{"id":30752,"date":"2025-03-04T15:12:25","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T23:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=30752"},"modified":"2025-03-04T15:12:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T23:12:25","slug":"4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-march-4th-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=30752","title":{"rendered":"4K Ultra HD\/Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for March 4th, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving\non 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. This edition features plenty of big Hollywood\nfeatures, notable independents, and a few classics receiving notable upgrades.\nSo, if you can\u2019t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of\nthese titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BIG NEW RELEASES!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE COUNT OF MONTE-CRISTO: The latest adaptation of the\nfamous Alexandre Dumas novel, is, appropriately enough, a French production. A\nman is wrongly accused of treason by powerful and corrupt figures. He is sent\nto prison for 14 years, before managing to escape and create a new identity for\nhimself. The hero reappears in upper class circles, seeking revenge on those\nwho tore his life apart so many years ago. Critics were quite positive about\nthis version of the story. One or two took issue with the long running time and\npacing, calling it an overextended reworking. However, everyone else stated\nthat this was impressively produced, well-acted, thrilling to watch, and one of\nthe best adaptations of the book ever committed to film. It stars Pierre Niney,\nBastien Bouillon, Ana\u00efs Demoustier, Anamaria Vartolomei and Laurent Lafitte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA: This follow-up to the 2018 hit\ncrime picture Den of Thieves<\/em> begins with the detective protagonist\ncontinuing a pursuit of the last robber who escaped his grasp in the previous\nfilm. The trail leads him all the way to Antwerp, Belgium, and Nice, France,\nwhere he discovers that the fugitive has teamed up with a new outfit who are\nplanning a major diamond heist. As events progress, the lead ends up personally\nembroiled in this elaborate plot. The press gave this picture more positive\nreviews than negative ones. Slightly more than one-third complained that the\ntone was too light, the pacing was uneven and that the picture lacked\nexcitement. Yet the majority found the film to be enjoyable and called it a\npleasing buddy picture that was tense with a few striking chase scenes. The\ncast includes Gerard Butler, O\u2019Shea Jackson Jr., Evin Ahmad and Salvatore\nEsposito.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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EYE FOR AN EYE 2: BLIND VENGEANCE: A blind bounty hunter\nwith incredible knife and fighting skills is the main character in this Chinese\naction series. Following up on events depicted in the 2022 original, this tale\ninvolves the figure meeting a young, orphaned girl. When she explains that her\nfamily was murdered by a ruthless government official, the lead agrees to train\nher so that she can seek vengeance on the horrible leader. The picture hasn\u2019t\nbeen seen yet by reviewers in North America, but a couple of articles have\npopped up in Europe and other parts of the world. These write-ups suggest that\nit is a simple but effective action film with impressive swordplay and fight\nchoreography. They also appreciated the storyline, stating the new young\ncharacter helped develop the protagonist and show a more human side to him. It\nfeatures Miao Xie, Enyou Yang, Tao Huang and Kuishan Pei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GLADIATOR II: 24 years after the original, Oscar-winning Gladiator<\/em> graced movie screens, this follow-up jumps ahead in time, telling the story of the now grown-up son of the previous entry\u2019s 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.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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KRAVEN THE HUNTER: The latest Marvel comic book adaptation\nto hit disc is this origin story about one of Spider-Man\u2019s most formidable\nfoes. The son of a Russian mobster is injured while on a hunting trip in Ghana.\nHe receives a serum that saves his life, but gives him animalistic abilities.\nYears later, he becomes a vigilante. When the lead discovers that his brother\nhas been taken hostage, he faces off against a deadly assassin and a\nsupervillain known as the Rhino. Critics panned the film and it was nominated\nfor several Razzie Awards. A very small contingent stated that they liked the\ncast, and the action scenes, believing the picture delivered silly fun for\ncomic book fans. Unfortunately, most called the story and editing choppy. They\ninsisted that the end result was bland and lifeless, failing to deliver any\nmemorable moments. For those interested, the title is available as a 4K Ultra\nHD and Blu-ray combo, a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook and as a Blu-ray only\nrelease. It stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger,\nAlessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott and Russell Crowe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LAKE GEORGE: An ex-con owes a huge sum of money to an\nL.A.-based gangster. He is told that he can pay off part of his debt by\nagreeing to eliminate the big boss\u2019s ex-employee. When the protagonist finds\nhis female target, he can\u2019t follow through. She tells him that she knows the\nlocation of a secret stash of the mobster\u2019s gold. The two decide to steal it\nand start a new life, but complications arise as they attempt to pull off the\nscheme. This independent crime\/comedy earned solid notices. One member of the\npress thought that the picture ran out of gas by the final act and delivered a\ndisappointing finale. But everyone else complimented the work of the lead\nperformers and called the film an engaging and funny character study with\nplenty of unexpected twists and turns. For the time being, this is a DVD-only\nrelease. The cast includes Shea Whigham, Carrie Coon, Max Casella and Ashley\nFink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LEVELS: In this independent science-fiction\/thriller, a man\nis horrified to witness the death of his girlfriend. Shortly after the tragic\nevent, he receives an electronic message from her. She tells the lead that his\nreality may be partly an illusion and encourages him to enter a digital\nsimulation. He enters, hoping to find out what really happened to his loved\none. So far, there haven\u2019t been many reviews for the picture, but a few small\npress outlets have given their opinions. A couple of them commented that while\nthis is a low-budget feature, the visuals are impressive and the movie presents\nsome interesting commentary on the dark side of modern technology.