Six Sci-Fi Action Favorites Debut On Blu-Ray Disc™ For The First Time - “Forbidden Planet,” “Mars Attacks!,” “THX 1138 Director’s Cut,” “Lost In Space,” “A Scanner Darkly” and “Matrix Reloaded” - Available September 7, 2010
(May 10, 2010 – Burbank, CA) – A wave of six science fiction action favorites are blasting onto Blu-ray Disc for the first time on September 7, 2010. Presented by Warner Home Video, each film has been selected to showcase the stunning technical brilliance of Blu-ray™. With its crisp sound and spectacularly vibrant colors, there is simply no better way to watch movies at home. Each title is individually priced at $24.98 SRP. Orders are due August, 3, 2010.
The upcoming wave of sci-fi titles includes the much anticipated release of “Forbidden Planet” on Blu-ray, one of the most influential science fiction films in cinematic history. The grandfather of sci-fi movies, “Forbidden Planet” features a number of Oscar®-nominated special effects, groundbreaking use of an all-electronic music score and the first screen appearance of both Robby the Robot and the C-57D flying saucer starship (this was the first film in which humans are depicted traveling in flying saucers of their own construction). A 50th anniversary version of the film was restored by the Warner Bros.-MGM reconstruction crew before its HD DVD release in 2006, and since then there has been an enormous consumer demand for its Blu-ray debut.
Another title making its long-awaited Blu-ray debut is “Mars Attacks!” the comic science fiction hit directed by Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland”) and based on the cult trading card series of the same name. “Mars Attacks!” features a huge ensemble cast which includes Jack Nicholson, Lukas Haas, Annette Bening, Jim Brown, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Glenn Close, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox, Jack Black, Natalie Portman, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Danny DeVito and more.
With their mind boggling special effects and futuristic themes, sci-fi movies are some of the most sought after Blu-ray titles in the marketplace. Other titles being released on Blu-ray as part of Warner Home Video’s science fiction action promotion include, “THX 1138 Director’s Cut,” “Lost in Space,” “A Scanner Darkly” and “Matrix Reloaded*.”
According to DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, with input from all major motion picture studios, Blu-ray software continued to see significant growth in the first quarter of 2010, with sell-through up 61 percent and rental up 36 percent, compared to the same period last year. The DEG also announced that Blu-ray hardware sales experienced remarkable growth, with set-tops up an astounding 125 percent versus first quarter 2009, indicating a strong consumer demand for Blu-ray.
*This is the first time the “Matrix Reloaded” is being released as a Blu-ray single.
About The Films
“Forbidden Planet”
A dutiful robot named Robby speaks 188 languages. An underground lair provides astonishing evidence of a populace a million years more advanced than Earthlings. There are many wonders on Altair-4, but none is greater or more deadly than the human mind.
“Forbidden Planet” is the granddaddy of tomorrow, a pioneering work whose ideas and style would be reverse-engineered into many cinematic space voyages to come. Leslie Nielsen portrays the commander who brings his spacecruiser crew to the green-skied Altair-4 world that's home to Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), his daughter (Anne Francis), the remarkable Robby ... and to a mysterious terror. Featuring sets of extraordinary scale and the first all-electronic musical soundscape in film history, “Forbidden Planet” is in a movie orbit all its own.
Director: Fred M. Wilcox
Starring: Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon and Anne Francis
“Mars Attacks!”
Awake, Earthlings! It’s later than you think. Don’t miss this hilarious frenzy as Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland”) directs – and “Mars Attacks!”
See! Stars that shine across the galaxy. Jack Nicholson (in a dual role), Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito and a dozen more!
Shriek! At mean, green invaders from the angry red planet! Armed with insta-fry ray guns, endowed with slimy, humongous brains and enlivened with out-of-this-world but state-of-the-art special effects.
Gasp! As the U.S. Legislature is overwhelmed. Don’t fear, we have two out of three branches of the government working for us, and that ain’t bad!
Thrill! As Earth fights back with an unexpected weapon. Take that, Martians!
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Martin Short, Danny De Vito, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown, Lukas Haas, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Pam Grier, Paul Winfield, Annette Bening, Sylvia Sidney, Lisa Marie, Christina Applegate, Joe Don Baker, Jack Black, Barbet Schroeder, Brandon Hammond and Ray J. Norwood.
“THX 1138” Director’s Cut
Master filmmaker George Lucas (“Indiana Jones,” “Star Wars” trilogies) makes his directorial debut in this futuristic sci-fi thriller. Academy Award® and Golden Globe®-winner Robert Duvall (“Falling Down,” “A Civil Action”) stars in this story of a computerized subterranean world, where sex is forbidden and emotions have been eradicated. When one computer-matched couple discovers love, this perfectly controlled world is turned upside down. Co-starring “Tarzan’s” Johnny Weismuller.
