Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

Diamond is Unbreakable is a live action retelling of part four of the long running manga, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures. A mysterious antagonist is running around with a bow and arrow which grants strange powers, eventually leading him to cross paths with the movie’s protagonist, Josuke.

This movie was made with the intention for sequels to follow. As such it only adapts the first part of the storyline on which it is based. To the movie’s credit, it does come to a natural conclusion and the plot mostly works as its own separate story. It is at its most engaging when the writing is focused on its own story. The film occasionally misses the deliberate melodrama of its source material, instead going for straightforward drama, but it succeeds in building a tense atmosphere that is characteristic of good horror. The characters all look cartoonish, but for the most part it does a good job of translating the aesthetics of the series to the medium of a live action movie. Most importantly, the fight scenes still involve a degree of outthinking and outmaneuvering your opponent instead of the characters relying on blind power.

Some failings can be found in the dynamics between characters, and the movie’s long run time. Josuke’s nephew Jotaro, for example, has a fair amount of build-up, and does inhabit a good portion of the movie, only to leave quite suddenly. In a serialised format like a manga, or with the knowledge that a sequel is supposedly coming, this isn’t so bad, but it detracts from this movie in terms of it being its own entity.

The movie has a two-hour running time, and most of this is used wisely, but it does leave the film feeling a bit bloated and occasionally somewhat directionless. This is another byproduct of the fact that is was pre-conceived as the start of a franchise. If the planned sequel does materialise, it may benefit from the setup that takes place in this film, but such scenes don’t do the film itself any favours.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable might have done better if it was allowed to be its own standalone adventure rather than the start of a franchise, but what it ended up being is still good and mostly captures the tone and style of its source material. Apart from the inclusion of trailers there are no extras to make this release essential, but the movie itself does warrant a look.

Special Features: Theatrical Trailer, Trailers

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE / DIRECTOR: TAKASHI MIIKE / SCREENWRITER: ITARU ERA / STARRING: KENTO YAMAZAKI, RYUNOSUKE KAMIKI, MACKENYU, YUSUKE ISEYA, MASAKI OKADA, NANA KOMATSU / CERT: 15 / RELEASE DATE: 27TH AUGUST 2018

In The Changeling, George C. Scott plays John Russell, a composer who moves from New York to Seattle after the tragic deaths of his wife and child in an accident. Trying to rebuild his life, the grieving Russell has taken a job lecturing on music, and has rented a large, old house from the local historic society. It’s not long before strange noises, unexplainable voices and shocking discoveries bring Russell to believe his new home is haunted.

Scott’s character is a rational man but, as one who operates on the evidence available to him, the film avoids the pitfalls of some other, similar films by not being about what Russell believes, but instead what he will do about it. When The Changeling also takes an interesting, agreeably bold turn midway through, it becomes both ghost story and something else at the same time.

Sharing much of its cinematic DNA with the type of captivating, classy horror Hollywood had been producing at the time, where it deviates from this, it does so in genuinely fascinating ways, not least in the emotionally brutal ending. Although it arguably lacks a real sense of foreboding or genuine danger for Russell, what makes The Changeling work far outweighs any of the film’s relatively minor issues. Blessed with an excellent score, beautifully shot, directed with thought and care, well-paced and with a faultless central cast (headed up by the incomparable Scott), The Changeling is well worth your time.

Second Sight’s Blu-ray release boasts a great new restored 4K scan of the film which is most often sharp, clear and makes it appear as if it could have been shot yesterday. For extras, we start with a lively feature-length commentary by director Peter Medak and producer Joel B. Michaels moderated by Severin Films’ David Gregory, in which both share plenty of behind-the-scenes information and an enthusiasm for the film and their star Scott that is certainly justified. Featurette The House on Cheesman Park (17:31 mins) explores the ‘true’ story behind the film. The Psychotronic Tourist (16:02 mins) is a modern-day tour of the film’s striking locations, and there’s interviews with music arranger Kenneth Wannberg (8:59 mins), art director Reuben Freed (10:56 mins) and Mick Garris (5:31 mins) on the movie’s history and production, and like the commentary all show huge affection for the film. A trailer and TV spot round things out, and it comes with a 40-page booklet and bonus soundtrack CD in the early limited-edition release. A fine package for a very good film.

