Alienoid:
Return To the Future
(2024/Well Go Blu-ray)/The
Flash: The Original Series (1990
- 1991/Shipp/DC Comics/Warner Archive Blu-ray Set)/Kill
Butterfly Kill
(1982 aka Underground
Wife
aka American
Commando 6
(or 4/1987/Neon
Eagle Blu-ray*)/When
Titans Ruled The Earth: Clash Of The Titans 4K
(2010) + Wrath
Of The Titans 4K
(2012/Warner/Arrow 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays w/Blu-ray/*both MVD)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B & B- Picture: B+/B-/B/B- Sound:
B+/B/B/B Extras: B+/D/B/C+ Main Programs: C+/C+/C/C- & D
Now
for a wild mix of genre releases that all could have been better than
they turned out to be, but here they are...
The
second installment in the Alienoid series, Alienoid:
Return To the Future
(2024) is
an exciting new Korean genre film that is full of action and
imagination. The fantasy romp has everything from shapeshifting
aliens, portals to other worlds, time travel, cool looking
spaceships, and a lot more.
Written
and directed by Choi Dong-hoon (The
Thieves),
the film stars Ryu Jun-Yeol (A Taxi Driver), Kim Tae-ri (The
Handmaiden),
and Kim Woo-bin (Master)
who all return from the first 2022 installment, which is also
available from Well Go USA.
A
shaman and a modern-day woman travel through time to go up against a
powerful alien that is intent on destroying mankind. The only hope
is the Divine Blade, a mystical dagger that holds tremendous power.
Alienoid:
Return to the Future is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray
disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1
and two audio choices on the disc with Korean: DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 5.1, Korean: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (with optional English
subtitles) lossy sound and dubbed tracks in English, lossless DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 5.1 and lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.
The overall presentation delivers the same high standards as other
Well Go USA discs and is a clean presentation from start to finish
for the 1080p format.
I
would suggest this to Hollywood blockbuster movie fans that are
interested in dipping a toe into the pool of international films or
to any sci-fi/action movie fans that like a foreign flair. You can
read more about the first film at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/16211/Alienoid+(2022/Well+Go+Blu-ray)/Honk+For+Jesu
The
Flash: The Original Series (1990
- 1991)
is a fun time capsule piece of early DC television and finally
available on Blu-ray in a limited number from Warner Archive. The
six disc (BD-50) set encompasses the entire run of the series and
stars John Wesley Shipp as the scarlet speedster. No doubt created
after the huge success of Tim Burton's Batman
in 1989, the Flash series is still a fun watch and a soft spot for
many DC fans.
John
Wesley Shipp would step back into the Arrowverse in the CW era of DC
Television decades later when they brought the Elseworlds and Crisis
on Infinite Earths storylines into the more modern series for The
Flash, which cleverly makes this original series more relevant. We
reviewed all of the aforementioned modern Flash series on Blu-ray
elsewhere on this site.
After
a lab accident, Barry Allen gains superpowers and becomes The Flash.
As he discovers what he is capable of, The Flash ends up a hero that
must protect Central City from criminal scum and villainy.
22
episodes include the Pilot,
Out of Control, Watching the Detectives, Honor Among Thieves, Sins of
the Father, Child's Play, Double Vision, Shroud of Death, Ghost in
the Machine, Sight Unseen, Tina, is that you?, Beat the Clock, The
Trickster, Be My Baby, Fast Forward, Deadly Nightshade, Captain Cold,
Twin Streaks, Done with Mirrors, Good Night, Central City, Alpha,
and The
Trail of the Trickster.
The
Flash: The Complete Series
is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a full screen aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and an English DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) Stereo mix. These are 4K
restorations from the original camera negatives, and since the show
was shot on film, the translation to disc is some of the best this
series has ever looked. Note that the opening credits were using an
very early form of high definition video (think the music video of
The Cars ''You
Might Think'')
which was considered cutting edge at the time, but now does not look
quite as impressive with digital images all over the place.
