Tom Cruise has squeezed himself into another action franchise -- and it's a good thing! It's also a good Blu-ray, which is now available.
Jack Reacher is making its Blu-ray debut this week, snagging our spotlight in the process. It must have superpowers or something, because it actually won over our resident Reacher fan, Greg Robinson. (Check out his Jack Reacher Blu-ray Review to see the accolades.) It also has the type of AV experience you'd expect from a Tom Cruise-helmed blockbuster.
Even if you aren't a fan of Cruise on-screen (or off), we recommend checking out this action flick. Otherwise, you can get your action fix from Steve McQueen or there's a little sci-fi, horror, and even romance to round out the week.
Did we miss one of your favorites for the week? Have something to say about one of this week's new releases? Sound off in the comments below. Otherwise, all of these titles are out as of May 7, 2013, except where noted. Enjoy!
Jack Reacher
Tom Cruise is ready to take on another classic character -- and possibly another franchise. Cruise stars as this film's title character, an ex-military investigator seeking the truth in a shooting case. Based on Lee Child's 2005 novel One Shot, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Warner Herzog and Robert Duvall also star. Our favorite skeptic and Child fan Greg Robinson went into this film with low expectations and came out a super-fan. "I never thought I'd say it but I'll admit when I'm wrong - the sonofabitch won me over," he said of Cruise in his review.
Expect an explosive 2.40:1 image and an equally exciting DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix, as well as a standard-def DVD, a Digital Copy and the UltraViolet Digital Copy. The extras don't match how awesome the film and AV are, but are decent, with a trio of featurettes and audio commentary with Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie. [Paramount]
The Great Escape
Set in 1943, this classic focuses on a crafty crew of escape artists looking to bust out of Germany's Stalag Luft III. It's hard to believe that this one is based on a true story. However, it's even harder to believe that Hollywood could put together a better cast than what's presented here. Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Donald Pleasence all star.
This is the very first time that this film is coming to Blu-ray. The single-disc release includes a 2.35:1 image, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, and almost all of the extras from the DVD release. That's a pretty decent crop, with several featurettes and interviews. It also has a commentary track that was cobbled together using interviews with several members of the cast and crew, including Coburn, Garner, Pleasance, and director John Sturges. [MGM]
Save Haven
Another Nicholas Sparks novel comes to the big screen, but this isn't Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. Instead, it's Josh Duhamel and Dancing with the Stars vet Julianne Hough. He's plays a widower and she's a mysterious visitor to his tiny town. Cobie Smulders and David Lyons also star in this poorly received chick-flick from What's Eating Gilbert Grape director Lasse Hallström.
Fox is giving you lovers out there a 1.85:1 image and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. Otherwise, fans can expect a set tour, a little something on the film, "Josh Duhamel's Lessons in Crabbing," deleted scenes, an alternate ending, the standard-def DVD, a Digital Copy, and the UltraViolet Digital Copy. [Fox]
Fringe: The Complete Fifth Season
Fox's now-cancelled sci-fi series never had huge ratings, but the cult show did have fans -- ones that will be frothing for this final season set. Sadly, it has a few less episodes, but the 13 that are presented here should wrap everything up quite nicely. Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Jasika Nicole and John Noble all come back for the final season, with famous faces such as Lance Reddick and Seth Gabel filling out the lineup.
All 13 episodes are presented in the 1.78:1 format, with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. All three discs also feature some type of bonus material, whether it's commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, or interviews. Warner Bros. has also included the UltraViolet Digital Copy so that super-fans can watch this one almost anywhere. [Warner Bros.]
Mama
Mother's Day is coming up, but this probably isn't the best gift idea. That's because this mama is scary as hell, even though she's rated PG-13. Jessica Chastain followed up her Oscar-nominated performance in Zero Dark Thirty with this creeper about a supernatural being bent on reclaiming a child she lost long ago -- two, if possible.
This Mama is dark in more ways than one. However, the film has a sharp, stylish 1.85:1 image and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that packs in plenty of heebie-jeebies. Also expect an audio commentary and a few shorts, but the gem of the extras section is the original Mama 4-minute short. Otherwise, the 2-disc set comes with a standard-def DVD, the Digital Copy and the UltraViolet Digital Copy. [Universal]
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