Disc Dish

Tag: Science-fiction

  • Blu-ray Review: Westworld Limited Edition

    Blu-ray Review: Westworld Limited Edition

    4K UHD, Blu-ray Release Date: Feb. 24, 2026
    Price: 4K UHD $38.97, Blu-ray $32.47
    Studio: Arrow/MVD

    RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie  | Audio  | Video  | Overall

    When Westworld rode into theaters in 1973, it played like a smart, slightly pulpy genre hybrid: a Western with a science-fiction sting in its tail. Seen now, Michael Crichton’s directorial debut feels uncannily like a dry run for the anxieties that would later fuel Jurassic Park, another Crichton-penned story—and, eventually, dominate real-world conversations about artificial intelligence, automation, and spectacle.

    Set in Delos, a futuristic amusement resort where affluent guests indulge in consequence-free fantasy, the film follows friends Peter (Richard Benjamin, Diary of a Mad Housewife) and John (James Brolin, Burlesque) as they vacation in the park’s Old West zone. There, they drink, duel, make love to and kill lifelike android–“hosts programmed never to harm humans.” When an inevitable system-wide malfunction causes the robots to stop following their rules, the fantasy curdles fast. Yul Brynner’s (Anastasia) black-clad Gunslinger, once a novelty attraction, becomes a mechanical force of nature, stalking Peter and John with pitiless efficiency.

    Crichton’s genius lies in how little he overstates the danger. The catastrophe isn’t caused by malice or rebellion but by scale: too many systems, too much complexity, and the fatal assumption that control can always be restored. Again, the film’s DNA unmistakably anticipates Jurassic Park and its tale about rich tourists, cutting-edge attractions, ignored warnings, and the arrogance of believing nature (or technology) can be neatly contained.

    Arrow’s new Blu-ray and 4K UHD limited editions offer a glittery restoration that greatly sharpen the film’s details (along with its stark desert imagery), while bonus features deepen its legacy. Included among these is a lively new commentary by filmmaker and historian Daniel Kremer and new interviews with Benjamin, Brolin and producer Paul N. Lazarus III. Together, they reinforce what time has already proven: Westworld wasn’t just ahead of its time—it was a warning shot we’re still pretending not to hear.

    Buy or Rent Westworld Limited Edition

  • Blu-ray Release: Pulse (1988)

    Blu-ray Release Date: now available
    Price: Blu-ray $24.99
    Studio: Columbia Pictures/Alliance Entertainment

    In the 1988 chiller Pulse, an intelligent pulse of electricity is moving from house to house. It terrorizes the occupants by taking control of the appliances, either killing them or causing them to wreck the house in an effort to destroy it. Then it travels along the power lines to the next house, and the terror restarts. Having thus wrecked one household in a quiet neighborhood, the pulse finds itself in the home of a boy’s divorced father whom he is visiting. It gradually takes control of everything, badly injures the stepmother, and traps father and son, who must fight their way out.

    Written and directed by Paul Golding (Beat Street), this sci-fi-infused horror-thriller stars Cliff De Young (Road to Nowhere), Roxanne Hart (Highlander) and Joey Lawrence (TV’s Blossom)!

    Buy or Rent Pulse

  • 4K UHD Release: Minority Report

    4K UHD Release Date: available now
    Price: 4K UHD $24.96
    Studio: Paramount

    Steven Spielberg’s (Lincoln) 2002 crime thriller of the future Minority Report starring Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning) and Colin Farrell (The New World) makes its 4K UHD debut!

    John Anderton (Cruise), a Washington, D.C. detective in the year 2054 working in Precrime, a special unit of the police department that arrests murderers before they have committed the actual crime. Precrime bases its work on the visions of three psychics or precogs whose prophecies of future events are never in error. When Anderton discovers that he has been identified as the future killer of a man he’s never met, he is forced to become a fugitive from his own colleagues as he tries to uncover the mystery behind the identity of the future victim-to-be.

    This baby includes a whole array of bonus features on an accompanying Blu-ray disc!

    Buy or Rent Minority Report

  • DVD Release: The Handmaid’s Tale: The Complete Series

    DVD Release Date: Dec.2, 2025
    Price: DVD $79.99
    Studio: Warner

    Spanning six powerful seasons, The Handmaid’s Tale: The Complete Series has left an indelible mark on modern television with its compelling performances, striking visuals and thought-provoking narratives.

    Now, for the first time ever, fans can experience the complete journey of June Osborne and the haunting world of Gilead with all 66 episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale available in one comprehensive collection that includes 20 discs!

