This Week in Blu-ray / DVD Releases: Ant-Man, Minions, Knock Knock, Hannibal

By John Law

December 7th 2015, 9:57pm

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

This Week: Marvel triumphs again with Ant-Man, the Minions start to overstay their welcome, and Keanu Reeves gets knocked around in Eli Roth's return.

► We keep waiting for the Marvel movies to hit a slump, and they keep shrugging off our doubts with movies like ANT-MAN. Not even a second tier hero, he’s way down the list, and yet this was arguably more entertaining and better produced than ‘Age of Ultron.’ Paul Rudd nails the cheeky humor required as thief Scott Lang, who is first mentored by and then pitted against scientist Henry Pym (Corey Stoll), who wants to militarize the shrinking technology designed by his ousted boss (Michael Douglas). Not as much spectacle as the flagship Marvel movies, but this is just as fun as ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ The blu-ray batch of extras includes commentary by Rudd and director Peyton Reed, a deeper look at the film’s effects, and extended scenes. Also out today is the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 2 Collection,’ with every Marvel movie from ‘Iron Man 3’ to this.

► Have we reached critical mass for the MINIONS? They were already getting tiresome in the weeks leading up to their long-awaited spin-off movie, and even though this was still one of the year’s biggest hits, it didn’t dominate like many predicted (I pegged it #2 for the summer). Origin story for the little yellow freaks traces their evolution from single cell organisms to servants for the likes of Dracula and Napoleon. Sandra Bullock voices Scarlett Overkill, the ‘60s supervillain they served before Gru (Steve Carell, briefly). They’re still a lovably loony creation, but this one never rises above its crass purpose – to sell loads of Minions merch. Blu-ray includes three mini-movies.

► As a director, Eli Roth had been AWOL for awhile before returning with both ‘The Green Inferno’ and KNOCK KNOCK this year. Of the two, this one got the rougher reception. Keanu Reeves, squandering a lot of the good will he got back with ‘John Wick,’ is a married man who opens his door to two women during a storm while his family is on a beach trip. Everything’s innocent until they talk him into a threesome. They aren’t so nice the next day, trashing his house and threatening to blackmail him with a video of the dirty deed. As campy as it is scary, this is Roth back in ‘Cabin Fever’ mode.

► Third and final season of HANNIBAL finds the good doctor’s luck running out in Italy, eventually morphing into ‘Red Dragon’ where the whole saga began. Show creator Bryan Fuller throws enough changes into the mix (the story’s been told in two movies already) to keep fans of Thomas Harris’ ingenious creation hanging on…only for cancellation to spoil the party. All things considered, though, it’s surprising the show got past its first season, causing NBC nothing but headaches with its violence (probably the most of any network show). Would have been nice for Clarice Starling’s character to show up at some point, but Gillian Anderson and Laurence Fishburne are solid additions.

► Viewers turned on UNDER THE DOME pretty fast for Season 3, with CBS mercifully pulling the plug at the end. Stephen King’s book was always an odd choice for an ongoing series – there’s only so much frustration you can build in viewers before some kind of explanation is required. When it arrives, just like in the book, it didn’t warrant the build-up. Aliens, pods and crystals add to the silliness. Thankfully, the upcoming adaptation of King’s awesome ‘12/22/63’ will be a mini-series.

► If you thought the ‘Transporter’ movies were getting tired by #3, try them without Jason Statham. Ed Skrein is the new Frank Martin for TRANSPORTER: REFUELED, seven years after Statham bowed out and less than a year after the iffy TV series with Chris Vance in the role ended. For this reboot, Frank’s dad (Ray Stevenson) is kidnapped, forcing him to jump through hoops by a prostitute looking for payback against the Russian kingpin who victimized her years earlier.

► Right before he made the immortal classic ‘Roller Boogie,’ director Mark Lester nabbed Lynda Carter in her ‘70s hottie prime for the drive-in favorite BOBBIE JO AND THE OUTLAW. In her movie debut (she already had a year of ‘Wonder Woman’ in the books), she stars as an aspiring country singer who hooks up with a Billy the Kid wannabe (Marjoe Gortner) for a crime spree across the west. Notable for being Carter’s only nude scene. Blu-ray includes Lester on commentary.

► As expected, Fox is serving up the old THE X-FILES just before the new one arrives. In addition to releasing each season individually on blu-ray for the first time, the entire series is collected here with all 202 episodes and all of the extras – 23 hours worth – that were previously available on every boxed set (including the Mythology collections). What’s missing, strangely enough, are the two movies, which is especially annoying since ‘Fight the Future’ was a crucial bridge between seasons 5 and 6. A minor nitpick, really, because this is the one of the greatest TV shows ever, presented better than it’s ever looked. Dig in and lose yourself.

Also out this week: