Even more than usual 2011 is the “year of the sequel” in Hollywood so this week’s DVD releases led by the Tron sequel, Tron Legacy, and the third installments in the Fockers and Narnia franchises, all fit right in.

 

 

Tron Legacy (Disney, “PG,” $29.99, BD/DVD Combo $39.99, 5-Disc Combo $79.99) is a visual treat, a fitting sequel to the groundbreaking 1982 Tron. Like the original film, Tron Legacy has definite story issues, but those who enjoyed the original Tron in theaters or on VHS will like the sequel, which also revolves around the larger-than-life persona of Jeff Bridges, who starred in the original film as Kevin Flynn, an innovative software engineer who becomes trapped inside of his own video game creation. In the sequel Bridges has aged into a beatific Zen master version of his original 1982 adventurer. It's as if his original character had been merged with “the Dude” from The Big Lebowski. The filmmakers even hired an expert on Buddhism, whose influence on the script is clearly visible, though not always for the best. Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, and the striking Olivia Wilde more than make up for a grinning lightweight performance from Garrett Hedlund, though ultimately this film is not dependent on its performances or its narrative. Director Joseph Kosinski demonstrates real architectural flair in the creation of the in-game world. Tron Legacy looks spectacular on Blu-ray, and the electronic soundtrack from Daft Punk is extremely effective. The Five-Disc Combo includes a superb Blu-ray version of the original Tron, as well as 3-D version and regular Blu-ray versions of Tron Legacy. All the various disc packages of Tron Legacy include a preview of the new Tron: Uprising animated series that will air on Disney’s XD Channel (see “Tron Uprising Cartoon Series”). Even if another film sequel takes three decades to gestate, this is a property that will be around for awhile. on the small screen.

 

Other titles out this week include the comedy Little Fockers (Universal, “PG-13,” $29.98, BD $39.98), which didn’t do nearly as well as its predecessor in the Fockers franchise, but still earned $308 million worldwide. A strong cast headed by Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro do their best, but they can’t overcome a mediocre script—still this film, which the critics loathed (only 9% positive on Rotten Tomatoes), delivers some real laughs, which more than can be said for a lot of contemporary comedies.

 

Like Little Fockers, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Fox, “PG,” $29.98, BD Combo $39.99) is the third film in a franchise, though it is the first one produced by Fox. Disney scored a big hit with the first Narnia film, but the second movie flopped. Thanks to strong business overseas (75% of its total) and a smaller production budget, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will likely break even, although it earned 40% less domestically that its predecessor, a performance that puts a fourth film in some doubt.

 

Casino Jack (Fox, “R,” $22.98) is an attempt to make a film comedy out of an actual lobbying scandal. Kevin Spacey stars as jailed GOP operative Jack Abramoff and gives a typically polished and inventive performance, but this film has problems of tone--its sarcasm and wit don’t really do much for the women exploited on Saipan or the Indian tribes that Abramoff fleeced of funds that were badly needed for schools, scholarships and health care. While Casino Jack may be a brave attempt to both educate and entertain, perhaps this sort of subject is best left to documentary films. It is an unfair comparison, but this Casino Jack has a hard time competing with Alex Gibney’s straight documentary Casino Jack and the United States of Money. 

 

I Love You Phillip Morris (Consolidated Pictures, “R,” $27.98, BD $39.99) is also based on a true story, but this gay romantic comedy fortunately doesn’t have any of the heavy baggage of Abramoff’s saga of corruption. Phillip Morris has the highest critical rating of any of this week’s releases (70% positive) and it’s easy to see why.  I Love You Phillip Morris is wildly unpredictable and almost always entertaining.  By avoiding cliches and allowing its quirky characters room to breathe and act naturally, I Love You Phillip Morris puts most contemporary straight romcoms to shame.

 

 

The top anime release this week is the Antique Bakery Collection (Nozumi Entertainment, “16+,” 300 min., $49.99), which includes all 12 episodes of the 2008 anime adaptation of Fumi Yoshinaga’s shonen ai manga about four men who work in a small bakery. The Nippon Animation adaptation manages to reduce the shonen ai/boy’s love aspects of the story to an off-camera glance, but other aspects of the comedy and relationships are rendered quite well.  Antique Bakery is one of the best recent anime series based on a shojo manga series, and a good example of the sophisticated anime fare shown on the late night Fuji TV noitaminA block.

 

Originally slated for March 15th, but delayed until this week are Hero Tales Part 1 (Funimation, “14+,” 325 min., $64.98) and Hero Tales Part 2 (Funimation, “14+,” 325 min., $59.98) which between them include all 26 episodes of the anime from Studio Flag adapted from the wuxia (Chinese martial arts) influenced manga series illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa (Full Metal Alchemist).

 

Also out this week is the Special A Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, “13+,” 600 min. $59.98), which includes all 24 episodes of the Gonzo anime adaptation of Maki Minami’s shojo manga that was previously released by Sentai in two parts.

 

On Thursday April 7th Bandai Visual is releasing Gundam Unicorn Vol. 3 (Bandai, “13+,” 59 min., BD $59.98).

 

 

After last week’s bonanza of releases, this week’s slate is real disappointment. The top title is a Blu-ray version of the 2000 animated TV movie Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (Warner Bros., 75 min., $19.98), which features a marvelously malevolent turn by Mark Hamill as the Joker. The sleek anime-influenced Batman Beyond has been severely underrated, and seeing The Return of the Joker on Blu-ray is a great way to appreciate this excellent series.

 

Other interesting offerings include Friday Night Lights: The 5th and Final Season (Universal $29.98), which includes the final episodes of the surprisingly interesting series about Texas high school football, Life Unexpected: The Complete First & Second Seasons (Warner Bros., 1118 min., $59.98), which contains all 26 episodes of the CW series about a foster child who is reunited with her birth mother, House of Payne Vol. 7 (Lionsgate, 504 min., $29.98) , which includes episodes 125-148 of Tyler Perry’s popular sitcom, and iCarly Season 2, Vol.3 (Nickelodeon, 462 min., $19.99), which includes 17 episodes of the hit tween sitcom.

 

The top U.K. releases this week include the Lark Rise to Candleford Complete Collection (BBC Video, 1892 min., $179.98), which contains all 39 episodes of the BBC series based on Flora Thompson’s trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about rural England during the final decades of the 19th Century, new editions of the first three series of Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley Mysteries (PBS, $39.98 each), and Minder Season 4 (BFS, 883 min., $39.98), the compelling ITV series about a bodyguard in the London underworld.