Non-theatrical animated features, Batman: Under the Red Hood (the best DC animated feature yet) and G.I. Joe: The Movie (an underrated classic from the 1980s) top this week's DVD offerings along with the first season of the funniest sitcom of the 1950s, a trio of Agatha Christie murder mystery series, and one of the most chilling science fiction “documentary” series ever.

 

Direct to DVD

 

Batman: Under the Red Hood (Warner Bros., 75 min., $24.98, BD $29.98) gets four-and-one half stars out of five—it’s the best direct-to-DVD animated feature yet from DC and Warner Premiere.  This smoothly animated saga is based on the “Under the Hood” story arc written by Judd Winick, who also penned the screenplay.  The story actually works better in an animated feature (the “reveal” is a lot more obvious in the movie, but also a little less tedious than in its more drawn out incarnation in the comics).  Director Brandon Vietti handles the action sequences deftly and there’s enough straight ahead narrative drive in Under the Red Hood that the combat scenes avoid the rote nature of so many animated superhero confrontations.  Pertinent extras include a feature on the history of Dick Grayson, who as Nightwing appears in Under the Red Hood, and another more relevant feature on Jason Todd and the “Death in the Family” story arc.  The voice work is really quite excellent with Bruce Greenwood a perfectly adequate Batman, Neil Patrick Harris an amusingly insouciant Nightwing, and John Di Maggio (Bender on Futurama) as a scary Heath Ledger-like Joker.  Joaquim Dos Santos, who directed the excellent "Spectre" short, which was attached to Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, helms a "Jonah Hex" short that captures the character of the comic book series one hundred times better in ten minutes than the Jonah Hex feature does in an hour-and-one half.  Adding a short to these animated features is a great idea, especially when the execution is so good.

 

TV on DVD

 

G.I. Joe: The Movie (Shout Factory, 93 min., $16.97, BD Combo $26.97) shouldn’t even be in this category since it was originally intended for a theatrical release, but the box office failure of a companion Transformers animated feature in 1987 meant that the G.I. Joe animated movie, which was produced by anime powerhouse Toei (Dragon Ball), was relegated to a direct-to-video release and occasional appearances on TV.  This was too bad because the movie manages to epitomize all that was good in the 1980s G.I. Joe revival.  Despite some last minute changes (Duke was originally supposed to be killed, but after initially agreeing to it, Hasbro nixed his death), this is an exciting imaginative adventure involving an attack by a 40,000 year-old race of snake people.

 

At long last The Phil Silvers Show (aka Sergeant Bilko): Season 1 (Paramount, 882 min., $39.98) is finally getting the kind of treatment that this Emmy Award-winning military comedy deserves.  With its strong ensemble cast (Paul Ford was brilliant and who can forget Doberman?) this was simply the funniest sitcom of the 1950s.  If you’ve never seen The Phil Silvers Show, you are in for a real treat.

 

Science fiction fans will be excited about the release of Stargate Universe Season 1.5 (MGM, 537 min., $29.98, BD $39.98), which includes the second 10 episodes from the first season of the latest iteration of the Stargate franchise.  Yes there will be Stargate Universe Complete Season 1 set with all 20 episodes, but that won’t be out until next year.  Also out this week is the Blu-ray edition of Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 (Universal, 953 min., $89.98).

 

The top releases from the U.K. this week all revolve around Agatha Christie.  They include Poirot, The Movie Collection: Set 5 (Acorn Media, 279 min., $49.98), which features David Suchet as Ms. Christie’s Belgian super sleuth in three elaborate big budget feature length mysteries including Murder on the Orient Express, Third Girl, and Appointment With Death, which is set at an archaeological dig in the Syrian desert and features a tour de force performance by Tim Curry.  David Suchet also stars as Poirot in The Poirot Classic Collection 4 (Acorn Media, 459 min., $49.99), a set of nine hour-long mysteries.  These are well-crafted mysteries with strong casts and wonderful art deco period detail in the sets and clothes.

 

Also out this week is The Agatha Christie Hour (Acorn Media, 300 min., $39.99), which includes five classic stories featuring lesser known Agatha Christie heroes such as Parker Pyne brought to life by great casts that include such actors as John Nettles (Midsomer Murders), James Grout (Inspector Morse), and Maurice Denham (All Pension Spent).  Extras include a feature that looks at Agatha Christie’s pre-Poirot works.

