New DVD releases Sept. 18 will take you to an island full of dinosaurs and a future where book burning is the norm.
• “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”: Three years after the Jurassic World theme park was destroyed when the dinosaurs escaped, the island home of the park is on the verge of being destroyed by a volcano that would create the second extinction for the creatures. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is recruited to mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs.
Either the “Jurassic” film franchise is showing its age or the team members behind the latest offering are showing their lack of originality. No matter which is the major culprit, the final result is little more than a cut-and-paste version of past productions (especially “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”).
The movie isn’t a complete waste, especially for those looking for pure escapism. “Jurassic World: Lost Kingdom” has plenty of dinosaur action.
• “Fahrenheit 451”: Ramin Bahrani’s efforts to adapt Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel, “Fahrenheit 451,” into a new movie for HBO came with a major obstacle. When Bradbury penned the tale of a future where all books are outlawed and burned, there was no internet, so eliminating the printed word was a less complicated proposition.
In writing the screenplay with Amir Naderi, Bhrani had to factor in how Bradbury’s “firemen” could do their job when everyone has access to any book ever printed through the cellphone they carry in their pocket.
He gets around those problems and gets some help from Michael B. Jordan (“Black Panther”) as Montag, a young and enthusiastic fireman who begins to question his beliefs as he is exposed more and more to a world where words are so precious to some, they are willing to give their lives to protect them. His emotional turmoil lights a fire under the story.
Also on DVD
• “Supergirl: Season 3”: Melissa Benoist plays one of Earth’s mightiest heroes in this CW Network series.
• “Masterpiece: The Miniaturist”: Anya Taylor Joy stars in this adaptation of Jessie Burton’s best-selling novel.
• “Ben 10: Omni-Tricked”: A 10-year-old discovers an alien watch that gives him the ability to transform into any one of 10 powerful aliens.
• “Damsel”: Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska star in this tale of the West where a simple journey becomes treacherous.
• “The Looming Tower”: The events that led to the deadliest terrorist attacks ever to take place on American soil are chronicled in this 10-part drama.
• “The X-Files: Season 11”: Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Mulder (David Duchovny) continue to look for the truth out there.
• “The Gifted: Season One”: Mutants must find a way to survive in a world that treats them like inferiors.
• “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Concert: Encore”: Includes 44 performances by inductees such as Genesis, The Stooges and The Hollies.
• “Murdoch Mysteries: Home for the Holidays”: Detective William Murdoch’s (Yannick Bisson) plans for a quiet holiday turn into a murder investigation.
• “MacGyver: Season 2”: Secret government operative uses his talent for unconventional problem-solving to save lives.
• “Anne of Green Gables – Fire and Dew”: This is the third installment of the Lucy Maud Montgomery story of a free-spirited teenager on Prince Edward Island.
• “Madam Secretary: Season Four”: T?a Leoni stars as Elizabeth McCord, the secretary of state who deals with diplomacy and domestic issues.
• “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Family Fun Collection”: The DVD set features episodes about love and family.
• “Siberia”: Keanu Reeves plays a diamond merchant whose life is in danger when he goes to Russia.
• “An American Murder Mystery Collection”: Takes in-depth looks at the cases of Casey Anthony, JonBen?t Ramsey, Scott Peterson and Natalie Wood.
