This week’s home entertainment releases include a superior genre-blending thriller, an excellent comic book-based science fiction TV series, plus lower-priced editions of the original Star Trek and the Next Gen series, and one of the most faithful screen adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan.

Theatrical Movies

This week’s top offering is 10 Cloverfield Lane (Paramount, “PG-13,” 103 min., $29.99, BD $39.99), a clever Hitchcockian film that starts off like a typical genre film, but deftly pivots as the tension grows.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars in a film that has Psycho-like twists aplenty, and was good enough to earn a 90% positive rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.  First-time director Dan Trachtenberg demonstrates with this film that he is a talent to watch.

Action movie fans will have to make do with London Has Fallen (Universal, “R,” 198 min., $29.98, BD $34.98) with Gerard Butler back as Secret Service agent Mike Banning in a Die Hard-like battle that destroys half of London, but which could only garner a 25% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  Action movie fans, who aren’t too particular about the quality of the special effects if the film moves fast enough, will find plenty to like here.  It’s not as good as Antoine Fuqua’s Olympus Has Fallen, but almost.

Those who enjoy heartwarming, feel good sports films won’t be disappointed with Eddie the Eagle (Fox, “PG” $29.99, BD $39.99) about British ski jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, which in spite of its clichéd narrative earned an 80% positive rating from the critics, while those who love “adult” dramas should really like 45 years (Paramount, “R,” 95 min., $29.98, BD $39.99), which stars Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling in a complex drama about a married couple dealing with memories of past infidelities.

TV on DVD

There are several interesting science fiction releases this week including Dark Matter: Season 1 (Funimation, 560 min.,$44.98, BD $49.98), which includes all thirteen episodes of the first season of the Canadian series that airs here on Syfy and is based on a comic book series by Joseph Mallozi and Paul Mullie published by Dark Horse.  Dark Matter was originally conceived as a TV show, but was adapted as a comic book when no one would back production for the small screen.  However convoluted its origins, this saga of six people who awaken with no memories in a castaway space ship and have to deal with derelict androids, a zombiefied ship crew, and intergalactic bounty hunters, is highly entertaining TV sci fi.

Re-priced re-releases include Star Trek: The Complete Series—Epik Pack (Paramount, 3200 min., $99.99), which sports the lowest price yet for all 79 episodes of the restored hi-def edition of the original Star Trek series, and the 20 discs are packaged in a compact, shelf-friendly box.  Also newly reduced for Father’s Day, is Star Trek: The Next Generation—The Complete Series—Epik Pack (Paramount, 7,500 min., $129.98, BD $208.99), which contains all 176 episodes of the second live-action Star Trek series that aired from 1987 to 1994.  These new editions carry lower prices, but they are now more or less where they should have been in the first place.  Paramount’s exploitation of Star Trek fans has no limits—a new Star Trek series (see “Teaser for New Star Trek TV Series”) set to debut in 2017 is being used to lure viewers to a new CBS All Access subscription streaming service at $6.95 per month (the fragmented streaming service future could become the death of a thousand cuts for fans chasing their favorite shows).

Speaking of exploiting fans of cult hit series—Fox has released a new X-Files: The Complete Series + Event Series (Fox, 8700 min., BD $299.99), which includes all 208 episodes of the original series plus the recent X-Files: Event, which is fortunately available by itself.  X-Files: The Event Series (Fox, 250 min., $19.98, BD $29.99), contains all six episodes of the revived X-Files show, which premiered on Fox this past January.

There are also some animated releases of note including the DVD debut of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros., 352 min., $19.98), which contains the first 16 episodes of the 36-episode Filmation series that debuted back in 1976, and which is, in many ways, the most faithful adaptation of ERB’s novels with lots of the lost cities, tribes, and made-up languages from the books plus character designs based on the work of ERB’s favorite Tarzan artist, Burne Hogarth.  The series’ primary drawback is the quality of its rotoscoped animation.

Other animated release of note include Back to the Future: Season 1 (Universal, 300 min., $16.98), which includes all 13 episodes of the first season of the show that aired on Saturday mornings on CBS in 1991 and 1992, and the always entertaining Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas (Lionsgate, 59 min., $14.98).

There are two releases of special interest to sports fans, Ballers: The Complete First Season (HBO, 420 min., $29.98, BD $34.98), which contains all ten first season episodes of the HBO series starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as an ex-NFL star trying for a second career as a financial manager for current players, and Survivor’s Remorse: The Complete Second Season (Starz, 277 min.,$39.98), the cable series comedy about a young NBA superstar, who has to deal with both sides of fame and fortune.

The only other contemporary American series out this week are the WGN period drama Underground (Sony, 452 min., $45.99) about a group of slaves who escape from a Georgia plantation and attempt to make their way north to freedom, and the Starz’ drama Power: The Complete 2nd Season (Starz, 450 min., $49.98, BD $59.99), the gritty and complicated saga (produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) of a NYC club owner, who is also major player in the drug trade. 

Vintage releases include a 38-episode sampler of the vintage vampire soap opera: Dark Shadows 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (MPI, 1140 min., $19.98); and the vintage Norman Lear-produced sitcom Maude: The Complete 5th Season (Shout Factory, 570 min., $26.99).

Offerings from the U.K. include Suspects: Series 1 & 2 (Acorn Media, 416 min., $49.99), a gritty police procedural set in contemporary London and filmed in a documentary style, plus the very humorous sitcom Birds of a Feather: Set 1 (Acorn Media, 184 min., $34.99), which returns after a 15-year hiatus with a new premise and the same old sibling rivalries, and the delightful period mystery series Granchester: Season 2 (PBS, 360 min., $39.99), which features a whisky-drinking, jazz-loving, ex-serviceman-turned mystery-solving vicar.

Anime

This week’s anime releases include the 2014 anime movie Bodacious Space Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace (Sentai Filmworks, 93 min., $29.98, BD $39.98), which was produced by Satelight and based on the science fiction/adventure light novels by Yuichi Sasamoto.  Abyss of Hyperspace was written and directed by Tetsuo Sato, who directed the 26-episode 2012 Bodacious Space Pirates anime that has been released here by Sentai.

Also out this week is the yaoi series Love Stage!!: Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, Subtitles Only, 225 min., $49.98, BD $59.98).  The ten-episode romantic comedy series from J.C. Staff was produced in 2014 and based on the yaoi manga by Eiki Eiki about the love between a college student (and aspiring manga author) and a popular actor.