New to Blu: July 1-7

With the weekend almost here, it’s time to belatedly round up the week’s new Blu-ray releases, starting with Shaun the Sheep Movie.

“Shot digitally and in stop motion, the detail on show is incredible and really reveals how intricate the models and sets are.

“The characters themselves are extremely well made … Colouring is just as good with all the primaries coming off with aplomb, reds are bold, greens (especially) are lush and blues cool. There is no sign of wash or bleed, nor any banding.”

“The handmade visuals are utterly charming and although the scope is still small, knowing the amount of time and effort that has gone into the whole production (the Blu-ray extras are short but sweet, with the flawless high-definition presentation showing off every plasticine thumbprint) will fill older viewers with a sense of wonderment to match that of the younger viewers the film is aimed at.”

Also new for the school holidays are Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (“colourfully wondrous“) and a re-issued Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (“the image here is very, very good“).

“Kingsman: The Secret Service is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1.

“The IMDb lists a variety of digital cameras that were utilized to film Kingsman, but the result is a largely homogenous and often stunningly sharp and precise looking image.”

“Detail is excellent throughout the piece, with the clarity and vibrant, colourful comic-book stylised palette lending itself well towards eye-popping scenery and standout reference sequences.”

“The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 sound mix is perfect for this kind of an action-filled extravaganza with split effects appearing throughout which maximise gunfire, fighting, explosions, and the like in every quadrant of the sound field.”

“Focus was directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (with cinematography by Xavier Grobet) using Arri Alexa XT digital cameras.

“The result is an amazingly sharp picture, full of colour and detail. Skin tones are properly balanced, facial features are well defined, and black levels are outstanding.”

“Though blue and green tints dominate the palette, skintones remain beautifully saturated throughout, black levels are thick and inky (with only the mildest crush that thankfully doesn’t amount to a distraction), and what little noise that appears is inherent to the source, nothing more.”

“The sumptuous visuals provided in Big Eyes are displayed rather wonderfully … Colours, textures, and detail are all sharp. A delightfully detailed image sustains throughout the movie’s running time.”

“With an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen 1080p, the video quality is just about as good as you are going to get.

“The film was shot using Arri Alexa cameras, delivering a visually stunning picture, with perfect clarity.”

Also out are season two of Peaky Blinders, Morning Star Warrior: Knight of the Witch, Re-animator, Howard the Duck, Beyond the Reach and WWE: Jerry Lawler — It’s Good to be the King.