DVD and Blu-ray Releases: Watchmen Arrives on Blu-ray and DVD

June 3, 2020

It could be a really expensive week on the home market, as there are a number of prime releases, as well as a few potential hidden gems. The Blu-ray special releases of Glengarry Glen Ross, Jaws, and One Cut of the Dead are all worth picking up, especially if you don’t already own the film on Blu-ray. The lack of impressive extras hurt Harley Quinn: The Complete First Season and Sound! Euphonium - Our Promise: A Brand New Day, but I still pre-ordered both of them. As for Pick-of-the-Week contenders, there were three titles battling for that honor: Star Trek: Short Treks, Tokyo Godfathers, and Watchmen: An HBO Limited Series. In the end, Watchmen gets the prize, but it was a close call.

Highlights:

Glengarry Glen Ross - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This film is an absolute masterclass in acting. Of course, the actors have the benefit of an amazing script by David Mamet, based off of his own play. The film wasn’t a box office hit when it came out nearly 30 years ago and it is now most famous for Alec Baldwin’s rant in act one. That’s a shame, as it deserves to be seen by more. The Blu-ray comes with a new 4K transfers, as well as a couple of new interview featurettes. The two audio commentary tracks and two featurettes are also ported over from previous releases. It is worth picking up, worth the double-dip, but because it is a double-dip, it is not a contender for Pick of the Week.

Harley Quinn: The Complete First Season - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
An animated series aimed at adult fans of DC comics. It stars Harley Quinn and Ivy, among others, as they navigate a new world after Harley Quinn dumps the Joker. The reviews are excellent, but there are no extras on the DVD, which is a real shame. It’s enough to keep it from being a Pick of the Week contender, but it is still worth picking up.

Jaws: 45th Anniversary Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
The 30th-anniversary edition was one of the first movies I ever reviewed. It is widely considered one of the best movies ever made and and the 4K / Blu-ray combo pack is loaded with extras. On the downside, this film has been released so many times that I suspect everyone who wants it already owns it several times by now. That said, it is still worth picking up, but not a Pick of the Week contender.

One Cut of the Dead: Steelbook - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This is an instant cult classic. It is about a film crew making a low-budget zombie movie when a real zombie apocalypse breaks out. There are not a lot of extras, just a single featurette and some deleted scenes. Plus this is a double-dip, so it is not a Pick of the Week contender. It is worth picking up, if you don’t have the previous release, otherwise stick with the original release.

Sound! Euphonium - Our Promise: A Brand New Day - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
The latest movie from one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed anime series is hitting the home market this week. I really wish they would release the full series and not just the spin-off movies. If you are a fan of the franchise, then this is certainly worth picking up while you wait for the full series to come out. If you are a fan of anime in general, and Kyoto Animation in particular, then you will also want to grab Tamako Market: Love Story Collection, if you don’t have it already.

Star Trek: Short Treks - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
A collection of nine shorts in the Star Trek universe, some of which have real plot relevance to Discovery, so much so that I was surprised they weren’t included in that show’s Blu-ray release. Thankfully, they are getting a Blu-ray of their own, so people confused about who Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po was, now you can see where she was introduced into the franchise. Most of the shorts have high replay value and there are substantial extras, so it is worth picking up. And with nearly two hours of shorts and 50 minutes of extras, it is a Pick of the Week contender.

Tokyo Godfathers - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray Combo Pack
A lot of anime is filled with low-quality wish-fulfillment, especially in genres like isekai or harem comedies. However, anime can also do drama better than most other art forms. Case in point, Tokyo Godfathers, which is about three homeless people living in Tokyo who find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve and try to find out where she came from, and what happened to her parents. It is an amazing movie and it is worth picking up, even if you are not normally a fan of anime. Additionally, there are a lot of extras on the Blu-ray, especially compared to most imports, more than enough to be a Pick-of-the-Week contender.

Urban Cowboy: 40th Anniversary Edition - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
This is one of John Travolta’s better movies, although given his track record recently, that’s not saying much. This special edition has a retrospective, outtakes, deleted scenes, and rehearsal footage. That’s not bad for a 40-year old film, but it is not enough to be a Pick of the Week.

Watchmen: An HBO Limited Series - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
This is one of the best new shows of the year and the only really disappointing part of the first season is that it will very likely be the only one. That wasn’t the original plan, but the showrunner, Damon Lindelof, left the show because he told the story he wanted to tell. That’s the smart thing to do and I’m glad HBO didn’t decide to tell an inferior second season as a cash grab. Additionally, there are a ton of extras on the DVD / Blu-ray, more than enough to be a Pick of the Week contender. On a side note, there is a small but loud segment of fans of the movie that hate this show, because they show Rorschach to be an influence for a group of bigoted fascists. Rorschach was a bigoted fascist in the comic. He was never meant to be seen as a good guy.

Other Releases

Some of the smaller Blu-ray releases are earning outstanding reviews, including Beanpole, Extra Ordinary, and others. There are also some that will please fans of their respective genres, but don’t have crossover appeal. I would put 1BR, Strike Witches, and They Came From Beyond Space in that category. Just to clarify, They Came From Beyond Space is in the “So bad it’s good” genre and won’t please fans of serious Sci-fi.

Christmas Release

Love Actually - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray

Another week with a Christmas release. To be fair, I think this anthology movie is more of a rom com with some scenes set during Christmas than a true Christmas movie.

TV on DVD Releases

Blood: Series 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Creepshow: Season 1 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Detectorists: Series 2 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Detectorists: Series 3 - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: Blu-ray
Expedition with Steve Backshall: Season One - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
Paw Patrol: Mightly Pups Charged Up - Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD
A Summer Romance - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Subscription Streaming
Wild Kratts: Around the World Adventures - No Reviews - Buy from Amazon: DVD

Blood and Creepshow are the only smaller TV on DVD releases that I’m remotely interested in.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: Home Market Releases, DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Tokyo Godfathers, Robert the Bruce, Dylda, 1BR, Extra Ordinary, Witches In The Woods, A Summer Romance, Let’s Kill Uncle, They Came From Beyond Space, Spring Night, Summer Night, Star Trek, PAW Patrol, Wild Kratts, Star Trek: Discovery, Hensuki: Are You Willing to Fall in Love with a Pervert, as Long as She’s a Cutie? — The Complete Series, John Travolta, Alec Baldwin, David Mamet, Damon Lindelof

DVD and Blu-ray Releases: Watchmen Arrives on Blu-ray and DVD

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