New to Blu: March 1 – 7

Doctor Strange checks in on Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray the same day as the US but without the 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio that apparently features on the UK release — even though it’s part of the same Region B zone as NZ.

“Marvel/Disney has done a terrific job bringing Doctor Strange to Blu-ray,” High-Def Digest says. “With a solid visual presentation and a terrific audio mix, the film looks and sounds fantastic.

“Coupled with an array of great bonus features, Marvel’s latest superhero Doctor Strange is a highly recommended Blu-ray release.”

Blu-ray.com notes it was digitally photographed and has a “slightly flat texturing that, coupled with the film’s somewhat darker contrast, doesn’t give it all that much room to sparkle.

“It’s more or less technically sound, though, its only real issues being errant noise and slightly uneven blacks that tend to fluctuate between excess paleness and mild crush.”

Home Theater Forum rates the 3D video 4/5.  “Sharpness is always spot-on, remarkable with the amount of digital effects especially in backgrounds which are a necessity as the characters spin through multiple dimensional spheres.

“Colour isn’t overly rich and bold, but it’s certainly solid throughout (and wildly colourful when it needs to be) with accurate and appealing flesh tones.”

Capitalising on the Doctor Strange release are two belated superhero TV series on Blu-ray — Agents of SHIELD (season three) and Agent Carter (season two) — while also new from the small screen is season two of Mr Robot (“just as impressive as its release of the first season,” AVForums says, “with excellent video and audio to reflect the show’s exquisite style on both fronts”).

The week’s other big movie release is Nocturnal Animals. “Everything about the transfer is stunning and clearly reference quality,” Home Theater Forum says.

Concurred High-Def Digest: “Not a stitch of grain is present in this sleek, glossy 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 presentation that bursts with superior clarity and contrast and sports a bold colour palette.”

Also out are Death Race 2050 (“a strong and accurate representation of the movie’s extremely cheap nature,” says DVD Talk) and 1967’s King Kong Escapes (“print damage is the real monster,” quips Blu-ray.com).