Lilo & Stitch Revisited, Knight Rider's Unlikely 4K, and 80s Cult Slasher Movie Upgrades: Viva Physical Media
Plus St. Elmo's Fire and Ace Ventura's New Discs and a Reissue of Looney Tunes Classics.
A lot of catalog titles to dive into here, including 4Ks for hits like Ace Ventura and St. Elmo’s Fire, along with some cult 80s horror movies, including two Sleepaway Camp sequels - but not the actual first Sleepaway Camp.
But let’s start out with the biggest hit (American) movie of the year so far….
Lilo & Stitch (2025) 4K UHD Steelbook
Available Now
I share the overall frustration with Disney remaking so many of its animated films in live-action. It is an inherently cynical endeavor, using the title and story people already love to just get them to pay for it again, even when it was done perfectly the first time. That being said, some of these remakes are notably stronger than others, and 2025 provided a vivid example of that with the artistic and financial misfire that was Snow White followed by the massive hit Lilo & Stitch, the latter of which is a genuinely entertaining and even touching film that manages to tweak the original enough to not feel like a carbon copy.
Young Maia Kealoha as Lilo is perfect casting and I really appreciated how the remake, from director Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) put even more dramatic weight on the bond between Lilo and her big sister, Nani (Sydney Agudong) and their plight. Stitch is crucial to the story, sure, and still a great and funny character, but he’s not its dramatic center. There are some elements that don’t work as well here — Courtney B. Vance is kind of wasted thanks to the diminished role for Cobra Bubbles — but the movie has genuine heart in a way some of these other remakes have lacked. Oh, and I don’t agree at all with those who felt Nani’s actions in the movie betrayed the original story.
IS THERE A COMMENTARY:
The 4K release of Lilo & Stitch boasts a beautiful transfer that makes the most out of the film’s lovely Hawaiian settings… but not much on the bonus side. There’s no commentary, and just a basic, though enjoyable, 16-minute Making Of to be found. The blooper reel is sadly short at 1:35, while the other featurettes consist of a 6:54 look at callbacks and Easter eggs to the animated original found in the movie and a 6:10 montage of Stitch-centric scenes - which probably will be popular for Stitch-adoring kids, to be fair. But jeez, this movie made a billion dollars, so this feels like a pretty slight group of extras.
Fade to Black 4K UHD
Available Now
There was a long period where 1980’s Fade to Black wasn’t in print before it finally made its streaming debut on Shudder in recent years (where I first saw it) and then got a long overdue Blu-ray via Vinegar Syndrome in 2020. Now getting its first 4K release via Scream Factory, it’s great that the film is so readily available again, because this was such an under the radar title for many years and deserves the chance to be seen by increasingly wider audiences who can appreciate its macabre delights. The movie centers on movie obsessive Eric Binford (Dennis Christopher) as he goes full psycho killer - or should I say Psycho killer, since Eric spends much of the running time in various wild outfits and looks during his murders, all evoking classic movie characters.
Anchored by a strong, appropriately mannered performance from Christopher, Fade to Black is a darkly fun, wild ride in the hands of writer/director Vernon Zimmerman, whose very eclectic career includes everything from collaborating with Terrence Malick on 1973’s Deadhead Miles to writing the screenplay to 1989’s Teen Witch. It’s also a blast for anyone like me who loves looking at films depicting Los Angeles in a specific era, including a climax set at the famous Chinese Theater circa 1980.
IS THERE A COMMENTARY:
There are four! But it’s important to note only one — from film critic Drew McWeeny — is new, since the other three (from Dennis Christopher, The Hysteria Continues podcast, and film historians Amanda Reyes And Bill Ackerman) were all first produced for the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray in 2020. The same goes for all the rest of the bonus features on the Blu-ray disc, which port over the ton of material Vinegar Syndrome produced, including eight different interviews with notable participants from the film, including Christopher, executive producer Irwin Yablans, composer Craig Safan and more.
Drew’s commentary is a great one, but whether you need to get the 4K of Fade to Black or not probably depends on if you already have the VS Blu-ray. The image upgrade here is discernible but not massive in the way Vinegar Syndrome’s restoration was compared to the crappy visuals on previous releases, so even if you’re a big fan of the film, if you have that Blu-ray, you’re probably still good. But if you never picked that up, this is the best-looking version of the movie yet and considering it adds one more strong commentary to all the other terrific extras, it’s well worth grabbing for any film aficionado… just like Eric Binford would want.
St. Elmo’s Fire 4K UHD
Available Now
St. Elmo’s Fire was a solid hit when it opened and it’s long been held as the other 1985 movie that defined which actors were considered “The Brat Pack” — the first being The Breakfast Club, a film it shares three cast members with. But artistically, St. Elmo’s Fire has always been the also-ran. Sure, Breakfast Club also has some elements that haven’t dated well, but it still feels much more insightful and well crafted than the far more surface level and often unintentionally silly St. Elmo’s, which focuses on a group of college friends trying to move forward in their lives a few months after graduation, with varied results. (one of the film’s key issues is that these character are such recent graduates, rather than a few years removed from college, making the depiction of their success or failures feel far too early to have as much meaning as they’re meant to).
