New to Blu: Movies > March 20-26

Fans of Dredd wanting to see the definitive version on Blu-ray, and who have a region-free Blu-ray player, should opt for the US 3D release.

“In 3D, Dredd looks absolutely stunning. The sense of depth is apparent from the very first frames, as we see Mega-City One in the distance, with the Cursed Earth in the foreground.

“You really get a sense of space and distance, and director Pete Travis skillfully retains this sense throughout the film.”

“The audio space is equally impressive, with a near-field 7.1 mix that’s been extended for DTS’s new 11.1 Neo X. Dredd paints its space with a huge amount of directionality and fidelity.”

Unfortunately, the NZ 3D and 2D releases don’t have 7.1 audio. Like Safe, Cabin in the Woods and Bait, they land here in 5.1 only.

Although most viewers will have “no reservations about the audio – it’s awesome”, it seems the 2D image quality is underwhelming compared to the 3D effort.

“Solely commenting on the 2D version I would call this a bit of a mish mash visuals wise.”

Another UK source rates the 3D image 9/10 but the 2D only 6/10 because it “poses many problems”.

The week’s biggest seller will be The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (which also can be bought as part of a complete Twilight collection).

“Both Breaking Dawn, Part Two and its predecessor were shot concurrently, so it should come as no surprise that this release features the same fantastic 1080p high definition transfer.”

Bully’s imagery is “crisp, natural, and far more filmic than most modern documentaries” but “the image does wash out a bit in very bright outdoor scenes”.

Also new are: The Angels’ Share; Bachelorette (“very strong, much better than most indie flicks gone Blu”); Inbred; Midnight Son; Dangerous Liaisons (“mostly crisp with a fine layer of grain and lots of detail”); Jock: The Hero Dog (“generally pleasing”); Pokemon – Movie 15: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice; and Joe Bonamassa: An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House.

Back-catalogue newcomers include High Road to China (“pervasive lack of detail”), Spaceballs (“more than a little dark and thin in spots, yet all in all, by far the best this movie has looked on video”) and the Hammer Horror titles Rasputin: The Mad Monk (“blows former DVD incarnations away”) and The Reptile (“a strong and stable transfer which is respectful to the source material”).