The Best New Blu-Ray Releases: Candyman, Jungle Cruise, And More

Disney had huge success turning their "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride into a film series, but their other attempts on the ride-to-movie front haven't gone over as well. Their latest is "Jungle Cruise," a mostly harmless bit of digital hokum that tries to recapture the magic of films like the 1999 "The Mummy." And this movie does have a few good things going for it. It's directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the master stylist responsible for art-trash like "Orphan" and "The Shallows." And it features likable stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in the lead. But "Jungle Cruise" also feels rather hollow. Say what you will about the "Pirates" franchise, but director Gore Verbinski made sure things in that first movie, "The Curse of the Black Pearl," felt as real as possible. He used real locations and practical sets whenever he could, and it made the entire film feel huge and sprawling. "Jungle Cruise," in contrast, looks like it was shot entirely in water tanks on sound stages. There's a sheen of artifice over the entire dang thing. 

In "Jungle Cruise," Blunt is Dr. Lily Houghton, a botanist who is in search of the Tree of Life. To find the tree, which is located somewhere in the Amazon, Lily and her comic relief brother (Jack Whitehall) hire steamboat skipper and pun fan Frank Wolfe (Dwayne Johnson) to take them downriver. Meanwhile, the film's villain, a German royal (played by Jesse Plemons, who is a lot of fun to watch here), is on their tail. Oh, and also, there's some nonsense about curses and supernatural conquistadors that unexpectedly tie directly into Werner Herzog's "Aguirre, the Wrath of God." Go figure. 

"Jungle Cruise" is charming enough, I suppose. But the entire endeavor feels so manufactured and so mercantile that it ends up not being nearly as fun as it should've been.

Special Features:

• Jungle Cruise Expedition Mode – Climb aboard a ramshackle tramp steamer (or your own couch) to learn fun facts, discover Easter eggs and catch some pop-up trivia throughout the movie.
• It's A Jungle Out There: Making Jungle Cruise – Director Jaume Collet-Serra, the cast and crew discuss the importance of the film's elements, from casting to makeup to the use of an ancient indigenous language, in creating the world that honors one of Disneyland's most beloved rides.
• Dwayne And Emily: Undoubtedly Funny – Go on-set with the two stars, whose newfound friendship helped them project a natural onscreen chemistry. Although their characters challenge each other throughout the film, the actors make each other laugh. A lot!
• Creating The Amazon – Explore the cinematic artistry involved in creating the world of "Jungle Cruise," including how Frank's boat coursed "dangerous" water in a tank in Atlanta, how a town was built in Kauai, and how a ferocious jaguar came to life, among other amazing effects.
• Once A Skip, Always A Skip – Join a panel of "Skippers" at the Disneyland Resort as they reminisce about the rewards, challenges and surprises they've experienced while helming the world-famous "Jungle Cruise" attraction, and hear their advice to aspiring skippers everywhere!
• Outtakes – Step behind the scenes of the production to catch the cast in a series of flubs, falls, foibles — and a whole lot of laughter.
• Deleted Scenes
  • MacGregor Drives The Boat
  • MacGregor Water Skis
  • Joachim And Nilo On The Dock
  • Frank Talks To Proxima & Lily's Nightmares
  • Sub Gets Stuck
  • Proxima Surprises MacGregor
  • Frank Gets The Cold Shoulder
  • Trader Sam And Lily Walk In The Jungle
  • MacGregor And Trader Sam Say Goodbye
  • Frank Makes Tea For Lily
  • The Backside Of Water

The reaction to the new "Candyman" was considerably mixed, and that's perfectly fine. I was positive about the film – I wrote in my review, "At times, "Candyman" gives off the air of something classic and old school; a movie cut from a different cloth than modern horror. Elegant; deliberate – much like the 1992 original." But I also think many of the more negative criticisms levied at the flick are warranted. Still, I think there's a lot here to appreciate. Nia DaCosta's direction is incredibly solid, and the way the film expands on the "Candyman" myth is interesting. Is this as good as the original film? Nope! The original is a horror classic, and always will be. But this new "Candyman" packs a punch. 

Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is an artist who has an unknown connection to the events of the original film (although every single trailer more or less gave this "twist" away ahead of time). As he begins investigating the Candyman legend, he finds his entire life spiraling out of control as the body count rises around him. All of this is handled well, but there are some things on the edges of the film that don't quite work. The motivations of a mysterious character played by the always-welcomed Colman Domingo just don't add up, and we're never given enough time to buy into the relationship between Anthony and his girlfriend (Teyonah Parris), who has a complicated backstory of her own that's quickly glossed over. The deleted and extended scenes included on the disc fleshes some of this out, but it would've been better if they had made their way into the final film. 

Special Features:

• ALTERNATE ENDING
• DELETED AND EXTENDED SCENES
• SAY MY NAME: Filmmakers and cast discuss how the horror at the center of Candyman is both timely and timeless, which is a tragedy in and of itself.
• BODY HORROR: We explore director Nia DaCosta's influences in the subgenre of body horror, and what Anthony's physical transformation means to the story.
• THE FILMMAKER'S EYE: NIA DACOSTA: Take a closer look at director Nia DaCosta, and how her singular voice and perspective were perfect to tell this story.
• PAINTING CHAOS: Filmmakers reveal how Anthony's artwork evolves throughout the film and how they strived for authenticity in recreating Chicago's vibrant art scene.
• THE ART OF ROBERT AIKI AUBREY LOWE: Composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe reveals some of the unconventional methodology he used to create the unique and haunting soundscapes sounds of the film.
• TERROR IN THE SHADOWS: A behind-the-scenes look at how the analogue shadow puppetry scenes were created and an unpacking of why this ancient artistic medium was the most conceptually relevant for depicting the legends' cycle of violence.
• CANDYMAN: THE IMPACT OF BLACK HORROR: A roundtable discussion moderated by Colman Domingo about the nuanced relationship Black Americans have with Candyman, the horror genre and the overall idea of monsters and victims.