DVD Review - May 22

Featuring the voices of: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Daniel Henney, TJ Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr, Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk, Maya Rudolph.

Fourteen-year-old Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) idolises his older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney), who is a star pupil of Professor Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell), head of the robotics program at San Fransokyo University. A fire on campus culminates in tragedy and shell-shocked Hiro is inconsolable until his brother's greatest creation, a self-inflating personal healthcare robot called Baymax (Scott Adsit), helps the teenager to confront his loss. As the boy discovers Baymax's functionality, he also stumbles upon a secret: the fire might not have been an accident. Indeed, a greedy entrepreneur called Alistair Krei (Alan Tudyk) might have started the blaze. Aided by Tadashi's loyal friends GoGo (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr), Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) and Fred (TJ Miller), plus an upgraded Baymax, Hiro resolves to discover the truth about the deadly inferno. Based on an obscure title from the Marvel Comics universe, Big Hero 6 is a rip-roaring animated romp, which embraces the old-fashioned family values of the Walt Disney brand alongside cutting-edge computer technology. The inquisitive automaton Baymax is the stuff that sweet celluloid dreams are made of: tender, loving and unwittingly hilarious. Directors Don Hall and Chris Williams orchestrate the thrilling action set pieces with brio, including an unconventional dash through the undulating streets of San Fransokyo that knowingly flouts traffic laws. The animators and script never lose sight of the central relationship of Hiro and Baymax, sketching that bond in exquisitely deft strokes. All formats include Patrick Osborne's delightful Oscar-winning short Feast, which charts the relationship between a Boston terrier and his master.

Rating: ****

RELEASED

Wild (Cert 15, 115 mins, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Drama/Romance, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99 or on-demand from various streaming services)

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Keene McRae, Gaby Hoffmann, Michiel Huisman, W Earl Brown.

In 1994, 26-year-old Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) decides to come to terms with the death of her mother Bobbi (Laura Dern) by embarking on a gruelling 1,100-mile solo trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, passing through California, Oregon, and Washington. She is ill-prepared for her odyssey, weighed down by a cumbersome backpack overstuffed with useless items including the wrong gas canister for her cooking stove. Alone in this unforgiving wilderness, Cheryl initially relies on the kindness of strangers to survive, but gradually nurtures her survival instincts to overcome her fears and the perilous terrain. Her exhausting journey is punctuated by nightmarish memories of Cheryl's descent into sex- and alcohol-fuelled oblivion - a futile effort to salve the pain of Bobbi's death, which sounds the death knell for her marriage to her husband Paul (Thomas Sadoski). "I'm going to walk myself back to the woman my mother thought I was," Cheryl resolves. Anchored by a tour-de-force Oscar-nominated performance from Witherspoon, Wild is an emotionally uplifting drama that celebrates the endurance of the human spirit and the restorative power of a mother's love. Strayed's memoir has been elegantly adapted for the big screen by British novelist Nick Hornby. The fragmented timeline doesn't impact greatly on dramatic momentum and Hornby distills some powerful scenes of threat and self-reflection. Director Jean-Marc Vallee, who helmed yesteryear's Oscar winner The Dallas Buyers Club, directs with flair, juxtaposing the picturesque splendour of Cheryl's surroundings with the internal darkness that nudges her to the brink of self-destruction.

Rating: ****

Testament Of Youth (Cert 12, 130 mins, Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK Ltd, Drama/Romance/War, also available to buy DVD £19.99/Blu-ray £24.99 or on-demand from various streaming services)

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Taron Egerton, Colin Morgan, Dominic West, Emily Watson, Anna Chancellor, Joanna Scanlan, Miranda Richardson.

Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander) is poised to head to Oxford University to study under waspish Miss Lorimer (Miranda Richardson) in the shadow of the First World War. Her brother Edward (Taron Egerton) and his pals Roland (Kit Harington) and Victor (Colin Morgan) enlist, despite resistance from Vera's parents (Dominic West, Emily Watson). Romance blossoms between Vera and Roland, and Aunt Belle (Joanna Scanlan) acts as a chaperone for the young couple on their dates. Against the advice of her mother and father, Vera postpones her higher education to volunteer as a nurse and treat the soldiers, who have been physically and emotionally scarred by their experiences. Friendships and family ties are strained as Vera and her loved ones search for glimmers of hope amid the wartime devastation. Adapted from the first instalment of memoirs by feminist writer and pacifist Vera Mary Brittain, Testament Of Youth is almost the right film in the right place at the right time, coinciding with centenary commemorations of the First World War. Director James Kent's visually arresting portrait of bloodstained European history demonstrates moments of brio. However, for all its physical splendour and Max Richter's elegiac orchestral score, the film doesn't stir the heart. Kent strikes a suitably respectful and sombre tone, and Swedish actress Vikander is a revelation in her first leading role in an English-language production, capturing the spirit, defiance and brittleness of a young woman who holds firm to her convictions at a time when women were preferably seen but not heard.

Rating: ***

Also released

Darkest Day (Cert 15, 90 mins, Monster Pictures, Horror/Action/Thriller, also available to buy DVD/Blu-ray £14.99 - see below)

The Emperor's New Clothes (Cert 15, 101 mins, Studio Canal, Documentary, also available to buy DVD £17.99 or on-demand from various streaming services - see below)

NEW TO BUY ON DVD/BLU-RAY AND ON-DEMAND

Safe House (Cert 15, 240 mins, RLJ Entertainment, DVD £19.99, Thriller/Romance)

A loving couple invite terror into their home in this four-part ITV1 drama written and created by Michael Crompton, and directed by Marc Evans. Robert (Christopher Eccleston) turns his back on the police force after a witness is fatally injured in his care. Crippled by guilt, he starts afresh with his schoolteacher wife Katy (Marsha Thomason) in the Lake District, where they run an idyllic guest house. Out of the blue, DCI Mark Maxwell (Paterson Joseph) turns up at Robert's door asking him for help: to provide a safe house for David (Jason Merrells) and Ali Blackwell (Nicola Stephenson) and their children, Louisa (Harriet Cains) and Joe (Max True), who are being hunted by known criminal Michael Collersdale (Peter Ferdinando). Robert readily agrees, hoping that he can find redemption by protecting the Blackwells from their hunter.

Ray Donovan - Season Two (Cert 15, 600 mins, Paramount Home Entertainment, DVD £34.99, Drama/Thriller)

A four-disc set of 12 episodes of the involving American crime drama about professional 'fixer' Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber), who is employed by the successful law firm Goldman & Drexler to spare the blushes of its rich and powerful Hollywood customers. This series, Ray and wife Abby (Paula Malcomson) attempt to save their marriage with counselling, his spunky daughter Bridget (Kerris Dorsey) is the sole witness to a murder perpetrated by controlling music mogul Cookie Brown (Omar Dorsey), and Ray's jailbird father Mickey (Jon Voight) stages a heist that doesn't unfold as planned.

Atlantis - The Complete Second Series (Cert 12, 560 mins, BBC DVD, DVD £24.99/The Complete Collection DVD Box Set £34.99 or on-demand from various streaming services, Sci-Fi/Drama/Romance)

Deep-sea diver Jason (Jack Donnelly) helps newly crowned Queen Ariadne (Aiysha Hart) to defend the mythical city of Atlantis from her former stepmother Pasiphae (Sarah Parish) in the concluding series of the BBC One fantasy drama. Mathematician Pythagoras (Robert Emms) and washed-up hero Hercules (Mark Addy) aid Jason in this noble quest, but even they cannot protect the valiant hero from shocking truths about his heritage or the chilling stare of the Gorgon. The four-disc set includes the episodes A New Dawn: Part One, A New Dawn: Part Two, Telemon, The Marriage Of True Minds, The Day Of The Dead, The Grey Sisters, A Fate Worse Than Death, The Madness Of Hercules, The Gorgon's Gaze, The Dying Of The Light, Kin and The Queen Must Die. An eight-disc box set containing all 26 episodes from series one and two is also available.

Griff Rhys Jones: Slow Train Through Africa (Cert E, 265 mins, IMC Vision, DVD £15.99, Documentary)

In this five-part ITV1 series, presenter and explorer Griff Rhys Jones travels through Namibia, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania and Marrakesh using the local public transport, encountering a breathtaking array of landscapes, wildlife and indigenous people. En route, he learns about the rich history of the countries and their people, and how each railway line is and was vital to the financial and cultural growth of disparate communities on opposite sides of the tracks.