Director: George Lucas
Starring: Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence
Special Features Include:
1. Commentary with George Lucas and Walter Murch
2. Theater of Noise (Sound Effects Only Track)
3. Master Sessions with Walter Murch
4. A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope
5. Artifact from the Future: The Making of “THX 1138”
6. Electronic Labyrinth TXH 1138 4EB
7. BALD
8. Theatrical and Re-Release Trailer “Lost in Space” TV's Robinson family takes a galactic wrong turn with state-of-the-art visuals and effects. Starring William Hurt (“One True Thing,” “Michael”) and Gary Oldman (“The Dark Knight,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) as Dr. Smith. Director: Stephen Hopkins Starring: William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Gary Oldman, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, Matt Leblanc and Jared Harris “A Scanner Darkly” Set in a not-too-distant future where America has lost its "war" on drugs, Fred, an undercover cop, is one of many people hooked on the popular drug, “Substance D,” which causes its users to develop split personalities. Fred is obsessed with taking down Bob, a notorious drug dealer, but due to his “Substance D” addiction, he does not know that he is also Bob. Based on a classic novel by Philip K. Dick and starring Keanu Reeves (“Constantine,” “The Matrix” trilogy), Academy Award®-nominee and Golden Globe®-winner Winona Ryder (“Girl, Interrupted,” “Mr. Deeds”), Academy Award® and Emmy-nominee and Golden Globe®-winner Robert Downey Jr. (“Good Night, And Good Luck,” “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang”), and Academy Award® and Golden Globe®-nominee and Emmy-winner Woody Harrelson (“North Country,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt”). Directed by Academy Award®-nominee Richard Linklater (“Me and Orson Welles,” “Before Sunset,” “Dazed and Confused”). Filmed in live-action and then animated using the same critically acclaimed process that Linklater used in his previous film, “Waking Life.” Director: Richard Linklater Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rory Cochrane, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder “Matrix Reloaded” In the second chapter of “The Matrix” trilogy, Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army. In their quest to save the human race from extinction, they gain greater insight into the construct of The Matrix and Neo's pivotal role in the fate of mankind. Directors: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change. Warner Home Video Blu-ray™ Discs offer resolution six times higher than standard definition DVDs, as well as extraordinarily vibrant contrast and color and beautifully crisp sound. The format also provides a higher level of interactivity, with instant access to extra features via a seamless menu bar where viewers can enjoy features without leaving or interrupting the film. For more information: http://warnerblu.warnerbros.com/ About Warner Home Video With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, a division of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.# # #
2. Theater of Noise (Sound Effects Only Track)
3. Master Sessions with Walter Murch
4. A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope
5. Artifact from the Future: The Making of “THX 1138”
6. Electronic Labyrinth TXH 1138 4EB
7. BALD
8. Theatrical and Re-Release Trailer “Lost in Space” TV's Robinson family takes a galactic wrong turn with state-of-the-art visuals and effects. Starring William Hurt (“One True Thing,” “Michael”) and Gary Oldman (“The Dark Knight,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) as Dr. Smith. Director: Stephen Hopkins Starring: William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Gary Oldman, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, Matt Leblanc and Jared Harris “A Scanner Darkly” Set in a not-too-distant future where America has lost its "war" on drugs, Fred, an undercover cop, is one of many people hooked on the popular drug, “Substance D,” which causes its users to develop split personalities. Fred is obsessed with taking down Bob, a notorious drug dealer, but due to his “Substance D” addiction, he does not know that he is also Bob. Based on a classic novel by Philip K. Dick and starring Keanu Reeves (“Constantine,” “The Matrix” trilogy), Academy Award®-nominee and Golden Globe®-winner Winona Ryder (“Girl, Interrupted,” “Mr. Deeds”), Academy Award® and Emmy-nominee and Golden Globe®-winner Robert Downey Jr. (“Good Night, And Good Luck,” “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang”), and Academy Award® and Golden Globe®-nominee and Emmy-winner Woody Harrelson (“North Country,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt”). Directed by Academy Award®-nominee Richard Linklater (“Me and Orson Welles,” “Before Sunset,” “Dazed and Confused”). Filmed in live-action and then animated using the same critically acclaimed process that Linklater used in his previous film, “Waking Life.” Director: Richard Linklater Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rory Cochrane, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder “Matrix Reloaded” In the second chapter of “The Matrix” trilogy, Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) continue to lead the revolt against the Machine Army. In their quest to save the human race from extinction, they gain greater insight into the construct of The Matrix and Neo's pivotal role in the fate of mankind. Directors: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change. Warner Home Video Blu-ray™ Discs offer resolution six times higher than standard definition DVDs, as well as extraordinarily vibrant contrast and color and beautifully crisp sound. The format also provides a higher level of interactivity, with instant access to extra features via a seamless menu bar where viewers can enjoy features without leaving or interrupting the film. For more information: http://warnerblu.warnerbros.com/ About Warner Home Video With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, a division of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.