THE CHANGELING / DIRECTOR: PETER MEDAK / SCREENPLAY: WILLIAM GRAY, DIANA MADDOX / STARRING: GEORGE C. SCOTT, TRISH VAN DEVERE, MELVYN DOUGLAS / CERT: 15 / RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 13TH 2018

Special Features:

• Audio commentary with director Peter Medak and producer Joel B. Michaels
• “The House On Cheesman Park”; The Haunting True Story of The Changeling
• “The Music of The Changeling”; interview with Music Arranger Kenneth Wannberg
• “Building The House of Horror”; interview with Art Director Reuben Freed
• “The Psychotronic Tourist”
• Master of horror Mick Garris on “The Changeling”
• Trailer
• TV Spot
• New English subtitles for the hearing impaired

Limited Edition Contents:

• Original Soundtrack CD
• 40-page booklet
• Double-sided poster and reversible Amaray sleeve

Regardless if anyone thought it was a publicity stunt or one of the greatest stories ever told, there is no denying that The Death of Superman is still one of the most important stories to have ever been told in the history of comics. Superman is a character that was beloved by many and is the original superhero, so the idea of him getting killed was certainly something of a surprise. It was a story about two unstoppable forces going at each other and it was clear from the get go that there would be no winners. With it being such an iconic story, it not surprising that it would receive a good number of adaptations, the first being in 2007 with Superman: Doomsday, which tried to combine both The Death of Superman and The Return of Superman storylines together to very mixed results, even though it wasn’t the worst treatment ever. That came in 2016 with the notorious Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which didn’t earn the right to tackle that story, especially since it was only that particular Superman’s second movie so it felt very rushed and forced in order to set up 2017’s equally-fated Justice League. As you can tell, previous adaptations have been less than stellar to say the least, but now, we finally have the adaptation we’ve been waiting for.

The first of a two-parter (not seen since The Dark Knight Returns), this sees Superman/Clark Kent trying to do right in his relationship with Lois Lane, wondering if he should spill the beans and confess who he really is. However, as their relationship blossoms, an ancient, murderous monstrosity known as Doomsday arrives to wage a worldwide massacre, and when even the Justice League fails to stop him, it’s up to Superman to stop it once and for all, even if at the cost of his own life. This is pretty much faithful to the original story while also doing its own thing with it, and what we have is quite possibly one of the best DC animated movies to date. This translates the epic battle brilliantly and it’s powerful to watch, but this film does a superb job of building up to that battle while also delivering on the impact as well. It’s great that we spend time with Clark Kent as he’s trying to take his relationship with Lois forward, while also questioning himself about whether or not it’s the right thing to do, and we also see from Lois’ point of view that she’s becoming wary of Clark keeping secrets from her, challenging her trust for him. It’s important that we become invested in that relationship and their chemistry before the unforgettable tragic battle happens, and it provides a good emotional reason to expand that story.

The character engagement is extremely well-handled, as is the foreshadowing for events that will transpire in the second chapter, and if you are familiar with the following storyline The Return of Superman / The Reign of the Supermen, then you will definitely see the groundwork that’s being laid. If there is a problem, it’s that we don’t get enough time to show what the world is like without Superman, because after his titular demise, we get 6 or so minutes where we see a mourning world and then the big cliffhanger to tease part two, and frankly, that’s not enough time to make us feel the impact of his death. Plus, it is mighty annoying that they had to make the story fit in with the New 52 style of the previous DC Animated Movie Universe installments, but those are only niggles compared to how great the rest of the film is. When this style of animation was introduced in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, it started out looking somewhat rough and was variable at best, but now, the animation team seemed to have mastered that style, easily making this the best looking of the movies set within this animated universe.

