Karate Kid and Purple Rain Celebrate 40 Years with Differing Results: Viva Physical Media
Plus new discs for the latest Ghostbusters and Godzilla/Kong movies, Monkey Man and a 4K for RoboCop 2.
I realized I had a growing stack of recent releases, so doing a catch up on a half dozen new discs this time out, including new 40th anniversary presentations of two iconic films - one I’ve seen a million times, one I watched this week for the first time ever.
There’s also discs for the latest entries in the Ghostbusters and Monsterverse franchises, Dev Patel’s directorial debut, Monkey Man, getting a physical release, and a new 4K for a messy sequel to a classic film. So hey, let’s start out with that one!
RoboCop 2 4K UHD + Blu-ray
Available Now
It sure is weird how hard it’s been for anyone to come up with a satisfying follow-up to RoboCop. The original 1987 film is phenomenal, creating a movie that works both as a cool sci-fi action film and as a biting social satire, yet no sequel, reboot, TV series or cartoon has ever been able to capture what made it so special. The one that came the closest though was 1990’s RoboCop 2, which now has a fantastic looking 4K via Shout! Watching it again in 2024 is a reminder that there are definitely some great moments in the film that capture that RoboCop magic, but you have to work to get there.
Director Irvin Kershner made one hell of a Star Wars sequel with The Empire Strikes Back but didn’t feel at home when it comes to either the extreme violence or satirical elements of RoboCop’s world. On top of that, the story oddly sidelines RoboCop himself for a notable portion of its midsection, while offering up a group of villains nowhere near as great as in the original - with the exception of the effectively unsettling use of a notably ruthless young boy, Hob (Gabriel Damon), who works alongside the lead villain, Cain (Tom Noonan). Plus, the film gets points for sending up the very notion of a sequel by making its title literally the name of a character – the cyborg monstrosity Cain is transformed into – and for having one of the more amusing fake street drugs in movie history, via Nuke. There are some very darkly funny moments, like the original, it just feels a lot more disjointed along the way.
But wow does it look great on this new 4K disc, with the accompanying Blu-ray disc boasting very strong visuals as well, making this easily the best presentation RoboCop 2 has ever gotten. And while the stop-motion FX used for RoboCop 2 (the character, I mean; it can get confusing) has never looked exactly realistic or like he’s truly there alongside Peter Weller’s Murphy/RoboCop, I was pleased that unlike some 4K updates of films with dated FX, the new transfer in no way made these elements look weaker alongside the overall sharper image, as can often happen with visual updates to films with early CGI FX. The lesson? Stop-motion holds up!
IS THERE A COMMENTARY?
There are two previously released commentaries from the 2017 Blu-ray edition of the film, one from RoboCop 2’s CG supervisor, Paul M. Sammon, the other from Gary Smart, Chris Griffiths and Eastwood Allen, the trio responsible for the terrific RoboDoc documentary about the making of the film.
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Besides the commentaries, there’s a good amount of extras, though all were also released on that 2017 disc. Still, they are pretty in-depth, including a 32-minute Making Of feature, a 31-minute look at the film’s FX, and a 9-minute interview with RoboCop Armor Fabricator James Belohovek. There’s also a 45-minute collection of archival behind the scenes and extended interview footage, including chat with Irvin Kershner and actors Peter Weller and Dan O'Herlihy.
It is too bad nothing new was produced for the 4K though, especially in terms of Peter Weller’s participation or lack thereof. RoboCop 2 would mark the end of his run as the character (until he did some voice work in recent years for video games) but he’s only seen here through vintage interview footage from the time of the film’s production. Still, there’s a lot here to absorb for a sequel that is admirably flawed.
The Karate Kid 40th Anniversary Edition 4K UHD + Blu-Ray
Available Now
40 years since it first opened, The Karate Kid has long cemented itself as a classic, which has only been underlined in recent years by the very successful revival of the franchise thanks to Cobra Kai. I’ve seen Karate Kid countless times, but this is a movie that still gets me every time I check it out, thanks to how flawlessly it’s constructed and the terrific performances from Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. Rewatching it via this new 40th anniversary 4K disc, I was particularly struck by some of the gorgeous shots director John G. Avildsen and cinematographer James Crabe bring to the movie - rarely has a training montage looked so beautiful.
Visually, the 4K transfer looks to be the same that was already released on the box set of the first three films that came out just a couple of years ago, which itself was essentially the same as the first 4K disc The Karate Kid got in 2019. If you have one of those previous releases, you probably don’t need this new disc, though Sony is to be commended for creating some new bonus features for this release. They also gave it a nifty retro cover, which includes the same art (along with some faux aging) that was on The Karate Kid VHS tape so many of us watched growing up in the 80s and 90s.
IS THERE A COMMENTARY?
The Blu-ray features a vintage commentary that’s been on many releases of The Karate Kid at this point, featuring Ralph Macchio and screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen alongside two people who’ve sadly passed away since, director John G. Avildsen and Pat Morita.
