4K Ultra HD movie reviews: ‘The King’s Man’ and ‘Escape from L.A.’

Here’s a look at a pair of action films recently released on the ultra-high definition disc format.

The King’s Man (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, rated R, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 131 minutes, $39.99) — Director Matthew Vaughn’s World War I espionage drama from late last year delivered a lower-octane prequel to his two previous films of the Kingsman franchise but an important origin of the secretive, high-tech spy organization.

Now available in the ultra-high definition disc format, the story finds a world teetering on the brink of war in the early 20th century.

After witnessing the death of his wife during the second Boer War, veteran and now pacifist Duke Orlando Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) swears to her to protect their son. He creates an elite, ethical and lethal independent intelligence network to guard the British Empire from conflict and help set history on a more positive course.

He enlists help from maid and spy sniper Polly Watkins (Gemma Arterton), butler and bodyguard Shola (Djimon Hounsou), and his grown son Conrad (Harris Dickinson).

The intriguing historical revision revolves around stopping a shadow enemy called The Flock, led by the mysterious Shephard (Matthew Goode) from destroying Britain.

The group — which includes Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner) and German occultist Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Brühl) — is on a mission to manipulate the leaders Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, King George V of Britain and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, all cousins (and all played by Tom Hollander), into war.

Through most of the movie, thrills are at a premium replaced with high tragedy and emotion. However, the last 30 minutes delivers a more typical “Kingsman” movie as the team brilliantly assaults the Flock’s headquarters.

Although less frenetic and eye-popping than the previous films “The King’s Man” is still a welcome and entertaining addition to the series led by Mr. Fiennes’ stately performance and a strong cast.

The 2160p presentation, sourced from a 2K digital intermediate, brings the lavish period piece to life led by a harrowing rescue mission in No-Man’s Land during the war, and a ship taking a direct torpedo hit and sinking to a fiery demise.

Viewers will equally appreciate the sweeping cinematography across land, air and sea, the costuming details of the soldiers and neverending extravagant rooms of the leader’s palaces.

Best extras: The included Blu-ray disc offers a generous, almost 90-minute overview of the production broken into six parts.

It expansively covers most facets on the film including story origins, character motivations, using real historical figures to tell the fictional tale, the actors, locations, spy weaponry, set design, close-quarters combat, costumes, cinematography and musical score. All are complemented with words from the director as well as main cast and crew.

Suffice it to report, fans of the franchise will appreciate its depth.

Next up is a 16-minute detailed breakdown of the No-Man’s Land’s “silent” knife fight between the German Stormtroopers and British Highlanders that explores the combat rehearsals, set design accuracy and weaponry. The segment mixes a history lesson with Mr. Vaughn and his team explaining his vision for the pinnacle scene.

Finally, and most important to the extras, is a heartfelt 30-minute look at the military veteran support groups the Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes. The segment includes interviews with veterans and focuses on healing through sports and competition, specifically the Invictus Games.

Escape from LA (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, rated R, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 101 minutes, $25.99) — Actor Kurt Russell’s iconic anti-hero Snake Plissken returned to theater screens in 1996 on another post-apocalyptic rescue mission as chronicled by legendary horror director John Carpenter.

Now refreshed in the 4K format, the decades-old cult favorite’s story takes viewers to 1998 and the U.S. in chaos after a major earthquake turns Los Angeles into an island that is now a prison for those guilty of moral crimes against America, 

Flash forward to 2013, and Plissken is one of the morally corrupt and being sent to L.A. However, President Adam needs help. His daughter Utopia has aligned with revolutionary Cuervo Jones giving him a world-changing weapon of mass destruction contained in a black box.

If Plissken secures and returns the box to the president, he is free. As an added incentive, he has been infected by a lethal virus, delivered via a scratch, and he has 10 hours to accomplish the mission or die.

The story really offers placeholders for not only Mr. Russell to perfect his growling Clint Eastwood imitation but some pop culture icons such as Peter Fonda (“Easy Rider”) as the surfer Pipeline; Bruce Campbell (“Evil Dead”) as the Surgeon General of Beverly Hills; Cliff Robertson (“Spider-Man”) as the president; Steve Buscemi (“Reservoir Dogs”) as Map to the Star Eddie, and Stacy Keach (“Mike Hammer”) to chew up the scenery.

However, no matter how I try to fondly remember this B-movie as some sort of satirical reflection on society, “Escape from L.A.” is a $50 million high school production boasting the cheesiest of visual effects, dunderheaded dialogue and a near grindhouse vibe.

A 4K restoration from the original camera negative was used for Shout! Factory’s high definition released back in 2020.

That same transfer now presents in this UHD release. Considering that much of the action takes place at night, including a ludicrous surfing and hang-gliding scene, viewers will be impressed by the clarity throughout, punctuated by the occasional flashes of lightning, a deluge of acid rain, explosions, gunshots and Plissken’s one blue-eye.

Best extras: Paramount offers zero bonus content, just the best-looking version of the film ever released to home theaters, and movie theaters, for that matter.

Never mind that Shout! Factory put the studio giant to shame with its 2020 release that was packed with 90 minutes of new interviews.

Surely, Paramount could have cajoled Mr. Russell to come back and offer a filmmaker’s interview or optional commentary track?