Man of Steel Blu-ray Combo Pack
Coming off of 2011’s critical and box office disaster Sucker Punch, Zack Snyder had a lot to prove with Man of Steel. The director has never had a problem with introducing fans to visual wonders, and this time around, he had David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan on board to handle the script. The combination resulted in an intricate action story that captivated audiences and led to the nearly immediate greenlight of a sequel. Now, the film’s available to take home on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD and Digital Download, and a Limited Collector’s Edition, to view for a second (or maybe fifth) time.
Part origin story and part modern-day battle tale, Man of Steel first introduces us to the planet Krypton in its final moments. Scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) sends his newborn son out into the universe, in the hopes that his race will be preserved. The little boy, Kal-El, lands on a farm in Kansas where he is taken in by Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane), and redubbed Clark Kent (Henry Cavill). Some of the most compelling moments in the film come when Clark is a young child, learning about his abilities and learning how to live out life on Earth. His father is terrified that people will judge his son’s abilities and see him as a freak. He hopes to shield him from a life under scrutiny.
However, anyone who is familiar with the Superman story should know that Clark Kent was never destined for a life in the background. He begins to test his abilities just as a Krypton General named Zod (Michael Shannon) latches on to his location on Earth. What follows is a battle for Earth that leaves destruction and waste everywhere and truly tests Superman’s abilities for the first time.
There are a lot of nitpicky problems with Man of Steel, including Jonathan Kent’s sheltering of his son, and the wild, rampant ways that Smallville and Metropolis are destroyed, without regard to the human lives Superman is hoping to protect. The biggest issue with the film is that its action sequences, while carefully crafted, lack in diversity. Viewers might find themselves looking at similar sorts of shots over and over as Zod and Superman square off. Still, the scenes of destruction are richly detailed and the scope of the film, from Krypton to Earth, and later a battle for Earth, is impressive.
More compelling than the epic battle between Superman and Zod is Kal-El’s origin story, which traces his early days on Krypton, his early years in Smallville, his nomadic years, and his first contacts with Lois Lane (Amy Adams). The more intimate looks at the young man’s life build a world and a story worth telling, and should continue to expand in the films to come.
You can order Man of Steel over at Amazon.
Best Special Feature: As the back cover of the Blu-ray will tell you, Man of Steel sports nearly four hours of bonus features. That’s enough for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment to put some extras on the Blu-ray disc and to put together a separate disc devoted to additional extras. In short, there’s a lot of stuff for fans to peruse. The first extra fans will encounter looks at the graphic novel history of Superman and how Nolan and Goyer were able to re-envision the franchise for film. That’s probably the bonus feature I enjoyed most on the actual Blu-ray disc, and it’s called "Strong Characters, Legendary Roles," although I’ve been told that true Superman fans will be most excited about the 75th Anniversary Animated Short. Be sure to give that one a shot if Superman is up your alley. There was also weirdly a Hobbit bonus feature on the disc, that is certainly skippable.
"Journey of Discovery: Creating Man of Steel" is an extensive "Making of" the story which is set up similarly to audio commentary, with actual members of the cast and crew pointing out facts and stories from the set while the film plays. It’s basically like watching the film with the audio commentary on, but instead there’s a split screen with the cast member talking while the actual film plays. Additionally, behind-the-scenes footage will sometimes pop up on a third screen or even fourth screen. It’s way better than any audio commentary. Just a few minutes in, there’s a fight sequence with Russell Crowe in which we get to see the final product as well as the initial film sequence without any green screen on Krypton. If you have the time to basically re-watch the movie, this extra is great.
As a side note, segments from the Hans Zimmer-composed soundtrack play when the menu screen is on for each of the discs. Critical reception for the soundtrack has been mixed, but I actually loved its use on the menu page. It should allow viewers to feel as if they are about to delve into something epic, which they are.