Yes, there’s undeniable nostalgia and some silly entertainment to be found in the film as well, particularly because of its notable ensemble (including Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson. Mare Winningham, Andrew McCarthy and Andie MacDowell). But amongst a lot of great 80s movies, not to mention better movies featuring these actors or from these filmmakers — Joel Schumacher directed and Lauren Shuler-Donner produced — St. Elmo’s Fire is far from a standout.
IS THERE A COMMENTARY:
The new 4K contains a number of archival bonus features, including both an audio commentary and a 14-minute interview with the late Joel Schumacher. I may not be a fan of this film, but for those who are more affectionate towards it, there is some interesting stories told here, including the origin of the Brat Pack name.
Also included are 16 minutes of Deleted Scenes, a vintage Making-Of featurette and the film’s trailer. Most importantly is the music video for the movie’s theme song, “St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)” by John Parr. St. Elmo’s Fire might not be a great movie, but at least it went big with a classic 1980s theme song (one used wonderfully in MaXXXine last year).
Knight Rider: The Complete Series 4K UHD
Available Now
First off, it is absolutely wild that this set even exists at all. Plenty of modern TV shows that get Blu-rays still don’t get 4K UHD discs, and when it comes to shows produced prior to TV going to HD, there are only a handful that have gotten a 4K release - and I believe Knight Rider may be the first show ever from the 1980s to get this honor!? It’s a surprising move, especially considering this is a Universal-owned series and if any Universal show from this era was to get a 4K first, I’d expect it to be the far more visually dynamic Miami Vice. But look, Knight Rider has maintained a loyal following of its own through the decades and has an impressive international fanbase. And as someone who grew up with it, I have a lot of affection for the adventures of Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) and his high tech talking car, K.I.T.T. (voiced by William Daniels). This is a classic 80s high concept action series that is lovably cheesy and fun and yes, I still am psyched whenever Michael hits Turbo Boost on K.I.T.T.
So okay, cool, Knight Rider in 4K! Except, unfortunately, there are a lot of issues with this release, the biggie being… it doesn’t actually look very good. Or at least it doesn’t look consistently good. It has really bad compression issues, with a lot of notably distracting visual distortion at times, likely due to them cramming too many episodes on each disc. The complaints about this have been numerous to the point that some hope Universal might make some fixes, but for now, I’m not holding my breath.
On top of that, these are not the original versions of the episodes, using the syndicated cuts. Some of this is regrettable but forgivable, because as much as it sucks to have replacement music at points, there are situations where rights holders simply won’t make a deal for the songs once heard in a show - such as the case with major artists like Prince that were used in Knight Rider. But more egregiously, outside of the show’s pilot movie (which is the original version), all of the subsequent double-length episodes are the syndicated cuts that were later chopped into two halves, with some material removed entirely. It’s a lot of obstacles for a set of this type, particularly since there was a Blu-ray set of the show put out just a couple of years ago by German company Turbine that fixed many of these issues, unlike this set.
IS THERE A COMMENTARY:
There’s an archival commentary from the show’s first DVD release on the pilot episode featuring David Hasselhoff and series creator Glen Larson. A handful of other featuettes also go back to the show’s first release on DVD and the set also includes the Knight Rider 2000 TV movie (produced in 1991, despite what the title infers), which was one of a few revival attempts for the title - but, like the DVS featurettes, this is in SD only.
There is one major new bonus feature though and it’s a really good one, in the form of the new one-hour documentary called Knight Rider: Behind the Wheel. Though only Season 2’s Rebecca Holden is included from the main cast, there are a ton of notable producers, writers, stunt team members, and guest starts interviewed, along with a look at the show’s fans. It’s a really well done look at both the creation of the show and how it has endured.
Still, it’s worth noting the Turbine Knight Rider Blu-ray has a bunch of solid original bonus features that remain exclusive to that set. And when it comes to the audio and visual presentation, and retaining as much as possible form the show’s original airing, it remains the superior release.
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Vol 1. Blu-ray & Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Vol. 2 Blu-ray
Available Now
After years of being out of print, Warner Bros. have finally reissued the first two volumes of their terrific Looney Tunes Platinum collections on Blu-ray (the third and final volume never went out of print). It feels like appropriate timing too, because the past year saw HBO Max drop the classic Looney Tunes cartoons, despite the massive significance Looney Tunes has to Warner Bros. history. Sure, they then popped up on Tubi shortly after, thanks to a new licensing deal, but it was a reminder of how ethereal streaming rights can be vs. actually owning something in your physical collection.
As for the content here, come on… These are some of the greatest cartoons ever made. With each release containing 50 shorts in total, that’s 100 amazing shorts to enjoy over and over, including absolute classics like “What's Opera, Doc?,” “Duck Amuck,” “One Froggy Evening” and so many more (97 more to be precise).
