Aladdin
(1992 animated and 2019 live action versions/both Disney 4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/LEGO DC
Batman: Family Matters
(2019/Warner Blu-ray w/DVD + Toy box)/Blaze
and the Monster Machines: Ninja Blaze/Sunny
Day: Welcome To The Pet Parlor
(both 2019/Nickelodeon DVDs)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A-/B Picture: B+/B-/B & C+/C+/C+ Sound:
B+/B+ & B/B & C+/C+/C+ Extras: B-/C+/C+/D/D Main
Programs: B-/C+/B-/C+/C+
The
next set of children/family titles starts with heavy-hitters and
concludes with newcomers...
We
start with one of Disney's own animated classics that is more recent
and gets a little better with age to my surprise. Aladdin
(1992) continues to be very popular and the studio knows it, so it
made it one of its first live action remakes, which it issued to hit
box office, but mixed reviews. I covered the original animated film
in its Blu-ray release at this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13817/Aladdin:+Diamond+Edition+(1992/Disney+Blu-ray
That
is the disc included with the new Disney 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
w/Blu-ray set that is shockingly impressive in many parts, while the
live action remake is an HD shoot with plenty of eye candy (digital
visual effects included) that has some good moments, but is visually
darker and just does not have the energy of the original. Will Smith
is as ideal casting for the genie role as anyone, yet his performance
is actually a little too restricted (and this is not that he should
imitate Robin Williams, but director Guy Ritchie should have allowed
a little more of his own comic style come to life) and I was not sure
the actors playing the title role was the right choice.
Though
he gets into the role, Mena Massoud seems a year or two too old for
the role, but then maybe this is what Ritchie wanted, but it just
takes away from any surprise on his character's part. Placing it in
a fantasy Middle East with decent production design is nice, but it
too often reminds us of Lean's Lawrence
Of Arabia
and Hitchcock's Man
Who Knew Too Much
remake, and not always in the best ways. As was the case with the
recent Dumbo
live-action remake, I wish they would have come up with a little more
innovation and surprise, though this plays a little better. Fans
might like it, but the animated film, like Dumbo
in comparison before it, holds up better.
Extras
are the same as before on the Blu-ray for the animated Aladdin, but
the live action version adds its
own large set of them on tis Blu-ray and they include (as explained
by the press release)...
DIGITAL
EXCLUSIVE BONUS:
'
'SPEECHLESS'': CREATING A NEW SONG FOR JASMINE - Follow the story of
Jasmine's inspirational song ''Speechless,'' written by Alan Menken,
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul especially for this version of
''Aladdin.''
BLU-RAY
& DIGITAL BONUS:
ALADDIN'S
VIDEO JOURNAL: A NEW FANTASTIC POINT OF VIEW - Watch
behind-the-scenes moments captured by Mena Massoud (Aladdin) in this
fun, fast-paced look at his personal journey.
DELETED
SONG: ''DESERT MOON'' - Experience a moving duet performed by
Jasmine and Aladdin, fully shot and edited, with an introduction by
Alan Menken.
GUY
RITCHIE: A CINEMATIC GENIE - Discover why director Guy Ritchie was
the perfect filmmaker to tackle this exhilarating reimagining of a
beloved classic.
A
FRIEND LIKE GENIE - Discover how Will Smith brings talent,
experience and his own personal magic to the iconic role of Genie.
DELETED
SCENES
Falling
Petals Into OJ
Jafar's
Magic Orrery
Anders'
Gift
Wrong
Wishes
Silly
Old Fool
Post
Yam Jam Debrief
BLOOPERS
- Laugh along with the cast and crew in this lighthearted collection
of outtakes from the set.
and
MUSIC VIDEOS
''Speechless''
- Music video performed by Naomi Scott
''A
Whole New World'' - Music video performed by ZAYN and Zhavia Ward
''A
Whole New World'' - (''Un Mundo Ideal'') - Music video performed by
ZAYN and Becky G.
Now
you can compare for yourself and 4K is the best way to do it.
A
new animated release, LEGO
DC Batman: Family Matters
(2019) is one of the more amusing, comical and consistent of the LEGO
animated films of late, better than the recent theatrical releases
and is loosely inspired by the great Batman
Family
comics of the 1970s (though this is one adventure, we get all the
characters together animated for the first time when you think of it,
the comic series actually itself inspired by the Captain
Marvel/Shazam of the 1940s) though it is a while before they all
assemble.
With
some references to the 1960s Batman
TV series and even 1989 feature film, it is not retro and deals with
the characters today as Batman first faces Solomon Grundy, but other
members of Batman's infamous rogue's gallery start to show up and I
was surprised at the energy and wit we got here. This runs a
surprisingly rich 79 minutes and joins Batman's meeting with the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as among the better highlights of
Batman's 80th
Birthday celebration.
Extras
include previews and a LEGO Batmobile you have to assemble, so know
you will not see it in the window of the packaging like many such
releases with bonus figures.
Finally
are yet two more basic Nickelodeon DVD releases of two of their
current TV shows, the already established Blaze
and the Monster Machines: Ninja Blaze
and newer Sunny
Day: Welcome To The Pet Parlor,
so its more of the same for fans in both cases, with the hopes of
gaining more fans, but these both have no extras and I again hope
they do more in future volumes. These last about 90 minutes each
like similar releases of late from Nickelodeon and are no better or
worse than previous installments in their respective series. They
need extras.
Both
Aladdin
4K discs are offered in 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10; Ultra HD
Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image with the newer live
action film an HD shoot with a 2.35 X 1 aspect ratio that sometimes
is a little soft, but also has some good moments of color and detail,
just not enough. The 1992 in 4K is stunning, a big surprise and when
it really kicks in, looks as good as the film ever had, including any
35mm footage I ever saw of it. The 1080p 1.66 X 1 digital High
Definition image on the regular Blu-ray still impresses for the
format, but the 4K outdoes it ways you have to see to believe.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on the live
action version of Aladdin is a little softer than expected
with some shots a little off throughout for whatever reason, so you
are better off with 4K here too.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Batman
is pretty good and as good as any of the LEGO Blu-rays have been to
date with a fun use of color and some good depth and definition,
while the
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on the DVD is not bad, but has
nowhere near the impact of the Blu-ray. The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on the Nickelodeon DVDs offer
simpler animation, but are closer to the Batman
DVD than you might think.
As
for sound, both Aladdin
4K
releases offer lossless Dolby Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdowns
for older systems) with the older film being so early a digital sound
release, the additional tracks only expand the existing sound and
show its age in parts, which you can compare to the still-impressive
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless mix on the older Blu-ray
version. The live action Atmos track on its 4K disc is better than
its DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless mix on the regular Blu-ray,
but that is only because it is a mixdown with limits.
Batman
has a well mixed and presented DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless
mix that can rival the newer Aladdin
Blu-ray, but not quite as good as the 4K Atmos tracks or older
Aladdin
animated Blu-ray's DTS-MA. Still, it has its moments and is better
than the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on its DVD version, which is
passable at best. The two Nickelodeon DVDs offer lossy Dolby Digital
5.1 sound mixes, but though they can be loud, they are also reserved
and tie the Batman
DVD for least effective sonics on the list, though newly recorded and
just fine.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