Other Special Features:
"All-Out Action"
"Krypton Decoded"
Superman 75th Anniversary Animated Short
"Journey of Discover: Creating Man of Steel"
"Planet Krypton"
Dexter: The Final Season Blu-ray Combo Pack
Showtime has a penchant for allowing shows to run on for years after a program reaches its best stretch of episodes. For the last several seasons, Dexter has left something to be desired in its plotlines. The fact that our anti-hero, Dexter, has been able to keep his identity under wraps for so long seemed a little ludicrous going into Season 8, but by now we’ve spent so much time with the show’s characters that we want to see things wrapped up neatly. Audiences will eventually get there, but first we have to get through a lot of havoc
The eighth and final season of Dexter picks up some months after the death of Agent LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez). For Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), things are business as usual, but unfortunately, his sister Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) isn’t moving forward with quite as much calm and fervor. She’s actually a complete headcase, and we get to spend a lot of time watching her unravel. However, Dexter needed to fill a full twelve episodes, and so we need a little more intrigue. Enter Dr. Evelyn Vogel (Charlotte Rampling), a woman who understands the motives of serial killers and who might be closer to Dexter Morgan than he would expect.
While Dr. Vogel does manage to answer some of Dexter’s many questions and develops a bond with the character, I constantly found myself feeling that it may have been a mistake to introduce such a large character into the plot in the final season when so many other plotlines needed to be wrapped up. With the focus on a messed up Deb and the introduction to Vogel, the first few episodes of Season 8 drag quite a bit, and it is really only in the latter half of the season that things begin to speed up somewhat. Hannah McKay (Yvonne Strahovski) re-enters Dexter’s life and a serial killer named The Brain Surgeon moves a little closer to Dexter’s web.
The pacing and action do pick up at the end of the season, and no episode flies by faster than the season finale. Critics and fans haven’t been overly excited or kind about the way Dexter wrapped up its final season. In some ways, the show leaves a lot to be desired, especially where Deb and Dex and Hannah, Dexter and Harrison are concerned. Still, I don’t think anyone could argue that the pace in the final episode was off. So much happens in that finale that it feels as if we have watched several episodes rather than just one. Had Dexter ended after Season 4 or 5, I think we could have ended up with a very different outcome, but at least this Season 8 finale manages to tie up many of the loose ends.
You can order Dexter: The Final Season over at Amazon.
Best Special Feature: The majority of the bonus features can be found on the third disc of the series, but really, they aren’t anything to brag about. Each of the extras is a short little featurette that never lasts more than five minutes. So, if you are a fan who was hoping for an audio commentary or an in-depth episode guide after looking at the list of extras, you are bound to be disappointed.
Showtime, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Media Distribution actually opted to give fans a preview of Ray Donovan with the Dexter: The Final Season set, and I would argue those episodes are probably the best bonus feature on the disc. I know its just shameless advertising for the new series, but those episodes are actually worth a watch if you haven’t already seen them. Plus, they last longer than five minutes.
Other Special Features:
"From Cop to Killer" featurette
"Dexter - The End Begins"
"Dexter with Scott Buck Executive Producer Episode 801"
"Dexter- EP #802 Directed by Michael C. Hall"
"Dexter - Dissecting Episode 803 Scene 30"
Dexter with Scott Buck Executive Producer Episode 804"
Other November 12 Releases
Dreamworks’ latest animated endeavor, Turbo, tells an unlikely tale about a quick snail who dreams of competing in the Indy 500 race. Through a fortunate accident, his DNA fuses with nitrous oxide, giving him the turbo speed he’s always wished for. The film is powered by an all-star cast, including Ryan Reynolds, Michael Pena, Paul Giamattie, Samuel L. Jackson, and Maya Rudolph, and if you liked what you saw in theaters, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has released the film onto Blu-ray and DVD.
You can order Turbo over at Amazon, or check out some of this week’s releases, below. After last week’s busy week for releases, there’s not a lot coming out to compete with Man of Steel, but take a look and see if anything piques your interest. Unless otherwise noted, items are available on both DVD and Blu-ray.
Blackfish
The Capture of Grizzly Adams DVD
The Best of Dance Moms: The Championship Dances DVD
Prince Avalanche
Bridegroom DVD
Dexter: The Complete Series Collection
Thirteen Days Blu-ray
Frances Ha Criterion Collection Blu-ray
JFK 50 Year Commemorative Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray
Deadliest Catch: Season 8 DVD
