The Transformers: The Movie – 35th Anniversary Edition Limited Edition Steelbook (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
To think its been 35 years since, like other little boys my age, I felt the despair and sadness of losing a hand drawn hero in his own big movie. One of the more fascinating bits of children’s entertainment in film history has been The Transformers: The Movie. Its a case of toys driving decisions, wanting only to make the best you can but not fully understanding what you have and what your audience was looking for. And with time, there have been newer ways of taking in the appreciation of this relic of 1980s children’s entertainment. As an adult, I actually think I appreciate, enjoy and admire this film more than I even did in my youth. And Shout! Factory is giving me yet another new way to look back on it and enjoy once again. Their 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray edition, with a brand new transfer, audio and bonus features will be arriving August 3rd. Feel free to pre-order yourself a copy of it by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
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In the pandemic times, Disney’s handling of their Pixar titles has been rather interesting to say the least. First, Soul’s theatrical release was postponed and then became a Disney+ exclusive, available for free on Christmas Day and a period after. Now, Pixar’s follow up film, Luca also shared the fate of passing over a featured theatrical release and went straight to Disney+ as an exclusive. And these are not the “Premiere Access” titles either, where you pay a $29.99 premium to have it early on the app. Luckily for us physical media enthusiasts, they aren’t skimping out or forgetting us like they are the theaters. Luca, like Soul before it, is arriving on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray right in line with the theatrical to home video window. You’ll be able to purchase this sea monster takes to land tale when it arrives on August 3rd. There is a paid Amazon Associates ordering link below the review if this is a film you fancy adding to your collection.
Paramount’s a pretty timely studio when it comes to 4K Ultra-HD upgrades. If you have a franchise you like or a film that’s getting remade, they probably have a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release ready to go around the time it comes out. With the new GI Joe film Snake Eyes out in theaters, it was high time to get those former entries into the mixer for 4K goodness. Oddly no new Atmos track or bonus features here, so you’ll have to float on whether you think the new transfer alone will do it. This review will cover 2013’s Jon M. Chu directed sequel, GI Joe: Retaliation, which puts the whole Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson “franchise Viagra” theory to the test. That arrives with the preceding film, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, on 4K Ultra-HD Blur-ay July 20th. You can land yourself copy of this one by using the paid Amazon Associates link below. 
Paramount’s a pretty timely studio when it comes to 4K Ultra-HD upgrades. If you have a franchise you like or a film that’s getting remade, they probably have a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release ready to go around the time it comes out. With the new GI Joe film Snake Eyes out in theaters, it was high time to get those former entries into the mixer for 4K goodness. Oddly no new Atmos track or bonus features here, so you’ll have to float on whether you think the new transfer alone will do it. This first review will cover 2009’s Stephen Sommers film, GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, which I oddly found myself a fan of when it came out, despite it being largely dismissed. That arrives with the other film, GI Joe: Retaliation, on 4K Ultra-HD Blur-ay July 20th. You can land yourself copy of this one by using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
If people want to see something, they WILL go to the theaters for it, as proven by one of the “return to cinemas” biggest hits in A Quiet Place Part II. The first film was wildly successful a few years back, so of course you know Paramount would want to capitalize on those big box office dollars. With a shortened home video window now, it feels like a literally just saw the film a few weeks ago (Tho its been 2 months). But nonetheless, here it comes to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray after an exclusive period on Paramount+. It has a nice array of bonus features, but one of the coolest things is that this is a modern movie with a native 4K presentation. There’s a lot of (nice) 4K upscales out there when it comes to today’s blockbusters. You’ll be able to grab this one (Also available on a double feature release with the first one) when it arrives on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray July 27th. You can pre-order the film using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Its crazy to think that Guy Ritchie’s film Snatch is old enough to drink this year. In celebration of that occasion, here’s the debut of the film on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray. In addition to a new transfer, the film is also receiving a lovely Dolby Atmos track. It’ll come packaged with the original Blu-ray disc and a digital code to redeem on one of those streaming rental/purchase places. There aren’t any new bonus features for this, so you’ll just have to pop in the old Blu-ray (Included with this release) to check out the old ones. The film was released on the format last week on July 13th. You can order a copy using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Although I was bummed not to see Mortal Kombat on the big screen back in April because of COVID-19, I was still excited to witness a new CG-filled, gory, R-rated adaptation of the game previously realized as director Paul W.S Anderson’s first hit film from 1995. The burden of what makes a good or bad videogame movie can’t be put entirely on Anderson’s shoulders even though he made many films based on two of them. Yet if you’ve seen the cheesy 90s MK movies, you can probably exclaim, “mortal kombaaattttt!” whether or not you’re being asked. Could a new, big-budget, 21st-century upgrade legitimize video game movies once and for all? Or, at the very least, would it be as fun as pantomiming a fatality to your friends and co-workers? (Probably not). Boasting 4K HDR picture quality along with Dolby Atmos is certainly a sensation for the eyes and ears either way. 3 2 1 FIGHT!