However, the 4K disc also has a brand new commentary, featuring the creators of Cobra Kai, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. It’s a really fun inclusion, allowing the three lifelong Karate Kid superfans to reflect on the importance of the movie to them, how it led to hem making Cobra Kai, and the many direct references and callbacks they have put into Cobra Kai throughout the series (they recorded the commentary while working on the sixth and final season of the show).
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The Blu-ray is the disc with most of the legacy bonus content, much of which dates way back to the film’s DVD release long ago, including The Way of the Karate Kid documentary, a few featurettes, and a handful of deleted scenes. However, the 4K disc has one brand new inclusion, beyond the Cobra Kai creator commentary, via what is labeled as “Deleted Scenes Dailies.” Running just over a half hour, there is some great material here for Karate Kid fans, with multiple takes and candid moments from the filming of a few scenes that were never edited or completed.
Between the legacy material and the key new inclusions, there’s a lot to be happy about and while, as mentioned above, you’re probably fine with either of the previous 4K discs if one is already on your shelf, for any Karate Kid fans who’ve held off until now, this is a highly recommended purchase.
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire 4K UHD
Available Now
When it comes to Godzilla, I definitely fall on the side of the argument that says hey, we can enjoy the steak and the hamburger, depending on our mood. Which is to say, yes, Godzilla Minus One is easily the best Godzilla movie released in the past year, but that doesn’t mean Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire wasn’t a good time too. Though I found 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong a bit stronger overall, mostly because the human characters in this follow-up feel especially weak, there is also a lot to enjoy in the latest Monsterverse film, starting with the substantial time spent with Kong on his own or only with other creatures. These dialogue-free sequences were dependent on Kong being a sympathetic, engaging character and damn it, he sure is and that big guy makes me feel emotional! And when the Titans finally unite for some good old fashioned monster brawls, the visual spectacle delivers just what you want. Buildings are thrown. Buildings are punched!
The 4K is a strong visual presentation of what is, at times, a rather heavily animated film, from a certain perspective, given those aforementioned sequences where it’s just monsters on screen with no humans in sight. The $135 million budget is huge, obviously, but not nearly as big as giant studio blockbusters can get these days and clearly that money is all on screen, even if there times when things are a bit more truly photo realistic than at others. Still, all the creatures feel like fully realized characters, with lots of great nuances to how they behave and move. With this film the biggest hit yet for the MonsterVerse and the successful launch of the Monarch TV series, this franchise is going strong and I welcome more of its specific charms.
IS THERE A COMMENTARY?
Director Adam Wingard, per usual for his films, is a fun and lively commentator, joined here by VFX supervisor Alessandro Ongaro, production designer Tom Hammock, and editor Josh Schaeffer for what is, as you might expect, a commentary that often focuses on the technical side. One very odd thing though are all the silent gaps. It’s not unusual to find a moment on an audio commentary that has clearly been lifted out because someone said something they either realized they didn’t want our there because they misspoke or were overly candid or perhaps was information not intended to be shared (or even shared yet), for a million different reasons. The Godzilla x Kong commentary though stands out because these silent gaps are so prevalent, happening many times and begging the question of what exactly it was that was being said and who made the call to change it.
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There are thirteen featurettes included here, which sounds impressive until you realize they average about five to six minutes each. As you might expect by those run times, these offer mostly cursory looks at various aspects of the films such as Godzilla and Kong as characters, the big fight sequences, concept art and more. All in all, it is a solid hour or so of content, with some decent facts included, though it’s annoying they didn’t group these together in some way, either as larger featurettes or at the east by including a Play All function, rather than needing to separately choose all 13, one at a time, every few minutes.
Purple Rain 4K UHD
Available Now
As an 80s kid, I somehow had never seen Purple Rain until now. It’s weird, I know, given the movie was a big hit and a cultural milestone. And I’m certainly a fan of Prince and know and adore the Purple Rain soundtrack and all the iconic songs it gave us. I just didn’t know the film it was connected to.
Watching it for the first time in 2024, thanks to the new 40th anniversary 4K disc, was certainly interesting. There is amusement and entertainment to be found here – I mean, how can you not be entertained by a movie constantly playing those amazing songs? – but I also found Purple Rain, as a film, to be pretty bad. The writing feels surface level and most of the acting is amateurish, including form Prince himself. But then he gets up on stage and we hear one of those songs in its entirety and all is right with the world.
I do admire Purple Rain for at least trying to be about something beyond “young musician tries to make it,” as there are attempts to portray what it’s like growing up with an abusive parent and the danger of repeating this cycle of violence - but it remains surface level and would-be dramatic moments unfortunately carry no weight.
I’ve never seen the movie before so obviously have no comparison to previous releases in my mind, but this brand new 4K transfer truly looks and sounds terrific. Suffice to say, visuals like Prince’s purple outfit on his purple motorcycle pop like you wouldn’t believe, while the new DTS-HD 5.1 MA mix spotlights the best part of the movie, as one would hope.
