Blu Tuesday: Justified, Tomorrowland and More

Every Tuesday, I review the newest Blu-ray releases and let you know whether they’re worth buying, renting or skipping, along with a breakdown of the included extras. If you see something you like, click on the cover art to purchase the Blu-ray from Amazon, and be sure to share each week’s column on Facebook and Twitter with your friends.

“Justified: The Complete Series”

WHAT: U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) is reassigned from Miami to his childhood home – the poor, coal-mining town of Harlan, Kentucky – where he faces off against a group of backwoods criminals, including Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), a smooth-talking outlaw who will lie, steal and cheat his way to the top of the food chain.

WHY: “Justified” is one of those shows that never really got the credit (or the audience) it deserved, because it’s a sharply written and well-acted neo-Western that managed to pull off what most series have failed to do: stick the landing. Though it started out as a more formulaic, crime of the week-type drama, “Justified” evolved into something much richer over the years by focusing on the relationship between Raylan and Boyd, two men who grew up under similar circumstances but ended up on different sides of the law. Both Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins deliver strong, well-rounded performances in their respective roles, but while it would be difficult to imagine the show without either of them, the supporting cast is just as important, especially Nick Searcy as Givens’ crusty boss, Jacob Pitts and Erica Tazel as fellow Marshalls, and Joelle Carter as Boyd’s fiancée/partner in crime. The rotating cast of guest stars is also impressive, adding to the series’ rich tapestry of down-and-dirty hillbillies, criminals and lawmen to create a lived-in world that feels more genuine than just about anything else on television. The fact that “Justified” was able to maintain its high quality throughout all six seasons is pretty extraordinary, but it’s also one of the few shows to produce a satisfying series finale, and that definitely earns it a spot among the TV drama elite.

EXTRAS: In addition to the previously released bonus material (consisting of audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes and outtakes), there’s an additional disc of all-new extras that includes a look at making the final season, a tour of the writer’s room with creator Graham Yost, the cast and crew’s favorite moments and a gag reel. The box set also comes packaged with a branded flask to carry around your own personal supply of (hopefully not poisoned) apple pie moonshine.

FINAL VERDICT: BUY

“Tomorrowland”

WHAT: After discovering a pin that magically transports her to a futuristic world called Tomorrowland, science prodigy Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) teams up with cranky inventor Frank Weller (George Clooney) – who was exiled from there as a young boy – to return to Tomorrowland in order to save Earth from its impending destruction.

WHY: Director Brad Bird certainly didn’t do himself any favors by shrouding “Tomorrowland” in so much secrecy, although it’s easy to see why, because the movie doesn’t really appeal to any particular audience. It’s too grown-up for kids, while most adults will have a difficult time buying into its childlike idealism. The film also happens to be incredibly boring, bogged down by a bloated runtime and unnecessary opening sequence that could have easily been addressed with a few lines of dialogue. It feels like Bird and co-writer Damon Lindelof created the titular world first, and then tried to build a story around it, because “Tomorrowland” doesn’t always make sense. In fact, while the movie features several flashbacks and large chunks of exposition designed to do exactly that, the purpose of Casey and Frank’s adventure is never totally clear. There are some fun set pieces along the way, and youngsters Britt Robertson and Raffey Cassidy make up for George Clooney’s lifeless performance, but there’s very little payoff. After all, for a film that generates so much excitement and mystery around Tomorrowland, you’d think the audience would get to spend more time there.

EXTRAS: There’s a trio of featurettes on production, casting and the score, as well as director Brad Bird’s video diaries, deleted scenes, a faux children’s TV program hosted by Hugh Laurie’s character, an animated short about Tomorrowland and more.

FINAL VERDICT: SKIP

“San Andreas”

WHAT: When a massive earthquake occurs along the San Andreas Fault, helicopter rescue pilot Chief Ray Gaines (Dwayne Johnson) and his soon-to-be ex-wife, Anna (Carla Gugino), race from Los Angeles to San Francisco – the city predicted to be hit the hardest by the shockwaves – to rescue their daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario).

WHY: Roland Emmerich would be proud, because “San Andreas” is every bit the big, dumb and loud disaster movie that everyone expected it to be, delivering some sensational, effects-heavy action that’s practically begging to be turned into a theme park attraction. This is the film’s bread and butter, and director Brad Peyton doesn’t hold back on the devastation that he unleashes upon California, culminating with a fantastic sequence in the final act where a tsunami wreaks havoc on the San Francisco Bay. The visual effects are top-notch, and while the unrelenting obliteration of entire city blocks becomes a little overwhelming, it’s handled with such panache that all you can do is sit back and gawk at the sheer scale of it. Though some people will undoubtedly criticize the movie for doing exactly what it sets out to achieve, “San Andreas” is pretty upfront about its intentions, doing no more and no less than it needs to in order to get its characters from point A to point B. This is the type of guilt-free popcorn film that the summer blockbuster season is built around, and while it never amounts to much more than VFX-driven disaster porn, that’s kind of the point.

