The Summer of 2006 was a tough one for Warner Bros., which produced a trio of films that failed to meet box-office expectations: M. Night Shyamalan’s critically-reviled “Lady in the Water,” the expensive (and as such only moderately successful) “Superman Returns,” and May’s would-be action spectacle POSEIDON (98 mins., 2006, PG-13; Arrow), which regrettably marked the final English studio film of director Wolfgang Petersen.
This expensive — but shockingly not expensive-looking — remake of the old Irwin Allen disaster classic is pretty much a misfire across the board, with inferior special effects, non-existent character development, and even an annoyingly repetitive soundtrack making for a hugely disappointing movie.
It also doesn’t help that the film suffers from a notable lack of star power: made during the short-lived window when he was netting top-billed lead roles, Josh Lucas stars as a playboy on the move (he’s listed first on the film credits), while Kurt Russell nabbed the prominent spot in print advertising as a disgruntled father. Neither are able to keep the film’s pedestrian survival drama afloat, though admittedly, the movie also doesn’t bother to develop any of the Poseidon’s survivors or the ship itself as they attempt to make it to the surface, following a rogue wave that capsizes the luxury liner before we even hit the 20 minute mark.
Writer Mark Protosevich is the sole credited writer on the film, which is utterly uproarious when one considers his claim that he wasn’t responsible for a single line of dialogue in the picture – and that “dozens” of other writers had worked on the film after him…none of them wanting credit!
It’s certainly believable when one considers the 98-minute (with several minutes of credits) running time is indicative of editors dropping material left and right on the cutting room floor. Perhaps they had good reason to, since what little human interaction there is in the movie is cliche-city, and the cast of young, mostly undistinguished supporting names (Jacinda Barrett? Mike Vogel? Mia Maestro? Jimmy Bennett?) fails to provide much interest; only Richard Dreyfuss, as a newly single gay man (that’s basically the extent of what we know about his character), offers a few unintended yucks when he opts to jump off the ship, only to discover “the wave” rising in front of the moon, and later — however reluctantly — sends a Poseidon waiter to his death while trying to escape an elevator shaft.
Director Petersen had the midas touch in directing back-to-back blockbusters for Warner (“The Perfect Storm” and “Troy”) which both were genuinely impressive visual spectacles, but nothing in “Poseidon” clicks, from the been-there, done-that action scenes to production design that seems asleep at the switch (isn’t this a luxury liner that’s been turned upside down? Other than two primary sets, the movie could have been made at a Best Western, with its threadbare backdrops and empty corridors!). For a movie that reportedly cost upwards of $160 million, it’s downright shocking how cheap “Poseidon” looks at times. The opening, computer-rendered shot of Lucas running around the Poseidon’s deck is appallingly produced, with a notable lack of detail and fake-looking water. Adding further insult to injury is the picture’s limp soundtrack, with Klaus Badelt’s tired, Zimmer-esque score adding little to the already limited thrills of “Poseidon.”
Arrow debuts a new 4K UHD (2.39) of “Poseidon” this week and the Dolby Vision HDR adds enhanced color, if not detail, as some of the VFX-intensive sequences still possess a somewhat “glossy” digital appearance. The original 5.1 DTS MA sound was well engineered and is reprised here, while extras include interviews with DP John Seale and production designer William Sandell, plus effects supervisor Boyd Shermis and make-up artist Michael Deak. All laud the hard labor that went into the production and best intentions of Petersen and company, while additional extras include a visual essay from podcaster Heath Holland and archival extras from the previous release.
Due from Arrow on 4K UHD later this month are the two Michael Bay-produced horror remakes of Tobe Hooper’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Available separately in new UHD Limited Editions – packed with new and archival extras – are the Marcus Nispel-helmed THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (98 mins., 2003, R) with Jessica Biel and friends trying to stay alive after running into Leatherface and his clan, and the 2006 prequel THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING (91/96 mins., R/Unrated), an inferior entry from director Jonathan Liebesman which puts Jordana Brewster into the lead opposite a returning R. Lee Ermey, who serves up villainy alongside Leatherface in both.
Like Bay’s resurrection of “Friday the 13th,” these are solid looking visual efforts with Nispel’s entry in particular at least serving up an accomplished technical production. Creatively, both are warmed-over rehashes of what we’ve seen before with added grime and unpleasantness, yet the spirit of Tobe Hooper’s gonzo original are at least partially preserved with John Larroquette performing narrating chores on both, just as he did back on the ‘74 classic.
Each UHD contains 4K (1.85) presentations with Dolby Vision HDR and 7.1/5.1 DTS MA soundtracks and tons of special features. The first MASSACRE offers a new podcaster commentary while three archival tracks contain cast and crew discussions. There’s also a new interview with Nispel and other talks with cinematographer Daniel Pearl, actor Brett Wagner, and composer Steve Jablonsky (who scored both entries); an archival Making Of, deleted scenes, screen tests, a look at real-life killer Ed Gein who inspired the picture, conceptual art galleries, trailers, and booklet notes from Michael Gingold. THE BEGINNING sports both theatrical and unrated versions in 4K transfers with a new podcaster commentary and archival track sporting the producers and director Jonathan Liebesman; new interviews with actor Lew Temple, makeup artists Jake Garber and Kevin Wasner, and DP Lukas Ettlin. An archival Making Of is also on-hand plus deleted/extended scenes, the trailer, a double-sided foldout poster and more liner notes by Michael Gingold.
Rounding out Arrow’s August releases is Jennifer Reeder’s PERPETRATOR (101 mins., 2023), which stars Kiah McKirnan as a teenage girl, about to turn 18, who finds out she has supernatural powers which she uses to track down a local serial killer apparently at work, preying on a number of recently disappeared women. An offbeat array of genre components intertwine in Reeder’s 2023 picture for Shudder, presented here on Blu-Ray in a 1080p (1.85) Arrow transfer with 5.1 DTS MA audio; a commentary by Reeder and dp Sevdije Kastrati; a video essay by Jen Handorf; on-set interviews with McKirnan and co-stars Alicia Silverstone, Melanie Liburd and Christopher Lowell; short films and music videos directed by Reeder; the trailer; and a booklet sporting essays by Kat Hughes and Marianne Lampon.
Also New & Noteworthy
THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN 4K UHD/Blu-Ray (117/133 mins., R/Unrated, 2005; Universal): Raucous box-office hit stars Steve Carrell as an electronics store employee who has never “gone all the way.” With his co-workers stunned by this breaking news, Carrell is quickly set up with a bevy of potential candidates to end his virginity, but instead falls for a divorced mom (Catherine Keener) who runs an eBay-selling service across the street.
Director Judd Apatow co-wrote this silly but surprisingly sweet tale (with star Carrell) of an affable guy with a few quirks who navigates through a succession of “crazy” people before meeting someone with hang-ups of her own — sex just not being one of them. The movie manages to work in the requisite raunchy laughs with a strong amount of character development for this sort of thing, plus numerous observations that had me in stitches (such as the Circuit City/Best Buy-esque store broadcasting an endless stream of Michael McDonald concert videos). The picture is a little long and isn’t especially cinematic — at times it almost looks like an R-rated movie of the week — but the comedy and performances (especially from Carrell and Keener) make the ultimately appealing story a crowd-pleaser that’s hard to resist.
Universal’s 20th Anniversary (seriously?) edition of “The 40 Year Old Virgin” offers a potent upgrade on the previous Blu-Ray, which was basically an early format HD-DVD port. This new release sports the requisite Dolby Vision HDR (1.85) grading and Dolby Atmos sound remix, while a brand-new 20th Anniversary panel discussion includes Carell, Keener, Jane Lynch, Kat Dennings and Gerry Bednob reflecting back on the picture. The disc also includes the longer Unrated cut (stick with the theatrical) plus legacy supplements including a commentary track with Apatow, Carrell, and other cast members, deleted scenes, rehearsal footage, Comedy Central and Cinemax featurettes, a vintage ‘70s sex education film, and Digital HD code.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 4K UHD (125 mins., 2025, PG; Universal): One of the strangest remakes in movie history, Universal’s live-action rendition of “How to Train Your Dragon” re-adapts Cressida Cowell’s bestselling book…from the same creative team that made the hit 2010 Dreamworks animated film…utilizing the same animated design for its main dragon, Toothless, and friends…recycling the same score, certain cast members (Gerard Butler, now live!), and repeating scenes nearly beat-to-beat from its entirely animated predecessor!
The result is less like a fully realized live-action take than it is a hybrid of what we’ve already seen but now with human characters, re-inserted into the exact same movie. Is writer-director Dean DeBlois’ film entertaining? Sure. Will kids enjoy it? Absolutely. But does it need to exist? That’s where this “Dragon” stumbles, failing to provide a valid reason as to why it had to be made in the first place (outside being an obvious tie-in to the recent opening of Universal Orlando’s new “Epic Universe” park, complete with its “How To Train Your Dragon” section).