No
extras.
While
the series is a bit dated and some of the special effects are pretty
primitive for today's standards, The
Flash: The Original Series
is a fun show to look back on and was pretty groundbreaking for the
time in which it was made.
From
a new video label, Neon Eagle Video, comes its first release: Kill
Butterfly Kill
(1982 aka Underground
Wife
aka American
Commando 6
(or 4/1987).
All
three cuts of the film fall into a category known as a 'black movie'
- an action / exploitation sub-genre from the 1980s in Taiwan. In
the film, a woman takes revenge on five men who assaulted her by
employing a retired hitman and a team of other badass ladies who seek
revenge in their own way. Similar in themes to Tarantino's Kill
Bill,
this female revenge romp offers up a satisfying bloody rampage across
its various versions in this exclusive release.
There
are three versions of this film in this set:
Kill
Butterfly Kill
- the original edit of the film
Underground
Wife
- presented in 4:3 /1.33 X 1 fullscreen and is a standard definition
print in Mandarin language 2.0 with English subtitles.
American
Commando 6
- 1987 cut which features new scenes
Kill
Butterfly Kill
and American
Commando 6
are presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4
AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1, 2.39:1 and an
English, DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit) lossless
mix with optional English subtitles. This is from a 4K restoration
from the original camera negative and the best that this lost film is
ever going to look most on home video most likely.
Special
Features include
:
Audio
Commentary by Kenneth Brorsson and Paul Fox of the Podcast on Fire
Network
Underground
Wife cut (SD)
Trailers
and
a IFD Trailer compilation.
If
you're a fan of the female rape / revenge type sub-genre then it's
worth checking out Kill
Butterfly Kill
and American
Commando 6.
An interesting product of its time that fits into the exploitation
genre securely.
Last,
a double feature. When
Titans Ruled The Earth: Clash Of The Titans 4K
(2010) + Wrath
Of The Titans 4K
(2012) contains the remake of the 1981 Ray
Harryhausen-stop-motion-animation-infused romp that became more
popular later after not being able to compete with the likes of
Raiders
Of The Lost Ark
and managed to be a hit. Oddly, Warner Bros. decided on a sequel. I
was not a big fan of the 1981 film, but did not like either of these
very much. One of the first sets of 4K films we also reviewed in 3D,
for which they were more designed then most from that 3D revival
cycle, here are the links to my coverage of the Blu-rays at the time:
Clash
Of The Titans 3D with 2D
(2010)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10548/Cats+&+Dogs+%E2%80%93+The+Revenge+Of+K
Wrath
Of The Titans 3D with 2D & DVD
(2012)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11668/Wrath+Of+The+Titans+3D+(2012/Warner+Blu-ray
Well,
the 4K here, with the first film shot on film and sequel on early HD,
look slightly better than previous versions, though in fairness to
the 3D versions, we do not have a 4K 3D format version to compare to,
but they are by default the best way to watch them otherwise.
However, 3D is an important part of their release and they'll always
be that as well.
The
2160p HEVC/H.265, 2.35 X 1 on Clash
and 1.85 X 1 on Wrath,
Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High
Definition image is not great, but spending the money to push the
films to look better in Dolby Vision does not hurt. Too bad the CGI
was even dated on arrival then.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image on the Clash
and 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on the
Wrath
Blu-rays definitely can show the age of the materials used, but I
would only recommend this in 4K or just skip it.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mixes on both versions of both
films are decent, if nothing special and have aged fairly well
considering so much else here does not work. The combinations are as
good as well will ever see and hear them, if often underwhelming.
Extras
are far more than the older releases offered and include
an illustrated collector's book containing new writing by author and
critic Guy Adams and film scholar Josh Nelson
DISC
1 - CLASH OF THE TITANS
DISC
2 - WRATH OF THE TITANS
To
order the
Warner Archive The
Flash
Blu-ray set, go to this link for it and many more great web-exclusive
releases at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
-
Nicholas Sheffo (4K) and James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
