New to Blu: April 25-May 1

Blistering barnacles! Despite the Kiwi connection, New Zealand’s one of the last territories to explore The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn on Blu-ray.

The 2D and 3D editions were released more than a month ago in the US, the UK and Europe.

But those who have waited rather than imported won’t be disappointed, judging by the online reviews.

“Beyond a teeny imperfection most will never see, The Adventures of Tintin is sure to be in some readers’ demo rotation. This is a beautiful, colourful film.”

Said the same source of the 3D version: “Tintin tackles the 3D world with a subtle but magnificent looking 1080p/MVC encode that will dazzle and amaze most viewers”

“Dazzling” also was used to describe  the “balanced, and ever-effective DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack. It seems Paramount is embracing 7.1 audio for all of its major new release titles. They’re all excellent, and this one is no different.”

The week’s other visual treat is the arthouse sensation, Melancholia.

“The high-definition transfer is truly outstanding. In fact, I am so impressed with the quality of the presentation that I would go on record here and say that we will be discussing Melancholia again at the end of 2012, when the year’s best releases are mentioned.”

The NZ distributor has sourced the UK version, which has surperior extras to the US version and technically is scarcely distinguishable: “Only projection users will notice any difference at all.”

Another sublime release promises to be season two of Treme.

“This is a great-looking transfer which even manages to trump the first season.”

Being a busy and boisterous show, “there’s tons of music, loud club scenes and street parades. There’s also a lot of quiet drama. This DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track represents both with incredible clarity.”

“A solid collection of extras only sweetens the pot, and transforms a must-see series into another must-own Blu-ray release.”

“The Iron Lady‘s 1080p high definition transfer is the embodiment of Blu-ray perfection. Though the image favours colors that are naturally cold and slightly muted, it still presents bright blue dresses, red lipstick, and other assorted hues strongly, particularly contrasted against the slightly gray backdrop.”

Also new but not as noteworthy are: Tower Heist (“colours are beautifully saturated, skin tones are warm and natural, primaries pack heat”); the direct-to-disc I Melt With You (“the transfer is quite good, though limited somewhat by the digital sources used’), WWE: The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur.

And while we’re among the last to get Tintin on Blu-ray, we’re among the first to ring in New Year’s Eve, the Blu-ray bow of which coincides with TV2’s FTA HD premiere of the similarly ghastly Valentine’s Day on Sunday.