WPC 56 - Complete Series 3 (Cert 15, 225 mins, Upfront Entertainment, DVD £14.99, Drama)

Broadcast on BBC One, this five-part crime drama follows WPC Annie Taylor (Claudia Jessie), one of the first women to join the Brinford Constabulary, as she attempts to make her mark despite hindrance and prejudice from some of her fellow officers including deeply unpleasant Sergeant Sidney Fenton (Charles De'Ath). This series, Chief Superintendent Coulson (John Bowler) attempts to gain control of the station, the team investigates the shooting of a retired brigadier, and a revelation about Chief Inspector Briggs (Mark Healy) has tragic consequences that sends shockwaves through the force. The DVD includes the episodes A Different Beat, Walk The Line, From The Shadows, The Wayward Wind and Requiem.

Argerich (Cert E, 100 mins, New Wave Films, DVD £15.99, Documentary)

Born in Buenos Aires, Margaret Argerich is considered one of the great pianists of the 20th century, renowned for her performances of works by Bach, Ravel and Prokofiev. Her daughter Stephanie Argerich pays candid yet affectionate tribute to this musical maestro in a revealing documentary, presented as a series of recollections of an extraordinary life in the words of the pianist and those closest to her: other daughters Annie Dutoit and violinist Lyda Chen, plus her former lover, pianist Stephen Kovacevich. The filmmaker builds up a vivid portrait of a complex mother-daughter relationship that reveals Margaret as a flawed genius.

The Emperor's New Clothes (Cert 15, 101 mins, Studio Canal, DVD £17.99 or on-demand from various streaming services, Documentary)

In the aftermath of the Conservative victory in the General Election, we are reminded of the banking crisis which necessitated the current age of austerity. Award-winning director Michael Winterbottom and controversial stand-up Russell Brand explore the recent financial meltdown in a provocative feature, combining archive footage, documentary filmmaking and comedy to highlight the wealth gap of modern society and the escalation of events that rocked the world.

Darkest Day (Cert 15, 90 mins, Monster Pictures, DVD/Blu-ray £14.99, Horror/Action/Thriller)

Shot over the course of seven years on location in Brighton, Darkest Day is a self-funded micro-budget thriller directed by Dan Rickard set in the aftermath of a deadly virus that has ravaged the globe. Dan (Rickard) wakes shivering on a beach with no memory. He stumbles through the deserted city and befriends a small group of survivors of the apocalypse including Sam (Chris Wandell), Kate (Samantha Bolter), Lisa (Christianne van Wijk), Will (Simon Drake) and James (Richard Wilkinson). It transpires that the army is hunting Dan and he joins forces with his new friends to evade capture and fend off attacks from the infected.

TOP 10 DVD RETAIL

1 (1) The Theory Of Everything

2 (2) Charlotte Crosby's 3 Minute Belly Blitz

3 (-) Into The Woods

4 (-) Pitch Perfect

5 (3) The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

6 (5) Paddington

7 (9) The Imitation Game

8 (4) Poldark

9 (8) Game Of Thrones - Season 4

10 (-) Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred

(Chart supplied by Amazon.co.uk/DVD)

TOP 10 DVD RENTAL

1 (2) The Theory Of Everything (Pre-order)

2 (1) Paddington

3 (4) The Imitation Game

4 (-) Into The Woods

5 (3) Exodus: Gods And Kings

6 (6) Birdman

7 (5) Annie

8 (-) Pitch Perfect

9 (-) Big Hero 6

10 (-) Frozen

(Chart supplied by Amazon.co.uk/DVD)

TOP 10 FILM STREAMING

1 (4) Pitch Perfect

2 (1) Wreck-It Ralph

3 (2) Divergent

4 (3) Jack The Giant Slayer

5 (5) Pompeii

6 (6) The House Of Magic

7 (7) Mrs Brown's Boys D' Movie

8 (8) Need For Speed

9 (9) Gangster Squad

10 (10) The Blind Side

(Chart supplied by Amazon.co.uk/DVD)