4 Film Favorites: TMNT (BD)(4FF)

BOTTOM LINE: This 4 film sci-fi set is a solid value. Thankfully, each film has its own disc inside the box; no multi-film on one disc cramming going on here. All of the movies look & sound very good and each flick also contains its own specific bonus content, making this set an even better value. As a whole, I give this Warner Bros. sci-fi collection 4 STARS.So, what are you getting for your hard-earned dough? Let's see...GALAXY QUEST is simply a great movie, all around. Whether or not you love sci-fi you need to have this film in your collection, (and if you're a fan of Star Trek, you probably do). It's a wonderful comedy but it also has some truly touching moments of poignant humanity sprinkled throughout. Doubtless, this is Tim Allen's best non-TV work and, surprisingly, contains one of Alan Rickman's most nuanced performances. Actually, ALL of the actors here turn in first rate acting jobs. Kudos all around! (Every time I watch this film though, I keep wondering what could have been, IF they had gotten all the principal actors from Star Trek:TOS to do this instead. What an INCREDIBLE film THAT would have been! Even so, this movie is a true delight.) Now, do you already own the DVD but are trying to decide whether or not to double dip and get it in hi-def for your Blu-ray player? I'll be honest and tell you that most (if not all) of the extras are just ported from the DVD, so that's a wash, BUT... the picture & sound were a really nice jump up in quality, IMHO, so I vote YES and say take the plunge. In all honestly, having GALAXY QUEST on Blu-ray alone was worth the price I paid (used) for this four film set. Getting the other three movies was just a bonus. 5 STARS.MARS ATTACKS! is a goofy hoot of a film. Director Tim Burton has all kinds of wacky fun turning those garish 1962 Topps bubblegum trading cards into a typically silly off-kilter Burton laugh fest. If you liked any of his stop-mo films or the classic Beatlejuice then you should enjoy this wacky invasion-from-Mars outing. Everyone in front of & behind the camera is in on the joke, making the proceedings even more outrageous and hilarious. Tons of easter eggs from the trading cards can be spotted, along with nods to several films from the golden age of classic sci-fi - if you're looking. The film boasts lots of visual eye candy, also typical for a Burton film. All in all there's good fun & laughs to be had here. 4 STARS.RED PLANET underwhelmed and underperformed at the box office but it is an enjoyable throw away film, perfect for a late night or crappy weather movie marathon. The F/X still hold up well and the story of humanity's first manned mission to Mars is fun and keeps your interest to see how it all turns out. Nothing truly amazing happens though and in the end I think that's why it ghosted in theaters. Val Kilmer & Tom Sizemore are good actors and they play well off each other. Carrie-Anne Moss is sturdy as the mission commander but her removal from the main action hampers her appeal somewhat; trapped up in the orbiting mother ship, she just yells orders at the men down on the planet, pushes buttons & punches control panels in frustration. Not much else for her to do but what little she does, she does well. Actually, my only real gripe is that Terrance Stamp, (THE all-time best-ever General Zod), is criminally wasted in a small, throw away role. 4 STARS.LOST IN SPACE is a dumb, lower tier popcorn film. If you're a fan of the old TV show you may have shook your head at the huge miss-fire this film turned out to be. I look at it as a major failed opportunity to cultivate & expand an already loyal fanbase. Had the producers given us an engaging, entertaining & fun sci-fi escapism movie based on the solid concept of the original TV series, they could have turned this pilot into a franchise that went on for years. Such a shame. William Hurt, Gary Oldman Mimi Rogers and Heather Graham are all way better than this. I'm guessing large paychecks were the primary enticement in signing on for this cinematic banana peel. What a waste of a very talented cast. Two exceptions: Lacey Chabert, who played Penny, and Matt LeBlanc as Major Don West. Chabert's version of Penny was unbelievably whiny & annoying, her Goth-ish makeup was butt ugly and her voice sounds like she's been sucking helium vapors. Someone stuff her into an airlock and jettison her quick! LOL. And Matt LeBanc? He was just trying way too hard to differentiate this "serious" movie performance from his role as Joey on the long-running television comedy FRIENDS. His 'macho action guy' puffed-out chest posturing & cheesy, stilted line delivery were one-dimensionally laughable. The re-imagined B9 Robot was kind of okay. They changed the look too much for my tastes, but you could see they were trying to bring it around to a more classic TV-look by the film's end. Alas, for a sequel that was never to be. Good to hear voice actor Dick Tufeld returning to voice the Robot again. That brought a smile to my face. Another big bummer was that they didn't gave us the Space Pod or my beloved Chariot. Instead, both vehicles were eliminated with a single line of throw-away dialogue. ("The Space Pod & Chariot were totaled in the crash.") Boo!! The movie's F/X are a mixed bag. The spaceships & planets looked quite nice but those alien spiders and that ghastly "Blurp" space-monkey thing were pretty bad and downright gawd-awful, respectively. The final mutant Doctor Smith reveal was a letdown, too. Still for some reason I somehow enjoy screening this flick from time to time. I guess the bits that I do like make up for those that I don't? As with all things, YMMV. 3 STARS.

Classic movies. Arrived without any damage.

This is one of the better 4-pack blu-ray offerings. Galaxy Quest carries a lot of value as essential comedy sci-fi, with Mars Attacks being the most bonkers offering in the set. On the serious side is Red Planet, a middling yet rewatchable exploration/survival story with an engaging cast.Lastly, there is always an "iffy" offering in these packs, here represented by Lost in Space. The film is still a bit of a mess (that cgi monkey really should not have happened) but certainly acceptable as part of this overall package.Packaging was somewhat better than expected, with a slipcase and each movie having a disc to itself, albeit stacked two on each side of the case. All in all, great value here for sci-fi fans, especially those who may not have Galaxy Quest on blu-ray yet.

It was great

Awesome

Good value

I bought this as a gift for my daughter who wanted the movie Mars Attacks. When I saw this 4 film favorites that included Mars Attacks, I thought why not give her a bonus of extra movies to enjoy. She and her husband really like this 4 Film Favorites: Intergalactic Films. Thus, I would recommend this set of 4 films.

I already had lost in space, but for the price you cant go wrong to get all 4. Or even if you only needed 2 of them, these movies sell on average for 7.99 to 10$ each. this set is roughly a 40$ value on bluray. So getting this for 20 or less is a steal. Don't hesitate if you like these movies, they are worth the cost. And if your not sure there really are 4 total bluray discs in there, 2 on each side. Only down side to that is they have 2 in 1 Ring on each side, so make sure to no get dust on them, or you will scratch the one that's on top of the other.