Even with budgetary limitations, the animation is top-notch, and the action is well-choreographed and energetic with each punch landing hard and fast. The major fight with Superman and Doomsday is brilliantly and brutally realised, and this film does not shy away from showing the bloody impact, plus the pacing is just right, too, with the back and forth between the quieter moments and the action sequences feeling very natural and organic. The action scenes never drag on or feel padded out, nor do the quiet character moments ever feel boring and dull, so a huge testament to both Jake Castorena and Sam Liu’s solid directing. Also, major kudos for real-life couple Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn for bringing Clark and Lois to life and making that legendary chemistry feel real and organic.

Taking it all round, The Death of Superman is a renowned success and is an animated feature that Superman fans will undoubtedly get behind. The voice cast is superb, the animation is terrific and greatly improved, the score is stirring and the script by frequent Superman comics writer Peter J. Tomasi is solid, so it all comes together in a hugely satisfying way. But most importantly, this film understands what Superman means and why he’s so beloved by many; he’s the ultimate good guy and a symbol of hope, which makes his impending death resonate in a truly powerful way. Zack Snyder completely missed the mark on that with BvS, but this movie gets that perfectly. This rightfully stands along such gems like Superman vs. the Elite and All Star Superman as one of the best Superman animated movies to date, so let’s just hope the upcoming second part delivers just as well.

THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN / DIRECTOR: JAKE CASTORENA, SAM LIU / SCREENPLAY: PETER TOMASI / STARRING: JERRY O’CONNELL, REBECCA ROMIJN, RAINN WILSON, ROSARIO DAWSON, NATHAN FILLION, MATT LANTER, CHRISTOPHER GORHAM / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Right from the off, Rustam Mosafir’s medieval action movie does things a little differently. From starting with the villains of the film to snarling burly men punching each other’s faces off (yep), The Last Warrior somehow balances the far-fetched with the entertaining just enough to make it watchable, albeit well below the level it should be.

Lyutobor (Aleksey Faddeev), a loyal subject to his Lord and really undeserving of all the crap that gets sent his way, must rescue his wife and newborn son from kidnappers. His guide is a captured Scythian, Marten (Aleksandr Kuznetsov), who comes from a tribe of blood-worshipping murderers. To make matters worse, Lyutobor is framed for poisoning Lord Oleg (Yuriy Tsurilo) so must also escape those he could once call allies.

The interplay between Lyutobor and Marten is tense, unpredictable and very engaging. The film doesn’t really get into its stride until they meet, and the trust forged between the two is as fragile as glass. Mosafir takes his time to make sure that this development makes sense, and that it bears real consequences for how the film unfolds. Sadly, it is one of few fleshed out relationships in the film. The script struggles to give several characters the screen time and emphasis they are screaming out for. Lyutobor’s wife in particular feels like little more than a plot device.

Mind you, this is no film for talking. The Last Warrior is about fighting. The violence is brutishly realised on every occasion and only gets more intense as time goes on. You will learn new ways that humans can bleed, and many characters make a hobby of cutting their own hands open. The fight scenes are a flurry of intense sword scrapes that are at their best very impressive, and the heroes take more blows than many modern action movies allow.

Where the movie lets itself down is when Lyutobor becomes ‘the beast’, basically turning him into an invincible snarling bear of a bloke. The editing whenever this happens is not what it needs to be – it’s ragged, overdone and a bit of a joke. A sequence about an hour in involving a forest tribe and an execution pit ruins your enjoyment of the movie, almost irreversibly. You struggle to take everything else seriously after Mosafir introduces his 8-bit version of James McAvoy from Split, despite efforts to inject a bit more realism afterwards.

It’s a shame, because the more down-to-earth battles and interactions are really engaging. This is a strong story at its core, with only a few complaints aside the big one. This is one of those films though where a few scenes degrade the entire spectacle.

