Ant
Man and The Wasp 4K
(2018/Marvel/Disney 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Starchaser:
The Legend Of Orin
(1985/Fries Entertainment Blu-ray)/Star
Wars: The Millennium Falcon Book and Mega Model
(2018/Hardcover/LucasFilm/Disney/Studio Fun Books)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A 3D Picture (Orin):
n/a Picture: B+/B- Sound: A/B- Extras: B*/D Films:
B+/C Book: A
Fantasy,
heroes and action define what this trio of releases tries to
accomplish...
The
Marvel Studios saga continues with Ant-Man
and the Wasp
(2018) - the action packed sequel to the original Ant-Man
(2015, see link below), which takes place in the Marvel cinematic
universe at the same time as Infinity
War,
but just in a different place (San Francisco). Surprisingly, Ant-Man
and the Wasp ended up being one of the better blockbusters of 2018 in
a rather clunker of a summer that didn't deliver too many memorable
films.
All
of the same cast is back from the original film including Paul Rudd,
Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, T.I. with the
addition of Walton Goggins, Bobby Carnavale, Judy Greer, the
fantastic Michelle Pfieffer and Lawrence Fishburne amongst others and
the Director Peyton Reed has also returned. The result is a film
that's a bit better than its predecessor and that's a mix of
superhero awe factor and eye popping visual effects. One effect that
has only been perfected upon is the 'de-aging' of actors, which is
present here with Douglas and Pfeiffer in the film's opening scenes.
Marvel has employed this technique with many of the Marvel films to
great success so far.
After
the events of Captain
America: Civil War
(2016), Scott Lang (Rudd) is on house arrest and making the best of
it by spending time with his daughter. But when he's urgently
approached by Hope van Dyne (Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas), Lang
must once again don the Ant-Man suit and fight alongside the Wasp.
This time, they go up against an arsenal of foes that want Pym's
technology for their own sinister uses... including a transparent foe
that ties to Pym's missing Wife (Pfieffer) whose been lost in the
quantum realm for decades...
The
film is presented in The 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD
Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image and a 2.40:1 widescreen
aspect ratio. Paired with a Dolby Atmos 11.1 lossless (Dolby TrueHD
7.1 mixdown) audio track, this is a high end cinematic experience
that's cutting edge to say the least. With a film as detailed as
this one, there's plenty of small details that you catch in the 4K
UHD presentation that you don't with the also included 1080p Blu-ray
edition (which has similar audio and widescreen specs). Details on
the costumes and characters here is very nice with an overall high
key tone as opposed to other dramatically lit films in the same
genre.
A
digital copy is also included.
Special
Features (which are only on the Blu-ray, as the press release notes)
include...
Director's
Intro by Peyton Reed - The talented creator behind some of Marvel
Studios' funniest and most charming films will invite home audiences
deeper into the world of "Ant-Man and The Wasp."
Making-of
Featurettes:
Back
in the Ant Suit: Scott Lang
- Hero and all-star dad Scott Lang keeps the laughs coming for the
audience, cast and crew.
A
Suit of Her Own: The Wasp
- Highly trained Hope Van Dyne is now the Wasp. See how some of her
craziest stunts and action-packed scenes were brought to life.
Subatomic
Super Heroes: Hank & Janet
- Hank Pym's wife Janet was lost in the quantum realm. Trace the
legacy of these characters and the iconic actors who portray them.
Quantum
Perspective: The VFX and Production Design of "Ant-Man and The
Wasp"
- Explore the movie's visual effects and production design from a
whole new viewpoint, in which every micro and macro detail counts.
Gag
Reel and Outtakes - Audiences are treated to the hilarious quips that
did not make the film as well as exclusive outtakes from Stan Lee and
Tim Heidecker.
Gag
Reel - Join in the fun with these outtakes from the set.
Stan
Lee Outtakes - Stan Lee tries out a series of hilarious one-liners
for the scene in which his car shrinks.
