Print this page
Monday, 24 January 2022 20:44

The Matrix Resurrections and The King’s Man are official for BD & 4K, plus new Star Wars Trilogy Ultra HD sets in France only & more

by

We’ve got a couple more new disc reviews to start the week with here at The Bits...

Stephen has given Alfred Hitchcock’s Rich and Strange (1931) a look on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

He’s also offered his thoughts today on John Duigan’s Sirens (1994) on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment, recently released as part of their Sunburnt Screens label.

And we’ve got another new History, Legacy & Showmanship piece for you this afternoon from our own Michael Coate. Michael’s film retrospectives take a great deal of time and effort to produce, and as such they occasionally become bonus content. So here’s a fun “leftover” from 2021 in which Michael and film historian Gary Gerani celebrate the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Duel. Enjoy!

Now then... the big announcement news today is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially set Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections for release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on 3/8 (SRP $29.99, $24.99, and $19.99), with the Digital release available on 1/25. [Read on here...]

CLICK HERE to BACK THE BITS in our fight to preserve Physical Media CLICK HERE to shop through our Amazon.com links and SUPPORT THE BITS CLICK HERE to visit The Bits on Facebook CLICK HERE to visit The Bits on Twitter

Audio will be Dolby Atmos, with both Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range. Extras will include 5 featurettes (No One Can Be Told What The Matrix Is, Resurrecting The Matrix, Neo x Trinity: Return to the Matrix, Allies + Adversaries: The Matrix Remixed, and Matrix for Life) as well as the 9-part The Matrix Reactions (including Echo Opening, Deus Ex Machina, Welcome to IØ, Bullet Time Redux, Morpheus vs Neo, Exiles Fight, Neo vs Smith, The San Fran Chase, and The San Fran Jump). You can see the cover artwork above left and also below.

Also coming that same day is The Matrix 4-Film Déjà Vu Collection (SRP $124.99), a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray box set that includes The Matrix Resurrections along with the previously-released trilogy.

Meanwhile, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution and 20th Century Studios have set Matthew Vaughn’s The King’s Man for release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on 2/22, with the Digital release due on 2/18. Audio will be Dolby Atmos, with HDR10 high dynamic range. Extras will include 2 featurettes (No Man’s Land and Remembrance and Finding Purpose) and the 6-part The King’s Man: The Great Game Begins documentary (including A Generation Lost, Oxfords and Rogues, All the World’s a Stage, Instruments of War, Fortune Favors the Bold, and Long Live the Kingsman). You can see the cover artwork below.

And once again, also coming that day as a Best Buy-exclusive is The Kingsman Collection, 4K/Blu-ray Steelbook box set that will contain The King’s Man along with the previous two films.

Finally, RLJE Films has set Wyatt Rockefeller’s science fiction film Settlers for release on DVD and Blu-ray on 2/15. Extras will include the Becoming Settlers featurette. There’s no US 4K Ultra HD planned, however the film is being released on 4K UHD in Germany (re-titled Life in Space) on 2/24 from Koch Media. You can see that here Amazon.de.

We also have another international 4K Ultra HD release to mention today: Disney is releasing a trio of new Star Wars Trilogy 4K/Blu-ray box sets in France on 4/15, including the Prequel Trilogy, the Original Trilogy, and the Sequel Trilogy. As far as we know, these are exactly the same 4K and BD discs released previously, just repackaged with new artwork. However, we’ve confirmed with Disney that the studio currently has no plans to release these SKUs in the US. Just FYI. But you can click on the title links to see them on Amazon.fr.

In other news today, there are rumors circulating online from retail sources that Criterion’s A Hard Day’s Night 4K release is being recalled due to technical issues. Criterion hasn’t yet commented on this, and we haven’t see the disc ourselves, so we have no idea what the issue—if it actually exists—might be, but we’ll keep you posted as more information comes to light.

[1/25 UPDATE: It appears that there IS indeed an issue with the 4K disc in this package. Essentially, the assembly editing for the film is erroneous. Between 83:14 and 85:00, a series of shots of The Beatles performing in the studio (and then departing by helicopter) are presented out of order. The same sequence on the Blu-ray Disc in the package is correct. We’re awaiting official word from Criterion. Thanks to Bits reader Tom C. for the heads-up.]

Speaking of Criterion, all of their April Blu-ray and 4K titles are now available for pre-order on Amazon.com, so we’ve included the cover artwork below. As always, you can pre-order the titles by clicking on the cover images, and doing so helps to support our work here at The Bits which we appreciate!

The Matrix Resurrections (4K Ultra HD) The Matrix Resurrections (Blu-ray Disc) The King's Man (4K Ultra HD)

For All Mankind (4K Ultra HD) Round Midnight (Criterion Blu-ray Disc) The Girl Can't Help It (Criterion Blu-ray Disc)

Eyimofe (Criterion Blu-ray Disc) Walker (Criterion Blu-ray Disc) Miracle in Milan (Criterion Blu-ray Disc)

That’s all for now. Stay tuned...

(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)