THE LAST WARRIOR (AKA THE SCYTHIAN) / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: RUSTAM MOSAFIR / SCREENPLAY: RUSTAM MOSAFIR, VADIM GOLOVANOV / STARRING: ALEKSEY FADDEEV, ALEKSANDR KUZNETSOV, YURIY TSURILO, IZMAYLOVA VASILISA, VITALY KRAVCHENKO / RELEASE DATE: 20^TH AUGUST 2018

These days, Dwayne Johnson is the one of the most bankable box office stars in the game. Having warmly embraced the action genre in a way rarely seen since the ‘80s heyday of Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis et al, here the former WWE Champion headlines a loose adaptation of classic video game Rampage, but – much like Johnson’s Doom feature of yesteryear – is this yet another disappointing effort that is simply relying on an existing property’s name value, or is this an all-out, balls-out classic actioner?

The plot of Brad Peyton’s Rampage pulls from its source material in a very liberal sense, taking the basic fundamentals of giant creatures but putting a more suitable-for-cinematic lick of paint on proceedings. Johnson plays primatologist Davis Okoye, a former Special Forces soldier who is jilted towards mankind and who gets far more comfort in spending his time with animals – in particular his albino gorilla buddy George. But when the aftermath of an ill-fated experiment increases George’s size, strength and aggression, Davis is tasked with stopping his bestest bud from causing chaos and carnage, while simultaneously trying to get to George before the military can deal with the gorilla in their own clinical way. And that’s not all, for a similarly-enhanced wolf is just another part of the problem, not to mention A.N. Other crazed creature that lurks just around the corner.

Joining Johnson here, Naomie Harris plays a disgraced scientist desperate to help in whatever way she can, as a nefarious organization headed up by Malin Akerman and Jake Lacy look to weaponise these animals and more for their own twisted gain. Then, in the middle of this, we also have Jeffrey Dean Morgan putting in a shift as a Negan-lite agent caught up in both sides of this ongoing destruction derby. Harris is great at bringing some seriousness to the picture, while Akerman and Lacy take great pleasure in yucking it up as the bad guys of the piece. As for Morgan, he’s as charismatic and effective as ever, even if he feels like he’s pulling maybe a little too much from his turn as The Walking Dead’s Negan here.

Of course, this is very much Dwayne Johnson’s movie, with him ticking every box you’d imagine from him and from such a film. Johnson is at his charming best, muscles a-rippling, one-liners at the ready, and his best gun-shooting-face fully grimaced and about to be unloaded. But while the Great One is the headline name strewn across Rampage’s promo material, special praise must go to the team at Weta Digital for their astonishing SFX work on the creatures unwillingly part of some misjudged experiment. All three of the animals – yes, three… – look absolutely jaw-dropping, and it’s the brilliant chemistry by Johnson and George that often steals the show. To be fair to the People’s Champ, Dwayne Johnson seems to be able to strike up insta-likeable chemistry with any and everyone he stars with, and here the Jumanji star goes one better and bounces wonderfully off a CGI gorilla.

If you’re looking for a modern-day action movie that stands out above the dross so often associated with that genre these days, look no further than Rampage. All-out destruction? Check. Muscles, guns, and explosions? Check. Slimy villains? Check. Cheesy dialogue? Check. Giant-ass monsters? Triple check! Most of all, though, there’s genuine heart drenched throughout Rampage. This is one action movie that you don’t want to pass on, and Dwayne Johnson again proves why he really is the go-to guy in Hollywood right now. And yes, finally we can now let that god-awful Doom adaptation slide.

In terms of bonus material, it’s pretty standard affair with this release. All of the extra content is decent yet run-of-the-mill, although the Not a Game Anymore featurette is sure to have longtime fans of the Rampage video game franchise grinning from ear-to-ear.

