DVD Report

By Jeff Niesel

 
Though it did bring in over $100 million, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (April 8), the latest installment in saga based on C.S. Lewis’ fantasy novels, was generally viewed as one of the summer’s box office busts. The special effects seem second-rate and the story’s Christian undertones are off-putting. The film arrives on both DVD and Blu-ray with extras such as an animated film and several shorts.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part 1 (April 15), our bespectacled hero must again battle Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and the Death Eaters. In one close call, a group of Harry Potter decoys are killed as the Order of the Phoenix save Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) from death and dismemberment. Because Voldemort has become so powerful, the film is particularly bleak and violent. Still, this is another excellent chapter in the long-running saga that is about to come to end after a decade. Available on both DVD and Blu-ray, the release comes with eight deleted scenes and a clip from Part 2, scheduled to hit theaters this summer.

Generally panned as one of last year’s worst movies, Gulliver’s Travels (April 22) casts funny fat man Jack Black as a modern day Gulliver. Bored with his office job as the mail clerk, Gulliver gets whisked off to the land of Lilliput after he takes on an assignment to write a travel article about the Bermuda Triangle. Hijinks ensue and Gulliver befriends Horatio (Jason Segel) and helps him win the hand of Princess Mary (Emily Blunt). It arrives on DVD and Blu-ray with a slew of extras including a gag reel and deleted scenes.

Based on the true story of how Albert, King George VI (Colin Firth), overcame his stammer with the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), The King’s Speech (April 22) is a great story of one man’s triumph over a personal limitation. The film culminates with a radio address King George gives as England engages in World War II. The story here is so compelling, it would make for a fascinating film even without its stellar cast. The DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film include an audio commentary and deleted scenes.