This Week on Blu-ray: November 2-8

For the week of November 2nd, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has a big slate. First, let's start with their 4K upgrade for James McTeigue's V for Vendetta. Available in standard, Giftset, and Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook editions, the sci-fi action thriller starring Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving and written by the Wachowskis has received a brand new 4K scan of the original camera negative and a new Dolby Atmos audio track. Additionally, it even sports over 50 minutes of new extras on the UHD disc, including Natalie Portman's audition and the featurette "James McTeigue & Lana Wachowski in Conversation". In his review of the new disc, Randy Miller writes that it "features more striking fine detail, more natural color saturation, and deeper black levels that showcase countless scenes bathed in shadow. Contrast levels are also better resolved in comparison to the Blu-ray, as evidenced by a much more pronounced mid-range of shadow details and less blown-out highlights...[the new Dolby Atmos track] is an incredibly nuanced and at times very strong effort that makes itself immediately known, frequently dipping deep into LFE territory and utilizing strong channel separation to creative a typically wide and immersive soundstage that's even impressive during the quieter moments".

However, WB aren't done, because this is the week that HBO's Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection comes to 4K UHD. The fantasy series became a cultural phenomenon and won hundreds of awards throughout its eight seasons, including the most wins and nominations of any comedy or drama series in the history of the Emmys. The 33-disc set will be available in both standard and Best Buy Exclusive SteeBook editions and all 73 episodes will have HDR and Dolby Atmos audio. Additionally. 15 hours of extras will be ported from the Blu-ray release of the complete series in 2019, such as a Reunion Special, The Last Watch documentary, audio commentaries, deleted scenes and much more.

Next up is Lionsgate with Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz's Antebellum. Originally scheduled for a US theatrical release earlier this year, the horror film starring Janelle Monáe ended up going to digital distribution domestically, with only a limited theatrical release overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, fans can still enjoy a 4K Blu-ray version at home, equipped with Dolby Atmos audio and several extras. In his review of the disc, Jeffrey Kauffman writes that "[w]hile there are definitely fine detail improvements consistently in this presentation when compared to the 1080 version, it was frequently the added highlights to the palette which caught my eye in this version. Oranges and amber tones are especially pronounced here and have a definite luster that the 1080 version can't quite attain. The whole chase sequence at the climax has a really interesting teal-like undertone that to my eyes looked a bit more blue in the 1080 version". About the Dolby Atmos audio, he continues: "There are some clear uses of the Atmos channels, including sometimes courtesy of the often pulsing string laden score by Roman GianArthur and Nate Wonder, but also at selected moments, as in the memorable circuit of a jet traversing the sky".

Then we have The Crown: The Complete Third Season on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. This season of the Netflix series features a Golden Globe-winning performance from Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II and is set during the period of 1964-1977, beginning with Harold Wilson's election as the Queen's first Labour prime minister and ending with the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Sony's four-disc Blu-ray set features extras including "Behind The Crown: The Making of Season 3" and "Royal Fabrics: A Look at the Costumes".

Finally, the Warner Archive Collection continues to bring us newly remastered Blu-ray treasures. To start, we have Josie and the Pussycats: The Complete Series. The classic animated series from Hanna-Barbera comes in a two-disc set featuring all 16 episodes and the extra "The Irresistible Charm of Dan DeCarlo: The Man and his Art". Then we have Frank Borzage's The Mortal Storm, starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and with an appearance from a young Robert Stack, this 1940 anti-Nazi film has been given a new 4K scan from the best surviving elements. In his review, Randy Miller writes that "Although the image quality varies slightly at times for that reason, it's a remarkably stable and very clean picture that showcases The Mortal Storm's pristine black-and-white cinematography. Black levels run nice and deep and contrast is also very well resolved, with lots of silvery grayscales revealing its nitrate roots. Fine detail and textures are also quite good...[the DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono track] is surprisingly equal in overall quality, suffering from absolutely no distracting source defects and sounding quite robust at times". While not noted in the studio's press materials, The Mortal Storm comes with some extras, including the Oscar-nominated 1939 MGM cartoon Peace on Earth and Meet the Fleet, a 1940 Warner Bros. color short film (also known as Anchors Aweigh) starring Robert Armstrong, William T. Orr, and future Superman George Reeves.