    Adapted from the classic novel by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States. Offred (Elisabeth Moss, TV’s Mad Men), one of the few fertile women known as Handmaids in the oppressive Republic of Gilead, struggles to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a powerful Commander and his resentful wife.

    The show stars Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski (I, Frankenstein), Bradley Whitford (Saving Mr. Banks), Max Minghella (The Social Network), Ann Dowd (Hereditary), Samira Wiley (TV’s Orange is the New Black), Madeline Brewer, and Josh Charles (TV’s The Good Wife).

    Bonus features include the supplements that were part of the prior individual single-season releases.

    Buy or Rent The Handmaid’s Tale: The Complete Series
    on DVD

  • Blu-ray, DVD Release: Rick and Morty: Season 8

    Blu-ray, DVD Release Date: Nov. 11, 2025
    Price: DVD $20.29, Blu-ray $24.95
    Studio: Adult Swim/Warner

    Rick and Morty is back for Season 8! Life has meaning again! Anything is possible! Look out for adventures with Summer, Jerry, Beth, and the other Beth. Maybe Butter Bot will get a new task? Whatever happens, you can’t keep Rick and Morty down for long. People have tried!

    Special Feature:

    -Inside Season 8 featurette

    Buy or Rent Rick and Morty: Season 8

  • 4K UHD, Blu-ray Release: Altered States

    4K UHD, Blu-ray Release Date: Available now
    Price: 4K UHD/Blu-ray $34.99, Blu-ray $29.66
    Studio: Criterion

    The ultimate cinematic head trip of the 1980s, not to mention British renegade Ken Russell’s (Women in Love, Tommy) first Hollywood film—adapted by the legendary screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky (The Hospital) from his own novel (he ultimately had his name removed from the film!)—1980’s Altered States is part hallucinogenic freak-out, part gonzo creature feature, part transcendent love story, all played at a fever pitch.

    When researcher Eddie Jessup (William Hurt, The Big Chill) begins using himself as a test subject for his mind-expanding psychological experiments, it sends him on an increasingly dangerous, substance-fueled odyssey from humankind’s primordial past to the outer limits of consciousness. His wife (Blair Brown, Continental Divide) might be the only one who can save him…

    It’s all visualized by Russell in a psychedelic supernova of out-there imagery that encompasses everything from the pagan to the cosmic sublime, culminating in a brain-wave-blasting battle between the mind and the heart.

    SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

    • New 4K digital restoration, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
    • Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
    • In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
    • New audio commentary featuring film historian Samm Deighan
    • Archival interviews with director Ken Russell and actor William Hurt
    • New interview with special-visual-effects designer Bran Ferren
    • Trailer
    • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
    • PLUS: An essay by film critic Jessica Kiang
    Buy or Rent Altered States

  • 4K UHD Release, Blu-ray, Digital Release: Aeon Flux Steelbook

    4K UHD/Blu-ray/Digital Release Date: Oct. 21, 2025
    Price: 4K UHD/Blu-ray Steelbook $26.59
    Studio: Paramount

    Aeon Flux, the action-packed 2005 sci-fi thriller based on the grounding MTV ainmated series comes to 4K Ultra HD Steelbook for its 20th anniversary!

    Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road) stars as Aeon Flux, the underground operative fighting totalitarian rule in the 25th-century Earth’s last living city. She’s the rebels’ best hope of overthrowing the oppressively sterile, “perfect” society. But while on assignment to gun down the government’s leader, Aeon uncovers a web of startling secrets that could completely change the world’s future! It’s directed by Karyn Kusama (Girl Fight).

    Legacy features on this long-awaited release include the following:

    • Audio Commentaries:
      • Audio Commentary by Charlize Theron (Aeon Flux) and producer Gale Anne Hurd
      • Audio Commentary by screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi
    • Featurettes:
      • Creating a World: Aeon Flux
      • The Locations of Aeon Flux
      • The Stunts of Aeon Flux
      • The Costume Design Workshop of Aeon Flux
      • The Craft of the Set Photographer on Aeon Flux
    • Theatrical trailer
    Buy or Rent Aeon Flux Steelbook

  • Blu-ray Release: Ultraman Arc: The Complete Series + Movie

    Blu-ray Release Date: Aug. 12, 2025
    Price: Blu-ray $35.57
    Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment

    Ultraman Arc: The Complete Series, the Japanese tokusatsu drama that originally aired in Japan in 2024, has arrived on Blu-ray!  The set also includes Ultraman Arc The Movie: The Clash of Light and Evil.