Special Features: Five featurettes / Gag reel / Deleted scenes

RAMPAGE / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: BRAD PEYTON / SCREENPLAY: VARIOUS / STARRING: DWAYNE JOHNSON, NAOMIE HARRIS, JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN, MALIN AKERMAN, JAKE LACY, JOE MANGANIELLO / RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 20TH

Reuniting Donald Sutherland with the screenwriter of Don’t Look Now (Allan Scott is co-writer here), Apprentice to Murder is a low-key tale of superstition and the supernatural set in 1920s Dutch Pennsylvania that doesn’t quite seem to know what it wants to say.

Inspired by a real court case and based on actual events, Rob Lowe’s younger brother Chad stars as sixteen-year-old Billy Kelly, a mildly Aspergic young man who falls in with co-worker Alice (Sara), a local girl who dreams of running away to Philadelphia to become a typist. Alice is currently living in the boarding house which also provides a roof over the head of uncertified religious “powwow” doctor John Reese (Sutherland), and when the artistically gifted Billy meets the equally socially awkward Reese, the older man takes him on as an apprentice.

After a rather clumsy opening, this is all quite sensitively handled. Billy’s apparent condition is exposited subtly and realistically through his actions and interests; although it’s obvious from the beginning that Alice has taken a romantic interest, Billy misses the clues until she pretty much gives herself to him. This is very much the story of a triangle, however, with Reese just as interested for obviously entirely different reasons. The relationships between the characters are never unnecessarily spelled out, and it’s nice to see the narrative evolving almost completely free of the usual storytelling clichés.

While it’s a tone the film retains more or less throughout, making it rather more thoughtful than the lurid religious potboiler the promotion might suggest, this also means there’s never a sense of the story really taking flight; it just kind of trudges along until the two powwows are arrested, and we don’t even get to see the court case that prompted the film in the first place. Instead, there’s a reasonable ambiguity about whether Reese sees in Billy a likeminded spirit or an easily manipulated young mark, but this isn’t resolved either, inviting us to come entirely to our own conclusions. The one moment during which the other ambiguity – whether Reese’s fight against evil is genuine or simply in his imagination – appears to get a definitive answer during the climactic confrontation is thankfully later revealed to have been the film depicting the incident from the doctor’s point of view. It’s good that the film doesn’t provide easy answers, but for all its pretty cinematography and solid performances (especially from Sutherland and Lowe Junior), you feel the reason it’s not giving any is because it isn’t sure itself.

The picture on this Blu-ray edition is clear and sharp, and for such an undistinguished film there’s a wealth of albeit inessential extras. But this is no The Wicker Man, so temper your curiosity accordingly.

Extras: commentary track, three interviews

REVIEW: APPRENTICE TO MURDER / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: RALPH L. THOMAS / SCREENPLAY: ALLAN SCOTT, WESLEY MOORE / STARRING: DONALD SUTHERLAND, CHAD LOWE, MIA SARA, KNUT HUSEBØ, RUTANYA ALDA, EDDIE JONES / RELEASE DATE: 20^TH AUGUST

Take Shelter is a rare example of a film that successfully blends the low-key, nuanced drama of an indie production with high-stakes, genre film-making.

The film follows Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) as he suffers from apocalyptic dreams and hallucinations, causing his behaviour to become increasingly erratic as he becomes further convinced that he’s having legitimate visions of a coming storm for which he must prepare a shelter in his back garden. As his life becomes consumed by these urges, it begins to unravel, be it him taking out a bad loan to fund his obsession or neglecting his worklife to the point that he’s fired.

Understandably, those around him start to worry that he’s developing paranoid schizophrenia, and his wellbeing largely falls on the shoulders of wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) who tries desperately to help him through the difficulties he’s having for the sake of their marriage and the sake of their daughter. Whether or not Curtis is actually some sort of doomsday prophet or is simply mentally ill is beside the point – writer / director Jeff Nichols is far less interested in the great storm Curtis believes is on the horizon than he is in the strain that this puts on their marriage.