Tim
Heidecker Outtakes - Check out Whale Boat Captain Daniel Goobler and
his improvised whale-watching riffs.
Deleted
Scenes (with commentary by Director Peyton Reed)
Worlds
Upon Worlds
- As Janet leads Hank through the surreal landscape of the quantum
realm, they encounter an intelligent life form.
Sonny's
on the Trail
- On the hunt for Hank Pym and his lab, Sonny Burch and his henchmen
check the security camera of a neighborhood bookstore.
and
a 3D Lenticular Cover, *though as you can see from our cover art, an
edition with a 40-page booklet has also been issued.
Ant-Man
and the Wasp
feels like a necessary sequel to the original film and doesn't feel
forced or made solely for a cash grab. The film has a lot of
imagination, charming performances, and is easy to sit back and take
in. I'm definitely excited to see these characters tie in with The
Avengers
in the finale to Infinity
War
that's due out next year.
For
more on the first film, try this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13916/Ant-Man+(2015/Marvel+Studios/Disney+Blu-ray+3
A
cartoon born shortly after the original Star
Wars
trilogy was released, StarChaser:
The Legend of Orin
(1985) is a little known animated feature that has now found new life
on the Blu-ray format. Directed by Steven Hawn and one of the first
animated movies to combine traditional and computer animation, the
'80s film is a staple of its time and more fun to look back on as an
archival genre piece than anything.
Orin
(Joe Colligan) is a slave boy working in the subterranean mines near
a planet's molten core and a prisoner to his robot overlords. After
he finds a powerful sword embedded in the ore, he makes his way to
the surface and encounters hot-shot pilot Dagg and Princess Aviana.
The three traverse the galaxy along with their faithful android
companions, doing battle with the minions of the despotic Zygon, who
seeks to enslave all of humanity... can they stop him?
The
animation is a bit dated and reminds me of the old Hobbit
cartoon series from the similar time period. A slight step above
Hanna Barbera animation, it likely looks the best it ever has ever in
1080p HD. The film is presented in its original 2.39:1 widescreen
aspect ratio and paired with a 2.0 English Stereo Surround mix, the
same lossy Dolby Digital from the old MGM DVD. It's not the best
looking animated film I've seen on disc from the time period.
No
extras, but it does have a lenticular cover slip.
There's
no denying that this film is a Star
Wars
rip-off, which will make it fun for some fans to check out. However,
I don't see it getting remade or for some groundbreaking fan movement
to explode anytime soon, though it was originally a 3D theatrical
film release and many hoped this inevitable Blu-ray release would
include that version. For more on the film, read more at this
link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2491/Starchaser+-+The+Legend+Of+Orin+(2-D
Finally,
we have a new Hardcover book, Star
Wars: The Millennium Falcon Book and Mega Model
(2018) by
Katrina Pallant and Maddox Philpot. If you're a huge Star Wars fan
like I am, then your life dream would be to have your own Millennium
Falcon. While owning a fully functional ship of that size is a
little improbable, you can now build a beautiful scaled model of the
infamous sci-fi ship to add to your collection at home thanks to this
gorgeous new construction book from Studio Fun and LucasFilm!
As
you flip through the construction side of the book, you can punch out
individual pieces of the ship to build The Falcon with no glue
required! Several of the small punch out pieces have facts about
that specific part of the ship and how it adds to The Falcon's
functionality and history. When fully built, this model is
approximately 30 x 30cm and even has moveable cannons and radar dish!
You can even remove the panels and look inside the model for extra
detail!
Aside
from the construction side, there's also a softcover book inside that
contains a 32-page full color booklet with images from each of the
Star
Wars
films, facts, and quizzes to help test your knowledge of the force.
While
it may take some time to construct, the Millennium Falcon model/book
is ideal for those who enjoy model-making and, of course, love Star
Wars!
-
James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