    Ultraman Arc: The Complete Series
    Yuma, then only 7 years old, was camping with his parents in Mt. Shishio when Monogelos attacked, but somehow miraculously survived unhurt. This experience led him to pursue the path of kaiju biology research, and despite his traumatic past he has not lost his imagination. As a rookie investigator, Yuma joined SKIP and was assigned to the Hoshimoto City Branch. Not long after, another large-scale kaiju disaster occurs. As Yuma sees the desperate people in front of him, a strong will springs into his mind — “I want to protect them!” It was at that moment when Yuma hears the voice of Rution, the being of light that he once saw as a child: “You and I are one and the same… Unleash your imagination!” When the mystic light emerging from Yuma’s hand embodies his entire body, his power of imagination fuses him with the light and he transforms into Ultraman Arc, the Giant of Light who protects the future! Alongside his precious friends, Yuma gallops towards his everlasting dream!

    Ultraman Arc The Movie: The Clash of Light and Evil
    Everything begins when a mysterious space sage, Sascal, poses this challenge to Yuma. Sascal sets three trials to test Yuma’s worthiness as a true hero. Protecting Hoshimoto City as a member of SKIP, building trust with his comrades, and wrestling with the inner conflict over the meaning of defeating kaiju — all these responsibilities weigh heavily on Yuma ever since he gained the power to transform into an Ultra hero. Now, these very burdens are twisted by Sascal, who manipulates them, launching one test after another.

    With rampaging kaiju, evil aliens wreaking havoc, and a warped, alternate dimension where even time itself is distorted, the dark Ultraman Arc, Guil Arc finally emerges. Can Yuma — Ultraman Arc — rise above the greatest test of all and protect the future, surpassing even the limits of imagination?

    Buy or Rent Ultraman Arc: The Complete Series + Movie

  • Blu-ray Release: Watch The Skies

    Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Sept. 23, 2025
    Price: Blu-ray $17.99
    Studio: Decal/Alliance

    The 2025 Swedish sci-fi adventure Watch The Skies, which sets out to evoke the nostalgia of family classics such as E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, arrives on disc this week!

    It follows a rebellious teenager who believes her missing father was abducted by aliens. Joining forces with a quirky UFO club of endearing misfits, she embarks on a high-stakes adventure that defies the law and challenges the very fabric of reality.

    Special Features:

    • ORIGINAL SWEDISH LANGUAGE VERSION – the original Swedish language version of the film is available to watch as a Blu-ray bonus feature, highlighting the groundbreaking dubbing transformation made possible by Flawless.
    • ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSION
    • The Real UFO Sweden: a look at the group who inspired the film
    • Filmmaker Testimonial
    • Flawless Sizzle Reel
    • Original trailer
    • Optional English (for the Swedish version) and English SDH (for the English version) subtitles
    Buy or Rent Watch The Skies

  • Blu-ray Release: The Cat (1991)

    Blu-ray Release Date: Sept. 23, 2025
    Price: Blu-ray $39.99
    Studio: 88 Films/MVD

    A cat from outer space teams up with a young alien girl and her knight, along with a novelist named Wisely, to fight an alien that possesses people.

    In this 1991 adaptation of the novel Old Cat by Ni Kuang, Li Tung (Lawrence Lau, Bullet in the Head) is unable to sleep due to his noisy upstairs neighbors. When he goes to confront them, he encounters an old man (Siu-ming Lau, A Better Tomorrow II), a young woman (Gloria Yip, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky), and a mysterious black cat. The next morning, the trio vanish, leaving behind a startling surprise in a pile of newspapers for Tung to uncover. As the police investigate, Inspector Wang Chieh-Mei (Philip Kwok, Master of the Flying Guillotine) invites Tung to dinner at the home of bestselling novelist Wisely (Waise Lee, A Better Tomorrow) and his companion Pai So (Christine Ng, Police Story II). Intrigued by the bizarre tale, Wisely spins a story: the woman and the cat are from outer space, here to stop an alien life form known as The Star Killer—an entity capable of possessing human bodies. But is Wisely really making up a story or recounting his adventure with the extraterrestrials?

    What follows is an over-the-top combination of body-swap delirium that leans more toward a Hong Kong adaptation of The Hidden than The Cat from Outer Space, but with touches of The Thing, Spaced Invaders, and Aliens!

    The Cat is an overlooked gem from the golden age of the VHS trading underground, completely remastered and packed with extras.

    Bonus features include the following:

    • Limited edition rigid slip case with new artwork by Sean Longmore
    • Limited edition 40-page perfect bound book
    • Limited edition premium art card
    • Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative
    • Remastered original Cantonese monoaural sountrack
    • Newly translated English subtitles
    • Audio commentary by Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
    • Brand new film interview with writer Gordon Chan
    • Image gallery
    Buy or Rent The Cat (1991)