Carl Roberts 
Carl checks out the incredible movies coming to Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital during the lockdown
Welcome to this special edition dedicated to the UK DVD/Blu-Ray and digital downloads article. This article is to bring home to you, our readers, the latest movies that have hit the releases schedule. And there is quite a lot of top-quality entertainment coming our way over the coming months. As we all settle back in our homes as we self-isolate, we will find the need to have something at our fingertips to keep us entertained and to ward off the boredom which will possibly set in over the coming period. With that in mind, let us take a look at what we can look forward to.
Already, we have been given the chance to view some of the latest films that hit the box office before the cinemas were forced to close down. In the comfort of our living rooms, we can watch ‘The Invisible Man‘, ‘The Hunt‘ and the new version of ‘Emma‘. Soon to be available for us to watch at home will be ‘Bloodshot‘ and ‘Military Wives‘ which are due to be released either now or very shortly at the price of £15.99 per watch, the price of a usual cinema ticket and half again. It may seem expensive for a rental but it is a good deal to be able to watch some of the films that had just been released at the cinema in the comfort of your own home.
Also available now is the new Nicolas Cage film, ‘Color Out Of Space‘ which is a science fiction cosmic horror film. Also starring in the film are Joely Richardson and Madeleine Arthur and the film has been gathering good reviews. The film is also available for £15.99 on the streaming service of your choice.
On the rental/retail front from the 4th April, we welcome back Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and the delightful Karen Gillan in ‘Jumanji: The Next Level‘. The sequel to ‘Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle‘ and the third film in the franchise picks up a short while after the second film ended. Once again, the film is a mix of action, comedy and thrills and spills which will entertain the whole family.
From the 6th April, the highly acclaimed and classic David Lynch film ‘The Elephant Man‘ comes to 4k Blu-ray. The true story of John Merrick, who was born with a severe disfigurement is a truly tragic but moving tale. The film stars John Hurt and Sir Anthony Hopkins and is filmed in black and white. The film can honestly be called a classic and will have many of its audience in floods of tears by the sad and tragic climax.
From the 13th of April, we are hit with four titles that will certainly keep us all entertained. The first is ‘Blue Story‘, a British urban film that caused quite a stir upon its release last year but it wasn’t the fault of the film. A shooting outside a cinema in England caused several cinema chains to remove the film from their sites. Despite the film having absolutely no bearing or cause of the incident, it was pulled from several chains anyway. Luckily common sense prevailed and the film was allowed to be screened again.
‘Playing With Fire‘ on the other hand is a family comedy starring WWE star John Cena. Depicting three young children and the effect they have on several firefighters in California, the film garnered lacklustre reviews upon its release but managed to become a box office hit nonetheless.
The third season of the German neo-noir television show, ‘Babylon Berlin‘ becomes available. The show, which takes place in Berlin from 1929 has been shown on Sky 1 since it first came out and will be available to buy/stream.
The British fans can finally get their fix, weeks after the American market as the final episode in the Skywalker saga, ‘Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker‘ becomes available on digital download ahead of its physical release two weeks later. Fans can sit at home and view the final chapter of the 43-year-old franchise in the comfort of their own homes. Upon release on disc, the film will be available by itself or in a mammoth box set containing all nine films in the saga on DVD or blu-ray.
From April 20th, we can watch the entire twelfth season of the rejuvenated ‘Doctor Who‘ series as it makes its bow alongside animated comedy ‘Spies In Disguise‘ which stars the voices of Will Smith and Tom Holland. A decent family animated film which will appeal to all ages.
From April 27th, we get a triple threat. We start with the absolutely brilliant ‘Jojo Rabbit‘, a film that came out of nowhere to make its way into my top three films of last year. Director Taika Waititi delivers a riot of a film alongside his performance of a childlike Hitler which exists only in the mind of the title character Johannes. Set in Nazi Germany, the film makes us cry at times with laughter, saddened at some of the events that take place in the film but constantly entertains. With great support from Scarlett Johansson, the film deserves to be bought or downloaded in droves.
Jim Carrey returns to our screen playing the evil Dr Robotnik in the big-screen outing for ‘Sonic The Hedgehog‘. The film was delayed by several months due to fans being completely unsatisfied with the look of the title character, causing the makers to go back and totally change his look. The film made a decent amount of money at the box office before its run was curtailed by Covid-19 but comes to home entertainment with a good word of mouth behind it.