IS THERE A COMMENTARY:
25 of the shorts on Vol. 1 contain commentaries, while 16 have commentaries on Vol. 2, featuring a mixture of historians, animators influenced by Looney Tunes, and some of the actual creators and actors from the shorts — who have since passed away — such as Chuck Jones and June Foray. There are also a bevy of featurettes focused either on the story behind some of the shorts or the people who made them, and both Volumes contain a third bonus disc that includes many additional cartoons, including more work from some of the key Looney Tunes creators like Jones and Tex Avery.
Honestly, there’s so much to immerse yourself in here and these reissues are a reminder of how rare it is to get collections like this these days that do this type of highly appreciated deep dive.
For many years, these original versions were highly sought after and often rather pricey on the secondary market, which is to say, now that they’re back in print, grab ‘em!
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 4K UHD + Blu-ray
Available Now
The movie that kicked off Jim Carrey’s big time movie career after some early false starts — and a 1994 that was rather amazing for the actor, with three hit movies in a row — Ace Ventura holds up as a rather perfect delivery system for Carrey to show both Hollywood and the public exactly what he was capable of. Carrey’s all-in performance as the living cartoon that is Ace reinforced not only that he was a rather amazingly talented physical comedian but also one capable of holding the screen as a leading man and the movie has a ton of very funny sequences… And yes, some rather problematic moments as well, particularly the big reveal involving Sean Young’s character and, much worse, the onscreen reaction to it. That aside though, Ace Ventura is still capable of providing a ton of laughs, 31 years after it opened.
So yeah, this is a movie that in theory is worthy of a 4K upgrade, but unfortunately, the end result is lacking. I’d seen others mention some dull colors on the transfer and watching it myself, it really is notably drab - especially compared to the Blu-ray disc the 4K is accompanied by. Ave Ventura is not a visually dynamic movie, but it is a colorful one, so the 4K’s muted colors really do distract.
IS THERE A COMMENTARY:
Yes, director Tom Shadyac’s commentary from previous releases is included. However, while a solid commentary track — Shadyac explains in detail what it was like letting Carrey loose in the manner this film did — it’s also now decades-old. Ace Ventura recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and the movie is genuinely significant in film history both as a beloved comedy on its own and for how it launched Carrey’s movie stardom, so it feels like some new bonus features were more than warranted. Even if the often illusive Carrey wasn’t available, it’s a shame there isn’t any new material included at all. Coupled with the disappointing 4K transfer, and it does feel like a case where previous Blu-ray-only releases are probably still just fine for your Ace Ventura needs.
Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers 4K UHD & Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland 4K UHD
Available Now
The original Sleepaway Camp is an all-time favorite for me. It’s one of those movies that is just so astounding in the wacky confidence in the bizarre choices being made and it is a hell of a lot of fun to watch with a group - preferably with some who haven’t seen it and don’t know where it’s heading. While nothing can match the original, I do also have affection for the first two Sleepaway Camp sequels, which were VHS mainstays growing up. Produced back-to-back, with tiny theatrical releases before they hit the video market they were truly intended for, Sleepaway Camp 2 and 3 share none of the creative team or cast as the original. And they come out in the wake of several more years of 80s slasher movies leading to the genre dipping its toes into self-awareness (in a way Scream would fully exploit a decade later).
Pamela Springsteen brings a lot of blissfully demented cheerfulness to the killer, Angela, in two very silly, purposely campy (forgive the pun) films that feel a million years away from the would-be serious approach of the original and its very different, quiet take on Angela. With direct nods to other popular slasher series and plenty of one-liners, there’s a “we’re just having fun here!” attitude to these two films that makes for a good time, albeit with diminished returns - I enjoy the second more than the third. Normally, that might make me say “So if you only choose one, pick up the Part 2 4K,” but let’s face it, if you’re a big enough fan to care about Sleepaway Camp sequel 4Ks at all, you’re gonna want both of them. That’s just how us horror franchise fans are built.
With rights to the first movie held separately, it is funny that Sleepaway Camp 2 and 3 are getting 4K discs before the original. But Scream Factory, who put the first three movies on Blu-ray a decade ago, have done right by these two cult films, with well done transfers for cheaply yet affectionately made movies that certainly look better than ever (or ever expected).
IS THERE A COMMENTARY:
Both films have archival audio commentaries from previous releases with director Michael A. Simpson and writer Fritz Gordon, and Scream Factory has also ported over a large number of additional bonus features from both their own previous Blu-rays and earlier DVDs produced by Anchor Bay. On top of that, both films have some newly produced bonus features as well, including Jeff Hayes (author of the book Sleepaway Camp: Making the Movie and Reigniting the Campfire) discussing each sequel and interviews on Sleepaway Camp 2 with cast member Brian Patrick Clarke and make-up effects artist Bill Johnson and interviews on Sleepaway Camp 3 with stunt coordinator Lonnie Smith Jr. and songwriter/performer John Altyn. I was especially happy about Atlyn’s inclusion, because his song “Sleepaway” is a banger.
It’s too bad Springsteen hasn’t wanted to sit down to discuss her brief foray into slasher film history, but overall, there is way more bonus features here than one might ever expect freaking Sleepaway Camp 2 and 3 to include. Though these days, it’s an odd part of physical media collecting that cult films like this often get so much better treatment in terms of bonus features than actual giant hit studio films.