This week’s home entertainment offerings include one of this summer’s big comic book superhero films, the first seasons of two Vertigo-inspired TV series, Venture Bros., and Peanuts animated releases, plus a strangely relevant horror film, and a host mecha-themed anime releases as well as the latest Final Fantasy anime feature film.

Theatrical Movies

This week’s top release is X-Men: Apocalypse (Fox, “PG-13,” 144 min., $29.99, BD $39.99), the ninth film in the X-Men series, and a direct sequel to the popular X-Men: Days of Future Past.  The film dipped considerably from Days of Future Past in both critical reaction (Apocalypse received only a 48% positive rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes) and box office (down 27% from Future Past), but in spite of flaws like Oscar Isaac’s unfortunate Apocalypse costume, and the fact that the basically similar narrative flow of all of the “mutants vs normal” X-Men sagas is beginning to wear a little thin in its ninth iteration, X-Men fans will find much to like in this well-acted ensemble piece.

For horror movie fans there is The Purge: Election Year (Universal, “R,” 218 min., $29.98, BD $34.98), the third film in the horror franchise set in a dystopic America where on one night a year, all crimes go unpunished.  Eighteen years after the first Purge, a woman who was a teenager and lost her family in the first event is running for President on a platform to repeal the Purge, but there is a conspiracy out to get her, and she soon finds herself wandering the streets of Washington on Purge Night.  The gore level is hugely elevated in Election Year, but at least it serves a plot that has parallels to this country’s total inability to control gun violence, not just one night a year, but 365.

Those who enjoy art movies should consider checking out Swiss Army Man (A24, “R,” $19.98, BD $19.98), which feature a tour-de-force performance from Paul Dano, who is lost on an island and develops a relationship with a corpse (played by Daniel Radcliffe, who gives a whole new meaning to the word “tool” when used in conjunction with a human body) in a film that is as quirky as it is unclassifiable.

TV on DVD

The top geek-centric releases this week are both based on characters from DC’s Vertigo imprint.  Preacher: Season 1 (Sony, 471 min., $45.99, BD $65.99) is based on the series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.  Developed for TV by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg has already been renewed for a second season on basic cable channel AMC, which has scored a huge hit with the comic book-based The Walking Dead.  Preacher is definitely not for the faint of heart, but its combination of gore and anarchic glee will please fans of the comic book series.  The Season One box set includes lots of fascinating extras, especially “The Unfilmable Pilot” featurette that examines the long struggle to adapt the notoriously graphic violence of the comic book series.

Considerably less successful was the NBC series Constantine, which was based on the DC/Vertigo Hellblazer supernatural comic, and was cancelled after just one 13-episode season.  Hence, Constantine: The Complete Series (Warner Bros., 558 min., DVD-R $29.99, BD $39.99), which includes all 13-episodes of the ill-fated series.  Though it pleased the critics initially, Constantine was unable to sustain ratings strong enough for one of the big three networks, though star Matt Ryan did do a guest shot as John Constantine on the CW’s Arrow, it appears unlikely at this time that the Constantine series itself will find another home on the small screen.

Other series of great interest to the geek community due this week include American Horror Story: The Complete 5th Season: Hotel (Fox, $49.98, BD $59.98); the Showtime period supernatural thriller Penny Dreadful: The Complete 3rd and Final Season (Showtime, 480 min., $39.98, BD $49.99); the Irish-Canadian historical adventure, Vikings: Season 4, Part 1 (Fox, $38.99, BD $49.99); the exceptionally fascinating cable cult crime drama, Banshee: The Complete 4th & Final Season (HBO, 480 min., $24.98, BD $34.98); and The Complete Librarian Movie Collection (Sony, $14.99).

Animated series of interest include the Adult Swim staple, The Venture Bros.—The Complete Season 6 (Warner Bros., 220 min., $24.98, BD $29.98), and The Charlie Brown/Peanuts Specials—Charlie Brown’s All-Stars 50th Anniversary (Warner Bros., $19.98).

The top offering from overseas is Winter: Series 1 (Acorn Media, 356 min., $49.98), a fascinating Australian production that stars Rebecca Gibney as Detective Sergeant Eve Winter, who has to investigate, what appears to be a series of brutal murders by the same killer.  Also of interest is Prey: Series 1 & 2 (BBC, 300 min., $19.98), tense thrillers with each season following the story of someone who is being stalked.

Anime

New releases to North America this week include the 2012 anime movie Strike Witches: The Movie (Funimation, 97 min., BD/DVD Combo, $34.98), which adapts the military science fiction/magical girl multi-media property created by Humkane Shimada, and the slice-of-life romantic comedy, the Jinsei: Life Consulting: Complete Collection (Funimation, 325 min., Subtitles Only, BD/DVD Combo $49.98), which was produced by Studio Feel in 2014 and based on the light novel series by Ougyo Kawagishi about a bespectacled high school teen and his mates in the Life Consulting club.

But for many this week’s top release will be the 50-episode mecha series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion created by Sunrise a decade ago and now available in BD at a reasonable price. Each 25-episode season is now available in Blu-ray for an MSRP of $64.98 (DVD $54.98), and the complete Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Seasons 1 & 2 Collector’s Edition (Funimation, 1300 min. BD, $139.99), which comes with a great collection of art cards.

For fans of the long-running Gundam franchise, this week’s top release is the Sunrise-produced Gundam: Reconquista in G Complete Collection (Right Stuf, 650 min., Subtitles Only, BD $74.99), which collects the 13 series in the franchise, and marks the return of Yoshiyuki Tomino, who hadn’t directed a series since 2004.  The Right Stuf is also releasing the first half of Tomino’s classic 51-episode 1993 Mobile Suit Victory Gundam: Collection 1 (Right Stuf, 650 min., Subtitles Only, $59.98, BD $74.99), one of the most sought-after series in the franchise.

The likely bestseller among this week’s releases is Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (Sony, 115 min., $25.99, BD $26.99, Steelbook BD $35.99), a hyper-realistic anime film that takes place in the setting and uses the characters of video game Final Fantasy XV.  Gorgeous animation and a plot using discarded notions from the video game is a recipe for critical scorn, and Kingsglaive has a rating of just 13% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, but fans of the game will want to check out the film’s parallel narrative that uses elements left out of the game.

Other key releases include Naruto Shippuden Uncut Set 28 (Viz Media, 325 min., $39.99), which includes the “Kaikaishi Shadow of Anbu” arc, the supernatural comedy Re-Kan! Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, 325 min., Subtitles Only, $49.98, BD $59.98) that collects the 13-episode 2015 series from Pierrot+ that is based on the 4-panel manga by Hinako Seto, and A Town Where You Live TV: Complete Collection (Right Stuf, 300 min., Subtitles Only, BD $59.98), a slice-of-life romance animated by Gonzo in 2013 and based the manga by Kouji Seo.

Re-priced re-releases include the SAVE edition of the Blood-C Complete Collection (Funimation, BD/DVD $29.98), and the previous Final Fantasy movie, Final Fantasy: Advent Children (Sony, BD $14.99).