\nUnfortunately, the majority didn\u2019t think that the material offered any\nrevelations, calling the story overly complicated, the themes simplistic, and\nthe final product unlikely to leave a lasting impression. Cara Gee, Peter\nMooney and Aaron Abrams headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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RED ONE: Being Santa is no easy gig. This holiday\naction\/comedy begins with the bearded gift giver being kidnapped. The North\nPole\u2019s Head of Security springs into action, but finds that the responsible\nparty has covered their tracks. He heads to the city and recruits a hacker with\nlittle in the way of holiday spirit, demanding he help find Santa and stop the\nantagonist\u2019s nefarious plans. This Amazon MGM Studios title premiered at\ntheaters before becoming available to stream on Amazon Prime. It is now arriving\non disc. Reaction to the film wasn\u2019t upbeat. About one-third of reviews liked\nthe two leads and found the film breezy and entertaining, with impressive\nvisual effects. But most thought the tone was off, oddly veering between\nsilliness and violent action. They called it forgettable and a waste of the\ntalented cast\u2019s talents. The movie can be purchased either on 4K Ultra HD only,\nor as a standalone Blu-ray. It features Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu,\nJ. K. Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju and Nick Kroll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you\u2019re looking for something older, you also have\noptions. Arrow Video is releasing a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray of the Japanese\ndrama Play It Cool<\/em> (1970). The plot follows a geisha who attempts to\nprotect her daughter from the criminal underworld. The movie is well-respected\nbut unseen in this part of the world. This Blu-ray marks the first time it has\never been available in North America. It arrives with a Japanese film expert\ncommentary track, a new video essay on the movie, a trailer and an image\ngallery. A reversible sleeve is also included, as well as an illustrated\nbooklet with more writing on the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pictured above and to the left, the French comedy\/drama Rose<\/em> (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\u2019s director is a featured bonus, as well as a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Wages of Fear<\/em> (1953) is a classic French title\nabout four men from different backgrounds who are on-the-run. They all end up\nin a small South American village and, desperate for cash, agree to drive\ntrucks across the jungle carrying nitroglycerin. Every bump in the road can set\noff the contents and potentially kill them. Criterion is now presenting a 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray combo pack and Blu-ray only edition of the movie. French\nstudio TF1 delivers a 4K restoration and reconstruction of the 153-minute\nversion of the film. An interview with the assistant director is included as an\nextra, along with an archival critic appreciation of the feature, a cast member\ndiscussion, an hour-long documentary on the director, Henri-Georges Clouzot (Manon,\nDiabolique<\/em>). You\u2019ll also get a featurette noting the different versions of\nthe movie, a look at the restoration, trailers and an illustrated booklet with\nan essay on the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late last year, Kino released a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo of the Gregory Peck\/Sophia Loren romantic spy adventure film Arabesque<\/em> (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XXIV<\/em> is the latest\nbox set featuring a trio of film noirs on Blu-ray. This release includes Union\nStation<\/em> (1950), Jennifer<\/em> (1953) and The Crooked Circle<\/em>\n(1957). Paramount Pictures provides new 4K image restorations of all the\ntitles, and all discs contain film historian commentaries. Two of the three\ndiscs also feature a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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Terror Vision is a distributor who makes new releases\navailable exclusively through their website. This week, you can pick up Revenge\nof the Radioactive Reporter<\/em> (1990) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set. When a\nreporter discovers a local nuclear power plant is endangering citizens, he\ndecides to blow the whistle on them, only to be tossed into a vat of\nradioactive waste. He returns as a monster to tear apart the corporate heathens\nwho tried to murder him. This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d set comes in a box with a\nbooklet containing an intro from the director and an interview with a cast\nmember. There is also a commentary track with the filmmaker, co-writer and the\nlead, a movie expert commentary, a making-of, a discussion with the makers of\nthe feature, a rumination on the project, a visual effects discussion, a\nQ&A about the movie from a recent screening, and tons of publicity\nmaterials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Super Mario Bros. Movie<\/em> (2023) was a big hit a\ncouple of years ago, so a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Walmart exclusive Steelbook\nis now being made available. Contents should be identical to the previous 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray edition, only in new packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Finally, Warner Bros. is delivering a couple of Blu-ray\nre-releases of out-of-print titles. You can now pick up the period family drama\nKit Kittredge: An American Girl<\/em> (2008) with a young Abigail Brelin,\nStanley Tucci, Joan Cusack, Julia Ormond, Chris O\u201dDonnell and Jane Krakowski.\nThe same goes for the horror\/comedy straight-to-video sequel Lost Boys: The\nThirst<\/em> (2010), which features Corey Feldman from the original film in a\nsupporting role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the studio is putting out the wonderful family\nsequel Paddington 2<\/em> (2017) as a 4K Ultra HD only release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a list of some of the family-friendly titles\narriving on disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness is…Peanuts: Team Snoopy<\/em> (Warner Bros.)\nDVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl<\/em> (2008) (Warner Bros.)\nBlu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paddington 2 <\/em>(2017) (Warner Bros.) 4K Ultra HD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAW Patrol: Air Rescue<\/em> (Paramount\/Nickelodeon) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the week\u2019s TV-themed releases can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black Dynamite<\/em>: Season One (Warner Bros.) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness is…Peanuts: Team Snoopy<\/em> (Warner Bros.)\nDVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAW Patrol: Air Rescue<\/em> (Paramount\/Nickelodeon) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of Myth<\/em> (1988 six-episode documentary\nseries) (PBS) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Statue of Liberty: A Film by Ken Burns<\/em> (Fully\nRestored) (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Jefferson: A Film by Ken Burns<\/em> (Fully\nRestored) (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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