 

Another interesting U.K. series is Black Arrow: The Complete Series (VCI Entertainment, 521 min., $24.99).  Produced by ITV in the 1970s and based on Robert E. Stevenson’s novel, The Black Arrow  is a little known classic about a hooded avenger dispensing justice in the name of the downtrodden during England’s War of the Roses.  These four feature-length sagas are examples of superior children’s programming and well worth watching.

 

Mill Creek is releasing two popular cop shows in modestly-priced complete series.  21 Jump Street: The Complete Series (Mill Creek, 4732 min., $66.98), is a mammoth 18-disc collection of the young cops series that brought Johnny Depp to prominence, while  Hunter: The Complete Series (Mill Creek, 7215 min., $99.98) is a mammoth 28-disc compilation of all 7 years of the series starring former football player Fred Dryer and Stefanie Kramer as Sgt. Dee Dee McCall in a gritty, no-holds-barred, cop-friendly look at law enforcement in L.A.

 

One of the most fascinating “documentary” series in recent years is the History Channel’s Life After People.  Life After People: The Complete Season Two (A&E Home Video, 425 min., $29.95) continues the CGI-aided look at a world without humanity.  In this season the show examines how nature would eventually reclaim religious monuments, the persistent effects of mankind’s toxic waste including chlorine, methane, and radioactive elements that will remain long after people are gone.   Plus there is an eye-opening look at how long homes would last, the amazing persistence of fruitcake, and what happens to seaside cities as ocean levels rise.

 

Theatrical Movies

 

Clash of the Titans (Warner Home Video, “PG-13,” $28.98, BD $35.99), a 3-D remake of the 1981 fantasy film, did its part to rejuvenate the sword and sandal genre by earning nearly $500 million worldwide.  More “realistic” special effects don’t necessarily make up for the hokey charm of the 1981 version that is entirely lacking in this 2010 film.  The legend of Perseus is even more mangled in the modern version with its jarhead hairdos and equally pared down narrative, but those who enjoy spectacle will find plenty to like (Clash of the Titans earned twice as much overseas as it did in the U.S.).  Director Louis Leterrier (Hulk) keeps the action moving and Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fiennes lead a serviceable cast.

 

Repo Men (Universal, “R,” $29.98, BD $39.98) is a science fiction thriller/black comedy that doesn’t quite deliver on its promising premise—Jude Law and Forrest Whitaker are scalpel-wielding repo men employed by a mega medical corporation to reclaim artificially-produced internal organs, which are sold at exhorbitant prices on the installment plan.  The film’s steep level of gore hurt its reputation with the critics (only 22% positive on Rotten Tomatoes), and will probably put off audiences unused to modern horror films, which is too bad because the blood masks some excellent performances.

 

Anime

 

It’s a very light week for anime releases topped by the Dragon Ball Season 5 Collection (Funimation, “14+,” 775 min. $49.95), which includes the final 31 episodes (#123-#153) of the popular series based on Akira Toriyama’s manga.  While the subsequent Dragon Ball Z anime series was more popular, the original Dragon Ball has more charm, and this affordable re-mastered set certainly looks better than any previous U.S. release of the same material.

 

Releases of new material include Soul Eater Part 4 Collection (Funimation, “14+,” 320 min. $59.98), which includes the final 12 episodes of the supernatural action/adventure/comedy (see “DVD Round-Up: Week of  Feb 9th” for a more extensive look at the Soul Eater anime), and Hell Girl: Two Mirrors Collection 2 (Sentai Filmworks, “17+,” 325 min., $49.98), which includes the second half of the second season of the Hell Girl anime, the innovative series about a female demon who can provide people with a measure of revenge against their enemies (but at the cost of their own souls).  While this series is by its very nature episodic, this set is unified by some overriding themes—and the ending is a real surprise that will leave viewers clamoring for Season 3.

 

The bargain anime release of the week is a good one—Love Hina: The Complete Series (Funimation, “13+,” 600 min., $39.98), which contains the entire harem comedy series based on the manga by Ken Akamatsu.