Margot Robbie brings her interpretation of one of the best characters in the DC universe back once more as ‘Birds Of Prey‘ hits home entertainment. Now, this is certainly not for the children as the film is a loud, violent, foul-mouthed continuation of the character Ms Robbie first played in ‘Suicide Squad‘. Although I feel the film could and SHOULD have been so much more than it is, it is still one of the most enjoyable and highly amusing films I have seen so far this year and is completely worthy of a purchase or download. Alongside ‘Jojo Rabbit‘ and of course ‘Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker‘, it will be taking its place amongst my collection upon release day.
May 4th sees the release of ‘Thomas & Friends: The Royal Engine‘ come into the home entertainment station. The children’s film will certainly keep the young ones occupied for a while and has great re-watch potential.
Also on this date, we are given the multi Oscar-winning film from Sam Mendes as ‘1917‘ comes to home entertainment. The highly emotional and deserving film tells the tale of two soldiers during World War I charged with a mission to get a message stopping an ‘Over The Top‘ attack by British forces to the correct parties. The film is visually brilliant and has many great acting performances to boot. Another must-own film for any collection.
May 11th sees the release of two totally different films. The first is a new adaptation of the timeless tale ‘Little Women‘. The film will appeal across the board to any literary fan and fans of period drama. The film should have been nominated for more Oscars than it was including a best director nod for Greta Gerwig. And one has to feel sorry for Saoirse Ronan as she keeps being nominated for best actress but always seems to be beaten, even when she is more than deserving of the award.
The second is the third instalment in the ‘Bad Boys‘ franchise as ‘Bad Boys For Life‘ shoots its way onto the home format. Once again, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence hit the streets of Miami in yet another action-packed and violently comedic hit. The film is quite easily the best of the trilogy (so far) and again, is worthy of a watch or two.
18th May sees the release of ‘Just Mercy‘. Based on a true story, the film is a courtroom drama and stars Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. Considering the film is based on a true event, it is frightening to watch and realise what might have been and probably would have happened in a classic case of a miscarriage of justice.
22nd May sees the unleashing of the big-screen version of the stage musical ‘Cats‘. There isn’t a lot more that can really be said regarding the film apart from stating the facts that the film was a huge box office flop upon its release, was critically savaged and was the dubious winner of many ‘Razzies’ at this year’s worst film awards. Still, if the film is of interest to you and is your kind of thing, you can pick it up and watch it at your own leisure.
May the 25th sees the release of director Clint Eastwood’s take on a true-life drama as ‘Richard Jewell‘ is released. The story is based on true events surrounding Jewell, who was a security guard and found a bomb that had been planted at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Although he alerted the authorities to what he found and at first being proclaimed a hero, he was later under suspicion, wrongly as it turned out, of being the one who actually planted the device. With great support from Kathy Bates as Jewell’s mother, the film didn’t make much of an impact at the box office but is an enjoyable and haunting look at what the authorities put an innocent man through.
There are other titles that are incoming that have yet to be granted a release date but will be available in the second quarter of the year. These titles include ‘Blood: Season 2‘, The acclaimed drama ‘Bombshell‘, Harrison Ford in a new version of ‘Call Of The Wild‘, Robert Downey Jr in his first role since playing Iron Man for the final time (that we know of) in ‘Dolittle‘, ‘Onward‘, ‘The Luminaries‘, ‘The Personal History Of David Copperfield‘, ‘The True Story Of The Kelly Gang‘ which stars Russell Crowe and Kristin Stewart in ‘Underwater’.
You will agree that there is an abundance of decent quality entertainment to sustain us over these uncertain months and my list of what I shall be buying has already been made. So, what is on your list?
Until next time, whatever you buy, whatever you decide, stay safe and happy viewing!
You can buy/pre-order any of the titles featured in this countdown via https://www.findanyfilm.com/VideoChart
The Future of the Force. The future of pop culture writing.
Carl Roberts is a Senior Staff Writer and Books and Literature Correspondent for Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter @CarlRoberts2 where he uses the force frequently!
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Source: FindAnyFilm.Com
Carl Roberts is the News Editor for The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
