This week on home video, we’ve got one big franchise blockbuster and a Certified Fresh comedy, plus two more big releases that didn’t fare so well with critics. On top of that, our reissues this week are fairly impressive, even if a lot of them are films you may already own. See below for this week’s ultra-short list.
The original Die Hard is considered by more than a few to be the greatest action film ever made, and when the franchise was brought back to life in 2007 after a 12-year hiatus, many were surprised by how good it was. Unfortunately, this year’s follow-up to that film, A Good Day to Die Hard, left most wishing the series would just (ahem) die already. Bruce Willis reprises his role as supercop John McClane, who heads over to Russia after learning his estranged son Jack (Jai Courtney) is in trouble with the law. Before father and son are properly reunited, however, they’re thrust into the middle of a violent political conspiracy whose agents chase them across Eastern Europe. A Good Day jumps right into the action and rarely lets up, but for the most part, critics found it tiresome and full of predictable clichés. At 15% on the Tomatometer, it’s the lowest-rated installment of the franchise, and probably won’t do much for anyone looking for a decent story to go along with their explosions.
Over the past several years, romantic comedies have earned a reputation for uninspired cookie-cutter storytelling and vapid, one-dimensional characters, so it’s always refreshing to see a new spin on the genre. Warm Bodies, based on the novel by Isaac Marion, comedically explores the post-apocalyptic star-crossed love between a girl named Julie (Teresa Palmer) and a young zombie who goes by “R” (Nicholas Hoult). R and his fellow zombies retain bits of humanity within them, and after being initially drawn to Julie, repeated interactions with her begin to bring him back from the dark side, so to speak. Directed by Jonathan Levine (50/50) and co-starring Rob Corddry, John Malkovich, and Dave Franco, Warm Bodies charmed a good number of critics, who called it surprisingly sweet and praised the cast for immersive performances. Certified Fresh at 80%, this isn’t your average rom-com, but it’s all the better for it.
Jason Bateman hasn’t had the best of luck at the multiplex recently, at least in his starring roles, and Melissa McCarthy hasn’t fared much better, which is troubling considering how likable both of them are. Putting them together in Identity Thief, unfortunately, didn’t pan out quite the way they’d hoped. Bateman plays Sandy Patterson, unwitting victim of identity fraud when a Florida woman named Diana (McCarthy) assumes “Sandy” is a woman and begins living the lavish life on Sandy’s funds. When criminal charges begin showing up on Sandy’s record, he drives down to Miami to confront Diana and bring her back to clear his name. As you might expect, both stars do their best with the material they’re given here, but they’re able to wring precious few laughs from the film’s meandering script and plot contrivances. It currently sits at 20% on the Tomatometer, which is a disappointment for all involved.
Rainmaker Entertainment’s biggest claims to fame to date are probably the popular Transformers TV series Beast Wars and the number of Barbie-themed movies they’ve produced for Mattel, but this year they tried their hand at a feature-length animated film with Escape From Planet Earth. Anchored by the voice talents of Brendan Fraser, Ricky Gervais, Jessica Alba, Rob Corddry, Sofia Vergara, and more, the film focuses on the efforts of an alien astronaut named Scorch (Fraser) from the planet Baab, who is sent to Earth (the “Dark Planet”) to trace the origins of a mysterious SOS call. When Scorch goes missing, his pal Gary (Corddry) mounts a rescue mission; cue lots of fish-out-of-water humor and Area 51-related gags. The animation and artwork is all great to look at, many critic concede, but Escape simply relies on too many elements we’ve seen before in better movies. At 26%, this might work as a colorful distraction for the kids, but don’t expect to be similarly enthralled if you’re old enough to vote, and don’t expect Rainmaker to be competing with the likes of Pixar or Dreamworks anytime soon.
