New to Blu: February 23-March 1

Four Lions and Paranormal Activity 2 are this week’s only Blu-ray premieres.

The former tries to mine mirth from terrorism – four British jihadists bumble bomb-making – and so far appears to have had a Blu-ray release only in the UK, where AVForums rated the transfer 8/10.

“Considering it was shot on a pretty small budget, it looks quite good really.

“Detail is generally of a very high standard, hi-def cameras look like they’ve done most of the work here.

“Softness, edge enhancement and limited grain, it’s all fairly negligible, and actually suits the material for the most part.”

Obsessed With Film thought it “pretty outstanding throughout really – the images are clean and sharp and facial detail is perfect – no sign of heavy handed tinkering anywhere.”

Stale Popcorn said the transfer was “pretty flawless, to be honest. Skin tones are realistic, blacks and contrasts are good and the detail is pin sharp.

“There isn’t a lot of variation in colour throughout the film but it does look gorgeous.”

The supernatural sequel, Paranormal Activity 2, also earned high marks for its transfer, even though the movie looks home-made.

As Blu-ray.com observed: “The film is comprised entirely of consumer-grade (or so it seems) handheld camera footage and several security ‘eyes in the sky’ lenses that create something of a slight concave look, none of which offer anything that even approaches film-perfect results.

“Jagged edges, harsh lighting, noise aplenty, poor colours, sloppy details, several soft shots, and the like are the norm, but that’s what the movie is supposed to look like.

“That leaves little room for honest criticism of the Blu-ray transfer; there’s nothing this or any format can do to make it look better.”

Two versions are included: the 91-minute theatrical cut and a director’s cut that’s seven minutes longer.