DVD Roundup for March 4th, 2025

March 4, 2025

Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. This edition features plenty of big Hollywood features, notable independents, and a few classics receiving notable upgrades. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!

BIG NEW RELEASES!

THE COUNT OF MONTE-CRISTO: The latest adaptation of the famous Alexandre Dumas novel, is, appropriately enough, a French production. A man is wrongly accused of treason by powerful and corrupt figures. He is sent to prison for 14 years, before managing to escape and create a new identity for himself. The hero reappears in upper class circles, seeking revenge on those who tore his life apart so many years ago. Critics were quite positive about this version of the story. One or two took issue with the long running time and pacing, calling it an overextended reworking. However, everyone else stated that this was impressively produced, well-acted, thrilling to watch, and one of the best adaptations of the book ever committed to film. It stars Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, Anaïs Demoustier, Anamaria Vartolomei and Laurent Lafitte.

DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA: This follow-up to the 2018 hit crime picture Den of Thieves begins with the detective protagonist continuing a pursuit of the last robber who escaped his grasp in the previous film. The trail leads him all the way to Antwerp, Belgium, and Nice, France, where he discovers that the fugitive has teamed up with a new outfit who are planning a major diamond heist. As events progress, the lead ends up personally embroiled in this elaborate plot. The press gave this picture more positive reviews than negative ones. Slightly more than one-third complained that the tone was too light, the pacing was uneven and that the picture lacked excitement. Yet the majority found the film to be enjoyable and called it a pleasing buddy picture that was tense with a few striking chase scenes. The cast includes Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evin Ahmad and Salvatore Esposito.

EYE FOR AN EYE 2: BLIND VENGEANCE: A blind bounty hunter with incredible knife and fighting skills is the main character in this Chinese action series. Following up on events depicted in the 2022 original, this tale involves the figure meeting a young, orphaned girl. When she explains that her family was murdered by a ruthless government official, the lead agrees to train her so that she can seek vengeance on the horrible leader. The picture hasn’t been seen yet by reviewers in North America, but a couple of articles have popped up in Europe and other parts of the world. These write-ups suggest that it is a simple but effective action film with impressive swordplay and fight choreography. They also appreciated the storyline, stating the new young character helped develop the protagonist and show a more human side to him. It features Miao Xie, Enyou Yang, Tao Huang and Kuishan Pei.

GLADIATOR II: 24 years after the original, Oscar-winning Gladiator graced movie screens, this follow-up jumps ahead in time, telling the story of the now grown-up son of the previous entry’s protagonist. While living a happy life in a small province, Roman invaders arrive and take the lead prisoner. He arrives in Rome and is trained to be a gladiator, in order to entertain cruel twins now in control of the empire. The hero plots a revolt and revenge on those who disrupted his life. Reaction was generally upbeat for this sequel, although nowhere near as strong as it was for the original. Nearly one-third of the press thought it felt pointless and unnecessary, also disliking the emphasis on CGI during the fight scenes. Still, the majority enjoyed the cast and felt that the picture offered plenty of thrills with its well-shot and edited battle scenes. The movie is available in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set, as well as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook. Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger and Derek Jacobi headline the feature. Read a full review of the movie here.

KRAVEN THE HUNTER: The latest Marvel comic book adaptation to hit disc is this origin story about one of Spider-Man’s most formidable foes. The son of a Russian mobster is injured while on a hunting trip in Ghana. He receives a serum that saves his life, but gives him animalistic abilities. Years later, he becomes a vigilante. When the lead discovers that his brother has been taken hostage, he faces off against a deadly assassin and a supervillain known as the Rhino. Critics panned the film and it was nominated for several Razzie Awards. A very small contingent stated that they liked the cast, and the action scenes, believing the picture delivered silly fun for comic book fans. Unfortunately, most called the story and editing choppy. They insisted that the end result was bland and lifeless, failing to deliver any memorable moments. For those interested, the title is available as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo, a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook and as a Blu-ray only release. It stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott and Russell Crowe.

LAKE GEORGE: An ex-con owes a huge sum of money to an L.A.-based gangster. He is told that he can pay off part of his debt by agreeing to eliminate the big boss’s ex-employee. When the protagonist finds his female target, he can’t follow through. She tells him that she knows the location of a secret stash of the mobster’s gold. The two decide to steal it and start a new life, but complications arise as they attempt to pull off the scheme. This independent crime/comedy earned solid notices. One member of the press thought that the picture ran out of gas by the final act and delivered a disappointing finale. But everyone else complimented the work of the lead performers and called the film an engaging and funny character study with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release. The cast includes Shea Whigham, Carrie Coon, Max Casella and Ashley Fink.

LEVELS: In this independent science-fiction/thriller, a man is horrified to witness the death of his girlfriend. Shortly after the tragic event, he receives an electronic message from her. She tells the lead that his reality may be partly an illusion and encourages him to enter a digital simulation. He enters, hoping to find out what really happened to his loved one. So far, there haven’t been many reviews for the picture, but a few small press outlets have given their opinions. A couple of them commented that while this is a low-budget feature, the visuals are impressive and the movie presents some interesting commentary on the dark side of modern technology. Unfortunately, the majority didn’t think that the material offered any revelations, calling the story overly complicated, the themes simplistic, and the final product unlikely to leave a lasting impression. Cara Gee, Peter Mooney and Aaron Abrams headline the film.

