by Matt Marshall
There’s no simpler way to describe The Hangover Part III than The Hangover minus the hangover. In the final installment of the Wolfpack trilogy, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) once again cross paths with Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) and return to the place they vowed never to return – Las Vegas. Joining The Hangover Part III on Blu-ray this week are: After Earth, The Purge, Much Ado About Nothing, Curse of Chucky, Chucky: The Complete Collection, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and the Star Wars Saga.
The Hangover Part III comes from Warner Bros. in a two-disc Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet combo pack with a 30 minutes of bonus features. Mike Epps, Justin Bartha and Heather Graham return for little more than cameo apperances with John Goodman and Melissa McCarthy also added into the mayhem.
The next three films didn’t fare that well in the midst of the summer box office, but are hoping for a stronger reception on home media. First up, Sony Pictures is releasing M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth on Blu-ray starring the father-son duo of Will and Jaden Smith. As the title suggests, the Smith men are stranded on Earth 1000 years in the future, fighting dangerous creatures and the world around them. After Earth is available as a Blu-ray, DVD combo pack. Target is offering a bonus disc that includes the motion comic “After Earth: Innocence.” Walmart is packaging the sci-fi film with a Blu-ray copy of the Jaden Smith 2010 remake of The Karate Kid.
The Purge scares its way onto Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios as a Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet combo pack. The Purge stars Lena Headey and Ethan Hawke as well-off couple attempting to survive a one-night event of the same name where anything goes to subdue any violent urges the rest of the year.
In Much Ado About Nothing, director Joss Whedon spins the classic Shakespearean comedy into a contemporary black-and-white indie film. Much Ado About Nothing arrives on Blu-ray as a single disc with UltraViolet digital copy.
Universal Studios continues its slasher-fest with the arrival of Chucky: The Complete Collection and Curse of Chucky on Blu-ray. The Complete Collection features all five theatrical Chucky movies plus the latest direct-to-video release, Curse of Chucky. The set consist of six Blu-ray discs. Curse of Chucky is also available separately as a Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet combo pack featuring two versions of the film.
This week’s final three releases have been released on Blu-ray previously, but now arrive with slight differences. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns combines the previously released Parts 1 and 2 as a seamless 150 minute cut. The combo pack includes a Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy, UltraViolet. At Target, a steelbook exclusive is available to purchase. Finally, both Star Wars trilogies are re-released on Blu-ray from Fox to include DVD copies absent from the 2011 releases. Artwork is slightly different, though Yoda is still featured on the Prequel Trilogy boxset, while Darth Vader is on the Original Trilogy set.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Matt Marshall is a YouTube movie reviewer who hosts MNMreviews. He has a B.A. in Communications/Journalism from St. John Fisher College and resides in Rochester, NY.
