Disney’s Jungle Cruise Is An Enjoyable, Familiar Ride (Movie Review)
Disney’s latest theme park ride-turned-potential blockbuster, Jungle Cruise, stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt as two people who board a man-made contraption and mostly bicker as astounding sights and sounds are just out of reach. As a cinematic version of what it’s like to go through “It’s A Small World After,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and, yes, “Jungle Cruise,” this is as a close as we’re probably gonna get to a plot that mirrors what guests of the Happiest Place on Earth actually do while experiencing said attractions. Plus, having terrific chemistry between these co-stars beats whomever you had to sit next to when you were on those rides, right? All aboard, then!
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Before I begin with introducing Stillwater I have something to admit.
After much ado the past few years about a Netflix-exclusive He-Man project, the moment finally arrived last week when the five-episode animated series debuted on the ever popular streaming service. With a cast that features the likes of Mark Hamill, Lena Headey, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Liam Cunningham, Justin Long, Jason Mewes, Chris Wood and Henry Rollins, viewers certainly cannot cite a weak roster for any problems with the production. So big names aside, just how strong is this show?
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. 
The Shawshank Redemption, which received seven Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Score and Best Screenplay, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on September 14, it was announced today by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Released in 1994, the film marked the feature directorial debut of its screenwriter, Frank Darabont.
Marvel Studios’ Black Widow arrives early on all major digital platforms on August 10 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on September 14. Black Widow fans can enjoy the film in stunning Ultra HD quality and immersive Dolby Atmos audio along with never-before-seen bonus footage, including nine deleted scenes, bloopers and featurettes. Look for it September 14th!
June saw the first half of the DC Animated Universe’s adaptation of the seminal Batman comic book arc, The Long Halloween. It was a pretty big deal, as its been such an influential story any way you shake it regarding the caped crusader. And what better crew to have done it justice than that of the well regarded animation unit they have going on. This second half arrives to conclude things on August 10th. Aside from the Blue Beetle short if features no bonus features about the film itself. Please note, that there will also be a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release later this year for the whole she-bang of Part One and Part Two for a complete The Long Halloween release for bats. If Blu-ray is your bag and just grabbing these two parts is it for you, go ahead and use the paid Amazon Associates link following the review to land yourself a copy in time for release.
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.
Last year, Paramount released a multi-movie set of Stephen King films which featured the long awaited debut of David Cronenberg’s The Dead Zone on Blu-ray. I had an inkling at that time that the following year we’d get a Scream Factory Collector’s Edition of the 1983 film. I’ll pat myself on the back here, because on July 27th, I’ll be proven right. They’ve done the film up nicely with a load of new extras, including a Brooke Adams interview and 4 commentaries. In addition, this also features a brand new 4K scan of the film (and in its correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio, too). Its surprising the film has taken so long to get to Blu-ray in the first place, being both good, notable and having both a name star director and actor in it. But, alas, better late than never. And better a big Collector’s Edition than bare bones. You can pre-order the release via the paid Amazon Associates link below the review to ensure yourself a copy for release day, July 27th!
Coming to you on Blu-ray July 20th is the modern slasher film, Initiation (I don’t know how to make the exclamation point upside down). The film is the product of director, co-writer and co-producer John Berdado. Its based off of his short film Dembanger, which was also the original title of this film. It was set to be a South By Southwest premiere film, but the pandemic had other plans for it and wound up premiering at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival last year. For those at home, its been available via streaming rental/purchase since May, but now finds itself with a Blu-ray that has some neat little bonus features to accompany the release. You can own Initiation (And its Day 1 is a rather decent price for a new movie) by using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
The eternal battle between vampires and Lycans gets upgraded when the UNDERWORLD 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION arrives on October 5th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. This limited edition gift set marks the first time that fans will be able to experience all five films on 4K Ultra HD disc with High Dynamic Range and Dolby Atmos audio. The films will also be available digitally in 4K with HDR. The UNDERWORLD 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION will include Underworld (both the original theatrical version and the extended cut), Underworld: Evolution, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Underworld: Awakening and Underworld: Blood Wars, as well as hours of SD & HD bonus content across all five films, including the Underworld: Endless War animated shorts. This must-own gift set is a limited edition, presented within a collectible outer slipcase.
Superman saves the world, and saves his family when Superman & Lois: The Complete First Season releases on Blu-ray and DVD on October 19, 2021 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Featuring never-before-seen extended versions of all 15 action-packed episodes from the first season, plus bonus features, Superman & Lois: The Complete First Season is priced to own on DVD and Blu-ray, which includes a Digital Copy (U.S. only). Superman & Lois: The Complete First Season is also available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers and to stream exclusively on HBO Max starting August 20, 2021.
This month from Warner Archive Collection sees a pair of classic noir tales being restored and brought to the Blu-ray format for the very first time. One of those is the 1948 American film noir I Wouldn’t Be In Your Shoes directed by William Nigh, starring Don Castle and Elyse Knox. The film is based on the 1943 Cornell Woolrich novel of the same name. Warner Archive Collection is putting it out, like Step By Step, with a short film and a cartoon as bonus features. The film is making its debut to the Blu-ray format on July 20th. You can pre-order it using the paid Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Welp, for many people, a big bucket list item is being crossed off. For as long as I can remember over the last ten years, The Wraith has been at the top of many people’s wishlists to make the jump to Blu-ray. Years ago when Lionsgate introduced the Vestron Video line, peoples’ hopes grew bigger. Then there was rumor a year or so ago that it was indeed being worked on. FINALLY – no more speculation – its here! And they’ve done a heck of job putting together some new bonus materials for the release. And can you believe that for day 1 they are only charging $12 for this beauty? Its out now (It hit shelves on July 20th). You can easily order yourself a copy by 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.