RED ONE: Being Santa is no easy gig. This holiday action/comedy begins with the bearded gift giver being kidnapped. The North Pole’s Head of Security springs into action, but finds that the responsible party has covered their tracks. He heads to the city and recruits a hacker with little in the way of holiday spirit, demanding he help find Santa and stop the antagonist’s nefarious plans. This Amazon MGM Studios title premiered at theaters before becoming available to stream on Amazon Prime. It is now arriving on disc. Reaction to the film wasn’t upbeat. About one-third of reviews liked the two leads and found the film breezy and entertaining, with impressive visual effects. But most thought the tone was off, oddly veering between silliness and violent action. They called it forgettable and a waste of the talented cast’s talents. The movie can be purchased either on 4K Ultra HD only, or as a standalone Blu-ray. It features Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J. K. Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju and Nick Kroll.

BLASTS FROM THE PAST!

If you’re looking for something older, you also have options. Arrow Video is releasing a “Limited Edition” Blu-ray of the Japanese drama Play It Cool (1970). The plot follows a geisha who attempts to protect her daughter from the criminal underworld. The movie is well-respected but unseen in this part of the world. This Blu-ray marks the first time it has ever been available in North America. It arrives with a Japanese film expert commentary track, a new video essay on the movie, a trailer and an image gallery. A reversible sleeve is also included, as well as an illustrated booklet with more writing on the title.

Pictured above and to the left, the French comedy/drama Rose (2021) is arriving on Blu-ray from Cohen Media Group. This tale involves a 78-year-old widow trying to move forward after the death of her husband. She soon realizes that, with nothing holding her back, she can now completely redefine herself on her own terms. Naturally, her family becomes confused at this new behavior. A question-and-answer session with the film’s director is a featured bonus, as well as a trailer.

The Wages of Fear (1953) is a classic French title about four men from different backgrounds who are on-the-run. They all end up in a small South American village and, desperate for cash, agree to drive trucks across the jungle carrying nitroglycerin. Every bump in the road can set off the contents and potentially kill them. Criterion is now presenting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack and Blu-ray only edition of the movie. French studio TF1 delivers a 4K restoration and reconstruction of the 153-minute version of the film. An interview with the assistant director is included as an extra, along with an archival critic appreciation of the feature, a cast member discussion, an hour-long documentary on the director, Henri-Georges Clouzot (Manon, Diabolique). You’ll also get a featurette noting the different versions of the movie, a look at the restoration, trailers and an illustrated booklet with an essay on the film.

Late last year, Kino released a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo of the Gregory Peck/Sophia Loren romantic spy adventure film Arabesque (1966). This week a Blu-ray only edition is arriving on shelves. It contains a recent 4K master from Universal from a scan of the original camera negative, along with a film historian commentary, a featurette on the score for the title, trailers and TV spots, as well as a poster gallery.

Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XXIV is the latest box set featuring a trio of film noirs on Blu-ray. This release includes Union Station (1950), Jennifer (1953) and The Crooked Circle (1957). Paramount Pictures provides new 4K image restorations of all the titles, and all discs contain film historian commentaries. Two of the three discs also feature a trailer.

Peril & Distress is a double-feature set containing the thrillers Endless Night (1972) and Picture Mommy Dead (1966) on both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. The first title is an adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel about newlyweds who are threatened by locals in their newly purchased home. The second movie stars Don Ameche, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Susan Gordon. When his wife dies in a fire, a man tries to move on with his life and remarries. His daughter suspects her dad of having murdered her mother, becomes unhinged and targets the parents. The discs boast 4K picture restorations from Studio Canal, film historian commentaries and a trailer.

Terror Vision is a distributor who makes new releases available exclusively through their website. This week, you can pick up Revenge of the Radioactive Reporter (1990) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set. When a reporter discovers a local nuclear power plant is endangering citizens, he decides to blow the whistle on them, only to be tossed into a vat of radioactive waste. He returns as a monster to tear apart the corporate heathens who tried to murder him. This “Limited Edition” set comes in a box with a booklet containing an intro from the director and an interview with a cast member. There is also a commentary track with the filmmaker, co-writer and the lead, a movie expert commentary, a making-of, a discussion with the makers of the feature, a rumination on the project, a visual effects discussion, a Q&A about the movie from a recent screening, and tons of publicity materials.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) was a big hit a couple of years ago, so a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Walmart exclusive Steelbook is now being made available. Contents should be identical to the previous 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray edition, only in new packaging.

Finally, Warner Bros. is delivering a couple of Blu-ray re-releases of out-of-print titles. You can now pick up the period family drama Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) with a young Abigail Brelin, Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack, Julia Ormond, Chris O”Donnell and Jane Krakowski. The same goes for the horror/comedy straight-to-video sequel Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010), which features Corey Feldman from the original film in a supporting role.

Finally, the studio is putting out the wonderful family sequel Paddington 2 (2017) as a 4K Ultra HD only release.

YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!

Here is a list of some of the family-friendly titles arriving on disc.

Happiness is…Peanuts: Team Snoopy (Warner Bros.) DVD

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) (Warner Bros.) Blu-ray

Paddington 2 (2017) (Warner Bros.) 4K Ultra HD

PAW Patrol: Air Rescue (Paramount/Nickelodeon) DVD

ON THE TUBE!

And the week’s TV-themed releases can be found below.

Black Dynamite: Season One (Warner Bros.) DVD

Happiness is…Peanuts: Team Snoopy (Warner Bros.) DVD

PAW Patrol: Air Rescue (Paramount/Nickelodeon) DVD