IS THERE A COMMENTARY?
There is an informative commentary recorded years ago by director – and, eventually, Prince manager – Albert Magnoli, alongside producer Bob Cavallo, and cinematographer Don Thorin.
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For a 40th anniversary edition of a movie that I may not be a big fan of but am well aware is a certified Big Deal, this is a rather shockingly slim release. Beyond the commentary, there are several music videos from songs from the film, but the only other actual bonus feature is a previously released 12-minute featurette on the significance of First Avenue, the real life club featured in Purple Raon. It’s a cool look at what looks like an amazing place but it’s odd to have nothing else included here, including the absence of multiple bonus features that were on previous releases of the film. Prince is unfortunately no longer with us, but some sort of retrospective look at the man, his career, and the huge significance of the simultaneous film and album release of Purple Rain, and how it took his burgeoning career to such a bigger level, would have been greatly appreciated.
Monkey Man 4K UHD + Blu-ray
Available Now
Dev Patel made a very impressive directorial debut this year with this action film focused on a man seeking vengeance against the guy who murdered his mother years before. Mixing a classic revenge plot with modern themes and mythology relevant to India, Patel does a great job immersing viewers in this world. It’s a slow build towards the action the trailers promised, but pays off in a notably exciting and thrilling manner when things do unleash, with lots of cool moments - even if I wished Patel cooled it just a bit with some moments of action shot very close up.
Monkey Man was going to originally be released by Netflix, making this 4K something to be especially thankful for. It likely never would have happened if the movie had been distributed by the streamer, who are notoriously stingy on physical releases. Instead, with Jordan Peele coming onboard as a producer, the movie was moved to Universal for theatrical distribution and now a proper 4K disc release.
The film looks great and the 4K presentation does a wonderful job of showing off the strong visual style Patel brought to the proceedings. A lot of the film takes place at night or in dark, ominous settings, but the 4K transfer keeps the image clear and distinctive, and highlights the great pops of color provided in some key sequences.
IS THERE A COMMENTARY?
Patel is joined by Producers Jomon Thomas and Sam Sahni and Co- Producer Raghuvir Joshi. It’s a really good commentary that provides context to what passion project Monkey Man was for Patel and all the work he put into it, including obstacles big and large to overcome, such as the difficulties of filming in the midst of Covid.
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There are a number of alternate, deleted or expanded scenes here that are interesting as curiosities. The four featurettes – one’s just three minutes, the others 7-9 minutes – are okay, but some of the information is repeated from the commentary, which ultimately provides the best overview of how Monkey Man was made.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 4K UHD + Blu-ray
Available Now
Man, I wish I liked this one more. I was a fan of Ghostbuisters: Afterlife and its Amblin kids meets Ghostbusters approach, but Frozen Kingdom is just juggling too much. We’ve got the kids from the last movie all still Ghostbusting, Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon’s characters now fully elevated to Ghostbusters status, and the return of nearly every living prominent cast member from the original film. A much more cutthroat approach should have been taken to streamline the cast, perhaps removing Podcast (Logan Kim) and Lucky (Celeste O'Connor) on the kid side and Janine (Annie Potts) and Venkman (Bill Murray) on the OG side, since really only Winston (Ernie Hudson) and Ray (Dan Aykroyd) feel important to the story. There are good moments here but they are too spread out and what should have been a triumphant “the gang is back in New York!” film feels like a slog.
Revisiting it at home, I could see those moments that worked and wished the movie ever really took off. McKenna Grace continues to be terrific as the central character, Phoebe Spengler, but Finn Wolfhard’s Trevor is one of several characters who’s just sort of there this time, battling for screen time and a worthy subplot in this overpacked film, which not only brings back nearly everyone possible but throws in several new prominent characters as well. Technically, the 4K release is solid, but the continued struggle to make Ghostbusters viable as an ongoing franchise hits another unfortunate dip with this installment.
IS THERE A COMMENTARY?
Yes, by co-writer/director Gil Kenan. It’s too bad his fellow screenwriter, Jason Reitman, doesn’t join him, as it’s an interesting dynamic for the two, who co-wrote Afterlife as well, except now it’s Kenan, not Reitman, sitting in the director’s chair. Still, Kenan does a good job of holding down the fort on his own here, explaining the thought process behind many of the film’s key plot points and moments.
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There are seven featurettes, ranging in length from four minutes to 22, focussed on aspects like the film’s Ghostbusters tech, Easter eggs, and the score. It’s a good overview, even as there are points where the overwhelming reverence Kenan and Reitman have for Ghostbusters stands out. This approach is notable as something that feels like a hindrance as time goes on, as it elevates a concept originally meant to be “plumbers, but for ghosts” to nearly religious levels that almost certainly contribute to the muddled nature of Frozen Empire.