With the nearest open movie theaters hard to find, many fans look to home entertainment more than ever. If the kids are quarantined at home also, purchases, rather than rentals, start to look better and better for the inevitable repeat viewings. But with so many, it’s hard to know where to begin or what to afford. In this ongoing series, Superhero Hype takes a look at some of the better deals Amazon.com has running as of publication time. Please note that all deals are subject to change or sell out at any time based on supply and demand. These are the deals for Mar 5.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Complete Original Series
$38.01
“I…HAVE…THE POWERRRRR!” It’s often quite silly, other times solidly entertaining, and all the time grappling with restrictive ’80s guidelines for cartoons, which among other things wouldn’t allow He-Man to punch people. But the classic Fimation series is the way most people know the tan, muscular warrior with the sword of power and his cackling foe Skeletor. Subsequent incarnations took the concepts more seriously, but like the 1966 Batman, the first He-Man cartoon will always be definitive to those who saw it first.
War For The Planet Of The Apes [Blu-ray]
$17.92 and up
It’s the Book of Exodus with apes, as Caesar leads his people to the promised land while the militant remnants of humanity face a deadly plague that renders them mute. Will this lead to a Charlton Heston-infused future? Hard to say, but it concludes the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy on an oddly triumphant note for a story about the end of humanity.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital HD)
$19.51 and up
It’s like Tim Burton’s X-Men, as a school full of children with individual, unusual supernatural powers hide inside a time loop from Samuel L. Jackson and large invisible monsters that want to eat their eyes. A rare return to fantasy form for Burton, who feels more in his element than when he’s doing Disney remakes.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital)
$8.49
Recovering after a mediocre first installment, these rebooted turtles had everything fans wanted to see. Bebop, Rocksteady, and Kraang in live-action for the first time! Casey Jones! The Turtle Party Wagon! Baxter Stockman correctly portrayed as a black man! But fans felt so burned by the reboot that they didn’t support the sequel in droves. Now for less than the price of a DVD, they can own the 4K and finally appreciate the most underrated TMNT movie.
Ghostbusters 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray [2016] [Region Free]
$8.71
Now that we’re done debating its very existence, and the original continuity is getting continued, can everyone feel free to like this movie as it is? No, it’s not made by a Reitman. Yes, it’s an all-female cast with weirdly jarring cameos by all the surviving original leads. But Kate McKinnon’s Holzmann is a great addition to the pantheon, and Rowan is a great toxic fanboy-as-villain. The multiverse is becoming more and more accepted in modern franchises, so let’s just accept it in Ghostbusters too. And that price can’t be beat.
Hancock [4K Blu-ray]
$14.96
A rare example of a completely original, not-based-on-any-comic superhero blockbuster. It begins with Will Smith as a drunk, homeless screw up with powers, and halfway through turns into something else completely. Makes us miss the days when Peter Berg did sci-fi, rather than based-on-fact action dramas with Mark Wahlberg.
Cloverfield [4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital]
$9.96
Prepare for the sequel with the original found-footage kaiju movie starring [checks notes]…T.J. Miller? With a unique creature design and a mysterious marketing campaign, Cloverfield went on to spawn a strange franchise of mostly unrelated sci-fi horror stories. But it’s still a pretty good monster movie on its own terms. Even if the characters constantly filming each other coincidentally get a lot of product placement in frame.
Hellboy [4K Blu-ray]
$9.96
No, it’s not the Guillermo del Toro version. But it’s a decent enough R-rated take on Hellboy, loaded with creepy supernatural monsters and Milla Jovovich.
Kick-Ass 4K Ultra HD [4K + Blu-ray + Digital]
$15.99
A pre-MCU Aaron Johnson became a superhero first in this Mark Millar adaptation. As he fights crime with nigh-unbreakable bones, he encounters pint-sized vigilante Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her Adam West-impersonating father Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage, in prime form). Just skip the pointless sequel.
Pacific Rim Uprising [4K Blu-ray]
$11.88
Once again, John Boyega is the best thing in a sci-fi sequel no longer in its creators’ hands. The robot and monster fights in this one take place more in daylight, and there’s even an enemy that grows like it’s a Power Rangers foe. Much better than most people presume.