Paramount’s 4K Ultra-HD debut of Cameron Crowe’s masterpiece Almost Famous is one of my most anticipated releases of the year. In a year where 4K Ultra-HD is have a banner year for great titles, nonetheless. This beloved film has a brand new restoration and will have brand new bonus materials to boot. Quite possibly one of the best features of it will be that it includes both the theatrical and director’s cuts of the film (On their own discs, too). Prior to this release, the theatrical version of the film never made the jump from DVD to Blu-ray. It feels like Paramount has gone all out to craft an all encompassing and most definitive version of the film on 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray right from the start. Almost Famous even comes packaged in a steelbook in the first wave. You’ll be able to have it to own on July 13th, and you can pre-order a copy now using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Just in time for LeBron James long awaited take on the Looney Tunes meets NBA superstar big screen adventure, Warner Bros is giving the original Michael Jordan starring Space Jam its 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray update. As has been proven over the last decade or so, there is a fondness or nostalgia for any given cinematic property from someone’s childhood. I’d never imagined the original Space Jam would be anything more than a footnote/fun fact in the storied career of Michael Jordan, but if you check out social media, you’ll find its some sort of beloved classic to a generation in the same way Hook has turned out to be. But, if the film makes people happy, then so be it, what’s the harm in that. The original Space Jam will be available July 6th. You can pre-order it to secure yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Incredible to think Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is 50 years old. So obviously its time for its candidacy for the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format to come to present itself. Warner Brothers is giving us a brand new edition, though its mainly for the new 4K transfer of the film. It looks as if they’ll just be carrying over the previous edition’s standard Blu-ray which is where you’ll find the extras. All well enough, what more can folks say about it on the bonus materials (Aside from wondering who the hell wants this Timothee Chalamet prequel thing they are dumping money into). The Gene Wilder classic arrives on the format June 29th. It’s available for ordering now and you can do so by using the paid Amazon Associates link following the review.
Low and behold, for the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, we are gifted all the of the Indiana Jones film on the glorious 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format. Sure, there will be a future set with the not yet as of now named Indiana Jones 5 filming for release in the summer of 2022. This new set is essentially what we were given for standard Blu-ray, with new transfers, audio and packaging providing the appeal. All previous bonus materials have been ported over. And if you’re thinking, “well, that’s not enough new or bonus for me”, then you haven’t had a look at these stunning new transfers (Along with the updated color timing and revamped image for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). The set was releases on June 8th, but had some replication delays and has slowly been being dispersed around. So its very possible you’ve had this in your hands and watched it 3 times over before I could get this review up. And if not, please use the paid Amazon Associates link below to land yourself a copy. 
Back in March, far too many fans of the King of the Monsters and the Big Ape didn’t have the opportunity to experience their epic brawl, Godzilla Vs. Kong on IMAX (or any traditional theater, really) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most, if not everyone I knew in Los Angeles, avoided the big screens unless it was a drive-in. Fortunately, the fourth film in Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse was available, like other major releases from Warner Bros. this year, simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max for one month. For those of us with 4K TVs, this meant a pretty pristine – although small no matter how big your television was – presentation. And this is assuming you had a fast internet to stream that fancy 4K Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos. So does this traditional boxed version hold up? Is it noticeably superior to what you saw on HBO Max? Let’s find out!
Seeing what catalog films get the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray upgrade has been a bit of a wild card at times. Sometimes they are films obviously hitting some sort of milestone, but many times its like “Oh, okay”. Sony has been one of those studios turning out those “Oh, okay” titles on the regular. Their latest is the love it or hate it John McTiernan/Arnold Schwarzenegger team up for a satirical look at a the genre that both made them big names – Last Action Hero. In its original release, it’ll be in a collectible steelbook packaging, with the regular release slated for the street date of June 15th. The release finally comes with some bonus features, including deleted scenes presented in 4K, as well as a few archival features. You can order yourself a copy by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Like Eliza DooLittle in the film, My Fair Lady is getting an upgrade in class for the home video department. The Audrey Hepburn-starring best picture winner is getting a heck of an upgrade for 4K Ultra-HD that has many (Including myself) thinking it’ll be a candidate for best of the year before it even releases. Its received an 8K scan from original 65mm elements, which make us all realize they could be future proofing for the next home video jump whenever that may be. Also armed with an upgraded 7.1 track, it’ll carry the bonus disc from the previous 50th anniversary edition for the supplemental features. Spoiler alert on the review, they did a pretty damn fine job on this release. Pre-ordering this one is a no-brainer, and you can do so by using the Paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Disney continued its premium Disney+ and theater same day offerings with their big spring animated release, Raya And The Last Dragon. The film came like any other of the current era, great reviews and people on the socials raving about it. A shame I wasn’t able to see this in the theater because it really felt like this one lent itself to utilizing a giant screen. Now, its coming to glorious 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray for folks to own it in the best quality possible with the best audio available. There’s a good load of zoom/remote recorded extras on here to boot, too. This one is a new arrival this week (May 18th) and you can order it using the paid Amazon Associates link below.
Every time I see a Tim Burton release set for a 4K UHD Blu-ray, I get excited. His films, even at their darkest are the kinds of films made for the format. They’re thought provoking, odd, and just a little different. Batman, Returns and Beetlejuice already made their debuts on the format in the last two years and nobody would say they were lackluster releases, making classics look and sound incredible. Big Fish is one of the films in his canon I hadn’t seen. I wasn’t even aware it was his movie. Shockingly, I pride myself on my Rain Man like ability to recall information about films, even ones I haven’t seen, so this is a shame for me… Big Fish is a special film and you can read all about why below. Be sure to click the paid link at the end to get yourself a copy of this 4K UHD unsung film too!
It’s sort of mind mind-boggling to think that Shrek was released 20 years ago. I remember it’s DVD release, picking it up at Costco, and loving how much they included in special features, and giving folks without HDTVs the option for a Pan and Scan version too. The thoughtfulness of that package was why I fell in love with physical media. The movie itself was also a blast, turning the family animated film on its ear and giving just as much good stuff to the adults as the children. Now the classic comedy celebrates its 20th anniversary with a 4K Blu-ray release. Will the film still delight, looking better than ever? Find out more below and click the paid link below to order yourself a copy!
