New on DVD and Blu-ray: The Hobbit, Interstellar, Into the Woods and Wild
New to DVD, Blu-ray and Digital HD this week, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is director Peter Jackson's final installment of his epic Middle-earth series, adapting the work of J. R. R. Tolkien. The Hobbit movies aren't as accomplished as the Lord of the Rings films, but taken on their own merits, they're still top-shelf epic fantasy.
Martin Freeman returns as the intrepid Bilbo Baggins and the film wraps up his adventures with the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan), the dwarven king Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), and the Forces of Evil (Smaug and Sauron, both voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). The film is admirably restrained in length, relative to Jackson's other offerings, and cleverly constructed to keep the high-fantasy storytelling and the breakneck action in balance. The film's concluding battle -- which is to say its entire second half -- is both visually spectacular and emotionally resonant.
Hardcore fans of the series, and Tolkien nerds in general, may want to make some purchasing decisions before committing to format. The digitally distributed version of the film -- what you get via streaming or download -- is available in high definition, but with no bells and/or whistles. Those interested in the excruciating minutia of the bonus materials, always generous in this franchise, will have to invest in one of the retail packages that offer Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and DVD versions in various combinations.
Happily, all the retail disc packages are bundled with the same special features. You'll get four separate behind-the-scenes presentations on different aspects of the production, plus the music video of "The Last Goodbye" from Billy "Pippin" Boyd. Bear in mind that these bonus features are sure to be included, with a ton of other stuff, when the inevitable "Extended Edition" rolls around in a few months.
Also new to DVD, Blu-ray and Digital HD:
Disney's much anticipated adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical, Into the Woods mashes up elements from several Grimm fairy tales -- Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood -- then adds a framing story about a childless couple and a witch's curse. Several familiar faces gradually join the fun, including Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp, Tracy Ullman and Meryl Streep. Extras on the DVD and Blu-ray include a half-dozen behind-the-scenes featurettes, director's commentary track and a new Sondheim song performed by Meryl Streep.
Adapted from the bestselling 2012 memoir, Wild stars Reese Witherspoon as a grief-stricken addict who sets out to walk 2,600 miles of the Pacific Coast Trail in an attempt to clear up her mind and clean up her life. Wildis a beautiful film that aches with authenticity and hard-won wisdom. Director Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club) pulls it off by largely dispensing with the typical trappings of the middle-class pilgrimage movie, paring the story down to its bones. Bonus materials on the DVD and Blu-ray editions include deleted scenes, audio commentary and seven making-of presentations on various aspects of the production.
Matthew McConaughey headlines the sci-fi thriller Interstellar, from director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight). The gist: On a near-future Earth, ecological degradation has turned the planet into a spinning dustbowl. In an effort to find a new home for our species, McConaughey and fellow scientist Anne Hathaway pilot Earth's last spaceship through a wormhole and into a series of eye-popping special effects sequences. I liked the planet-spanning tsunami, in particular. Try to ignore the plot holes, it's more fun that way. If you're looking to buy on disc, be aware that the bonus materials -- 15 different mini-docs -- are exclusive to the Blu-ray package.
Plus: Unbroken, The Imitation Game, Song One, The Rewrite, Wild Card, Outcast and the inimitable Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep: The Complete Third Season.