Universal’s Dolby Vision HDR (2.39/1.90) transfer is spectacular, the Dolby Atmos sound finely engineered, and the usual extras (deleted scenes, gag reel, Making Of featurettes) are included in a superlative UHD presentation along with the Blu-Ray and a Digital HD code.
THE BOYS Season 4 Blu-Ray (493 mins., 2024; Sony): Penultimate season of the violent, black comic Amazon super-hero series focuses on Victoria Neuman’s ascension to the White House being close at-hand and The Boys trying to rally – in spite of Butcher’s terminal diagnosis – to stop her. Sony’s fourth-season Blu-Ray sports cinematic 1080p (2.35) transfers and 5.1 DTS MA soundtracks, plus 14 deleted scenes and four gag reels in its slipcover-adorned case.
Radiance New Releases
Volume 2 of Radiance’s SHINOBI anthologies features the work of star Raizo Ichikawa as “Mist Saizo,” the bad-ass ninja driven to take out the elusive Tokugawa Shogun in three widescreen Japanese imports from the mid ‘60s. Included in Radiance’s limited-edition Blu-Ray box-set are Tokuzo Tanaka’s SIEGE, Kazuo Ikehiro’s RETURN OF MIST SAIZO, and Kazuo Mori’s THE LAST IGA SPY (87/91/89 mins., 1964-65), all three of which are shot in crisp B&W scope (offered here in new 2K remasters) and feature well-crafted, excitingly choreographed action sequences. New interviews with historians Taichi Kasufa and Mance Thompson, two visual essays, a selected-scene commentary by Tom Mes, and extensive booklet notes adorn this hardbound Radiance special edition, which comes highly recommended for Japanese action fans and Ninja buffs especially.
Also new from Radiance is a Blu-Ray of THROUGH AND THROUGH (74 mins., 1973), a starkly shot B&W piece about a struggling couple who go to extremes in order to survive in 1930s Krakow. Director Grzegorz Krolikiewicz’s picture premiered at Cannes where it would go on to earn international acclaim, and now comes to Blu-Ray from Radiance. Their Limited Edition features a 1080p (1.37) transfer with mono audio, an interview with critic Michal Oleszczyk, three earlier short films by the director, and a booklet sporting writing by Ela Bittencourt.
Eureka has released Gaumont’s 4K restoration of FINIS TERRAE (81 mins., 1929), a silent epic from visionary French director Jean Epstein, whose film follows four men who travel to a remote island where the setting, weather, and jealousies between the group cause a fracture with potentially deadly consequences. Seen as an influence on Robert Eggers’ (overrated) “The Lighthouse” but mostly renowned for its various technical achievements, including a pioneering use of slow-motion, “Finis Terrae” is well worth savoring for cinephiles in Eureka’s Blu-Ray. The 1080p (1.37 B&W) transfer is derived from a 4K source with extras including a new interview with critic Pamela Hutchinson on the director; a video essay by Eddie Falvey; an archival talk with historian Joel Daire and a collector’s booklet with writing by Christopher Weall-Roman and vintage comments from Epstein.
Out on August 19th from Eureka, the Blu-Ray anthology MARTIAL LAW: LO WEI’S WUXIA WORLD sports a trio of films directed by the Hong Kong filmmaker before he collaborated with Bruce Lee on worldwide hits “The Big Boss” and “Fists of Fury.”
This trio of Shaw Brothers “wuxia” efforts includes the Robin Hood-themed THE BLACK BUTTERFLY (110 mins./, 1968); another period genre exercise, DEATH VALLEY (100 mins., 1968), starring Angela Yu Chien and Chen Hung-lieh; and VENGEANCE OF A SNOW GIRL (123 mins., 1971), a tale of retribution where Li Ching’s heroine tracks down those responsible for murdering her parents.
1080p (2.35) transfers, Mandarin audio, English subtitles, and new commentaries adorn all three films from Mike Leeder and Arne Venema in Eureka’s box-set. Other extras include a new interview with genre expert Wayne Wong on “Vengeance” plus a limited-edition O-card slipcase and liner notes by Camille Zaurin.
FEAR CABIN: THE LAST WEEKEND OF SUMMER DVD (2025; Cleopatra): Brian Krainson’s independent horror thriller comes to DVD from Cleopatra with their disc sporting a 16:9 transfer, behind-the-scenes segment, interview with Krainson and the trailer.
NEXT TIME: Kino Lorber Wraps Up August with REPOSSESSED (and more!) Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers everyone!