to me as an eye-rolling consequence of having an older sister. At the time, I was denying my own coming out, at age 12, and trying to be decidedly macho in my movie choices. The reasoning behind that is all but lost to me now, as I revisit My Best Friend’s Wedding for what seems like the umpteenth time, with this new 4K UHD Blu-ray edition, which was released very quietly, and hard to acquire, in mid-December. Read more on this classic comedy and if you didn’t know this was available in 4K, it is and can be yours by clicking the paid link at the end of this review!
David Gordon Green’s alternate timeline of what comes after John Carpenter’s 1977 Halloween found its conclusion this past fall. The trilogy as a whole found itself a smashing success since 2018, raking in almost half a billion on merely 60 million for all three movies. The final piece, Halloween Ends will be arriving for 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray purchase on December 27th. So you can spend your holiday money on a movie for a different holiday. It features plenty of featurettes, deleted scenes and a commentary with a lot of people involved. You can pre-order it if you want, and hopefully it comes on the release date. And if you’re extra cool, you’ll use the paid Amazon Associates link below.
One of the films I was bummed I wasn’t able to catch in theaters when I had Covid back in September was The Woman King. And when I went around to play catch up, times just weren’t lining up for me. So I’m very excited to check out the well reviewed and successful film when it arrives on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. It come equipped with an Atmos track and a handful of interviews/featurettes to take in as well as a commentary track. The Woman King will be available on December 13th and you can order yourself a copy of it by clicking on the paid Amazon Associates link that follows this review at the bottom of the page. As always, thanks to those who do!
If there’s one thing that Shout! Factory can excel at, its getting 80s classics onto the latest home video formats in the more celebrated fashions. During Hanukkah and just before Christmas hits this year, they’ll be putting out Jon Badham’s 1983 classic, WarGames starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy. Just ahead of its 40th anniversary, this 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray debut features a new 4K scan from the original camera negative. All extras from the Blu-ray edition are intact. You’ll be able to pick this one up on December 20th. If you want to, you can pre-order it using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
One of 2022’s biggest box office success stories has come in the form of the original horror film, Smile. Paramount’s little horror flick that came from a short film has generated over $200 million and was able to cross $100 million stateside. As of writing, the film is still in the Top 13 grossing films of the Thanksgiving weekend. Quite an impressive little run for this movie, considering it has been on Paramount+ for a few weeks. The well reviewed film arrives on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on December 13th and will come with a host of extras including a commentary, the original short film, deleted scenes and more. Order yourself a copy of one of the year’s most successful horror films by clicking on the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of the page.
David O. Russell returned to theaters back in October with the star heavy cast ensemble film Amsterdam. This marked his first film since 2015’s Joy. Leading the charge of this one were Margot Robbie, John David Washington and Christian Bale. This “don’t make them like they used to” type movie didn’t really sizzle at the box office and was trounced by the run of horror phenomenon Smile. Thus, it came and went, and with it probably a lot of awards hopefulness next year. However, you can see it for yourself when it arrives on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray on December 6th, complete with a Dolby Atmos track and featurette on the film. You can order yourself a copy of Amsterdam by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows this review at the bottom of the page.
Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece and 90s film staple, Pulp Fiction, will be arriving on 4K Ultra-HD finally on December 6th of this year (2022). A seminal piece in any collection, its coming from Paramount this time. The disc journey has seen it released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment (DVD), Lionsgate (Blu-ray) and now Paramount for the 4K Ultra-HD adventure. It’ll come intact with its previous bonus materials to go with this new transfer for the format. This will pair nicely with the 4K of Reservoir Dogs from just a month a go and hopefully set up a Jackie Brown 4K in the not too distant future. You can pre-order yourself a copy now using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review below.
Black Christmas is always one of the horror holiday season staples and one not only one of the finest slasher films, but one of the proto-ones that were ahead of the trend. Scream Factory will be updating their Collector’s Edition from six years ago to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. While there’s of course brand new transfer, they’ve also updated both the original mono and 5.1 tracks this time around. The 5.1 also fixes some cues that were missed the last time around. And as if that isn’t enough, we even have a pair o new bonus feature additions to go with all the previously released ones. This all somehow fits onto 3 discs in the set, which you can order for arrival when it comes out on December 13th. It gives you plenty of time to fit this pristine new experience into your viewing schedule. You can use the paid Amazon Associates link to order below.
A seminal film for all walks of horror, Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie will be making the leap to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray just in time for the holidays (And well before Prom season). Scream Factory will be updating the film with a brand new restoration and transfer. In addition there’s a new gallery as well as a commentary in tow. Included area all the previous extras from their release six years ago. Its a full on three disc set to devour. A few times copied but never even close to sniffing the original’s greatness (Sorry, Peter Paras), you can order this to have in your collection by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review at the bottom of this page. Release date is December 13th, so put down the pig’s blood and get a move on putting this one in your collection.
Last year, Shout! Factory introduced the wonderful world of LAIKA animation to their library. They released beefed up editions of the previously released beloved first four films in the studio’s canon. Now, they are beginning the upgrade to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. On December 13th, they’ll be starting with Coraline and ParaNorman. Both films have new 4K transfers as well as Dolby Atmos audio tracks to enhance their performance. All of the extras from before will be included. And if you act right now, they are available in collectible limited edition steelbook packaging. This review will be taking at look at the limited edition steelbook of ParaNorman, which you can order by using the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of the review.
Last year, Shout! Factory introduced the wonderful world of LAIKA animation to their library. They released beefed up editions of the previously released beloved first four films in the studio’s canon. Now, they are beginning the upgrade to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. On December 13th, they’ll be starting with Coraline and ParaNorman. Both films have new 4K transfers as well as Dolby Atmos audio tracks to enhance their performance. All of the extras from before will be included. And if you act right now, they are available in collectible limited edition steelbook packaging. This review will be taking at look at the limited edition steelbook of Coraline, which you can order by using the paid Amazon Associates link at the bottom of the review.