EXTRAS: The Blu-ray release includes an audio commentary by director Brad Peyton, a trio of production featurettes, deleted scenes, a stunt reel and outtakes.

FINAL VERDICT: RENT

“Dope”

WHAT: Malcolm (Shameik Moore) is a self-described geek who loves ‘90s hip-hop culture, plays in a punk band and gets good grades – not exactly the kind of person who fits in on the crime-ridden streets of Inglewood. But when he comes into possession of a backpack filled with drugs while attending a party, Malcolm and his friends, Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), are dragged into a crazy adventure across Los Angeles to return them to their rightful owner.

WHY: One of the big favorites at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Rick Famuyiwa’s “Dope” is a refreshing, although not entirely original, coming-of-age drama that’s more socially relevant than most movies in the subgenre thanks to a witty and clever script that addresses issues like racial stereotyping without being overly pushy about it. Much like its main protagonist, “Dope” owes a lot to the 1990s, as it plays like an early Spike Lee film by way of Quentin Tarantino. But while the crime elements are a little over-the-top, and the intersecting narrative threads aren’t handled as cleanly as they could be, the movie never loses its sense of fun. Though “Dope” has the unpolished feel of a directorial debut that sometimes lacks focus (despite the fact that this is Famuyiwa’s fifth film), there’s still plenty to like about the movie, particularly newcomer Shameik Moore, who shines in the lead role. Granted, it’s not quite as dope as the title suggests, but it’s definitely one of the more enjoyable indie flicks released this year.

EXTRAS: There’s a pair of featurettes on making the film and the soundtrack.

FINAL VERDICT: RENT

“Aladdin: Diamond Edition”

WHAT: When a street urchin named Aladdin (Scott Weinger) comes into possession of a magical lamp containing a genie (Robin Williams) who grants him three wishes, he turns himself into a prince in order to woo the beautiful Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin). But evil sorcerer Jafar (Jonathan Freeman) wants the lamp for his own nefarious reasons, and he’ll go to any length to get it.

WHY: The Disney Renaissance Era (which commonly refers to the period between 1989 and 1999) yielded some of the best animated films in the studio’s 80-year history, including “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” and perhaps my favorite of the bunch, the 1992 Oscar winner “Aladdin,” which finally makes its Blu-ray debut as part of the Diamond collection. There’s so much to love about this movie that it’s difficult to know where to begin, but while it boasts great animation, a solid story and a pair of memorable villains, there are two men that deserve a lot of credit for its success: actor Robin Williams and composer Alan Menken. Williams’ manic turn as the Genie is one of the all-time greatest voice performances, even if it’s basically just a PG-rated version of the comedian’s stand-up act, while Menken’s musical score features some excellent original songs like “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me” that helped cement the movie’s legacy as a Disney classic. Though it hasn’t enjoyed the same shelf-life as the princess-centric films from that era, “Aladdin” remains every bit as entertaining as the first time you saw it as a child.

EXTRAS: There are a pair of audio commentaries (one with co-directors John Musker and Ron Clements, and another with the film’s animators), a feature-length making-of documentary, outtakes from Robin Williams’ recording sessions, a behind-the-scenes look at the “Aladdin” Broadway show, deleted scenes and songs, and much more.

FINAL VERDICT: BUY

“The Gallows”

WHAT: Twenty years after Beatrice High School student Charlie Grimille was horrifically killed due to a prop malfunction during a production of “The Gallows,” the school’s theater department has tactlessly mounted a revival of the failed stage play. But when football jock Reese (Reese Mishler) and his friends, Ryan (Ryan Shoos) and Cassidy (Cassidy Gifford), break into the school at night to destroy the set, they mysteriously get locked inside and are hunted down by Charlie’s vengeful spirit.

WHY: Found footage movies may be as popular as ever, but they’re rarely any good, and “The Gallows” is just the latest in a growing collection of amateurish junk. The film is dull, poorly acted and void of any sense of terror, relying on genre touchstones like bad lighting and shaky camera movements, and telegraphing every jump scare before it happens. It also takes nearly 40 minutes before anything even remotely interesting occurs, leaving the audience to suffer through some dreadful dialogue between its cardboard characters, none of whom are very likable. What’s perhaps most disappointing about the film, however, is that there was the opportunity to do something really unique with the material. A movie about the school’s theater geeks getting revenge on the cool kids (whether through an elaborate prank or by actually killing them) would have been a lot more fun, but instead, writers/directors Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing fall back on the same old ghost nonsense, and it’s so awful that you’ll want to hang yourself from boredom. That may be a low blow as far as insults are concerned, but “The Gallows” honestly doesn’t deserve any better.

EXTRAS: In addition to the original version of the film, there’s a making-of featurette, a chat with writers/directors Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing, deleted scenes and a gag reel.

FINAL VERDICT: SKIP