The selection of new DVDs out Jan. 31 include an action film, sci-fi favorite and animated classic.
• “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” 1 1/2 stars: One of the highlights of a Tom Cruise action movie is getting to see him run. There’s something about the way Cruise sprints across the screen that shows real energy.
With “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” he’s traded the running for sleepwalking. Cruise goes from bored to disconnected in this sequel that only maintains the name of the title character from the previous film.
Cruise’s character is a loner who uses his military training to do good. He’s tested when a good friend (Cobie Smulders) becomes the target of a military investigation. There’s a secondary story about how Reacher might be a family man but it’s equally as boring.
The film would have been much better had Reacher been cut out and the focus been on Smulders. That, sadly, isn’t the case.
• “Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks” 3 1/2 stars: Fans of Doctor Who have lamented how the story of the Doctor’s very first regeneration was no longer available. The master negatives were destroyed in a purge of the archives back in 1974.
That missing link of the Doctor Who story is back in a slightly different form. Animation has been created to go with the program’s original audio recordings based on surviving photographs and film clips.
The six-part adventure, presented in both color and black and white, features the regeneration of First Doctor, William Hartnell, into Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton. It’s a creative way to restore a key bit of history in the Time Lord saga.
• “Pinocchio” 4 stars: The 1940 animated release from the Walt Disney Studios is now available on Blu-ray as part of the Walt Disney Signature Collection. The release includes the film plus several bonus features.
Not only is the story of a puppet who wants to be a real boy beautifully animated, the movie picked up two Oscars: best original score and best original song with “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
As a bonus, the release also includes the Oswald the Rabbit short, “Poor Papa.”
Also on DVD
• “Masterminds”: Man who steals $17 million must track down criminals who double-crossed him.
• “Queen of Katwe”: Young Uganda woman trains to be chess champion.
• “Masterpiece: Victoria”: Jenna Coleman stars as the young Queen Victoria at the outset of her epic reign.
• “Ballers: The Complete Second Season”: Dwayne Johnson starts in this HBO series about the business of sports.
• “Tyler Perry’s Madea on the Run (The Play)”: Madea’s selection of a place to hide from the law proves to be a mistake.
• “Gimme Danger”: Documentary on the punk band The Stooges.
• “The Black Dragon’s Revenge”: Martial artist is recruited to investigate a death.
• “Poltergeist II” and “Poltergeist III”: The classic horror films are being re-released.
• “The Hangman: Shepherds and Butchers”: Steve Coogan stars in this courtroom drama based on true events.
• “Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween”: Madea spends the holiday battling killers and ghosts.
• “Danny Says”: Documentary on the life and times of Danny Fields.
• “Clandestine”: Look at hold the war on drugs can have on a community.
On digital HD
• “Arrival”: Scientists and military scramble to unravel mystery behind alien crafts.
• “Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Best Chef”: Strawberry Shortcake and her friends go on three delicious adventures.
• “The Edge of Seventeen”: Life is hard in high school for an awkward teen. Hailee Steinfeld stars.
• “Scooby-Doo! Shaggy’s Showdown”: The gang takes on a mystery with a Western touch.