Everything in Take Shelter, from the direction to the cinematography to the music, is produced to an extremely high quality, but the real standout element is the acting. This was essentially Jessica Chastain’s breakout performance, being released shortly before The Help, for which she received her first Oscar nomination. Michael Shannon – another truly gifted actor – had, on the other hand, nearly 20 years of very respectable credits to his name at this point. This makes it all the more remarkable that Take Shelter still, to this date, stands as, arguably, the best performances of either of their respective careers.

This Blu-ray release preserves the gorgeous sounds and visuals of the film and also comes with a selection of special features including deleted scenes, the trailer and a myriad of interviews and Q&A sessions featuring Nichols, Shannon and Chastain. Whilst most of these seem to be raw footage taken at film festivals, one surprisingly in-depth interview with Nichols offers a great deal of insight into the film’s production, even going so far as to delve into its divisive ending and offering a great deal of insight into its intended meaning.

While none of these features are mind-blowing, they certainly help you to appreciate the film further. Take Shelter is an intensely intimate and clearly very personal film. On its surface, it’s a dark, brooding affair about mental illness and disaster waiting to happen, but dig beneath the surface and you’ll find a sweet and very powerful tale about the strength that can be found in partnerships and the resilience of love.

TAKE SHELTER / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JEFF NICHOLS / SCREENPLAY: JEFF NICHOLS / STARRING: JESSICA CHASTAIN, MICHAEL SHANNON / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

EXTRA FEATURES: Commentary with Jeff Nichols and Michael Shannon, Behind the Scenes featurette, Q&A with Michael Shannon and Shea Whigham, Deleted Scenes

Food Wars follows a group of students at a prestigious culinary school. The titular food wars are cooking competitions between chefs undertaken either for personal reasons or as part of a pupil’s advancement through the school.

Whereas season 1 of Food Wars had 24 episodes, season 2 only has 13. This reduced episode count does mean there is less running time for your money, but it also results in a more focused storyline. Most of the season is spent following the final rounds of the Autumn Election Tournament. At first it seems like Food Wars falls into a rut quite quickly – early episodes have a battle each, and the pacing doesn’t leave much time to explore the characters. However, this status quo isn’t around for long before it is quickly upended and the show begins to shine.

The early episodes give Soma something of an antagonist to defeat, food wars become structured in a way that lets the characters shine, and the food tasting sequences become more imaginative. In season 1, most of the food reactions boiled down to a variation on orgasm, which was funny at first but got old quickly. There are still foodgasms here, but there are also extended daydream sequences which add variety to the judges’ reactions.

This season is also strong in terms of how it handles its lead character, Soma. At times in the show’s past it has felt like he was too adept at cooking despite the fact that he is supposed to be at a school to improve his cooking. Season 2 counteracts this, first by making sure that Soma isn’t always on top, and secondly by showing the pains that Soma takes to learn. This isn’t a character who shows up already able to teach others (even if it seems like that sometimes), but a character who is shown to struggle and work to make his cooking better. This aspect of Food Wars allows the show to avoid pitfalls that has affected the protagonists of anime in similar situations.

The special features on offer here should be familiar to anyone who has purchased a physical release from Sentai Filmworks before. There is nothing outright bad among the collections, but nothing to make this release a must buy over choosing to stream it online either. Food Wars Season 2 is full of fun, with memorable characters and over the top reactions. Whenever it feels like it settling into a pattern, the show finds a way to shake it up and provide something new. The show is very good, but it is isn’t essential that you buy this release to watch it.

Special Features: Clean Opening Animations / Clean Closing Animations / Trailers

FOOD WARS! SEASON 2 / CERT: 15/ DIRECTORS: VARIOUS/ WRITERS: VARIOUS/ STARRING: BLAKE SHEPPARD, JAY HICMAN, STEPHANIE WITTELS, BRITTNEY KARBOWSKI /RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (VOD), 13TH AUGUST 2018 (DVD)