Perhaps part of a deliberate trend geared at collectors of a certain demographic, the resurgence of physical media is giving us the opportunity to revisit the movies we grew up on or discover gems that slipped through the cracks–especially from that stretch when the action/adventure genre as we know it was taking shape. Whether you first encountered these heroes in a sticky-floored theater, on a dusty VHS rental, or during a wee-hours cable TV marathon (ah, the analog hum of basic cable…), these restorations carry a nostalgia not merely for a time and place, but a vibe.
In that simpler time, these adventures were all new, and we couldn’t wait to find out what the good guys would do next, how they’d get out of their latest scrape: with fists? Bullets? Arrows? Maybe even some well-timed stomach acid? Today, the answers await us in an artful slipcase or a hefty cardboard box, to explore again and again, and even pass along to a generation raised on shaky-cam and CGI.
Adventure Calls! Karl May at CCC Blu-ray (Eureka!) – 1964-1968
Based–sometimes loosely–on the pulp fiction of author Karl May, these seven films produced by Artur Brauner’s West German CCC Film combine B-movie thrills with A-movie budgets, giving escapism-hungry audiences what they wanted, and more. Dashing Lex Barker stars in all, a bigger-than-life manly man sometimes battling land-grabbing outlaws, maybe on the trail of hidden gold, tracking nefarious bandits or rescuing old friends. Showing very little blood, the stories range from lighthearted to dark, always a cinematic treat shot in exotic Spanish and Yugoslavian locations.
The stories span multiple genres, starting and finishing with tried-and-true westerns, both starring the cowboy nicknamed for his ability to knock a man out with a single blow:
- Old Shatterhand (1964)
- Winnetou and Old Shatterhand in the Valley of Death (Winnetou und Shatterhand im Tal der Toten, 1968)
also, from May’s “Oriental Cycle” of books, the same lead character was renamed Kara Ben Nemsi:
- The Shoot (Der Schut, 1964)
- Through Wild Kurdistan(Durchs wilde Kurdistan, 1965)
- In the Kingdom of the Silver Lion (Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen, 1965)
and then “The Mexican Adventures,” featuring Dr. Karl Sternau:
- The Treasure of the Aztecs (Der Schatz der Azteken, 1965)
- The Pyramid of the Sun God (Die Pyramide des Sonnengottes, 1965)
The native German audio receives newly revised English subtitles, paired with sumptuous new 4K restorations from their original camera negatives, presented here at 1080p.
Eureka!’s four-disc set is a hardbound limited edition of 2,000 copies, part of their “Masters of Cinema” series with intros to each film by author/expert Sir Christopher Frayling plus new audio commentaries on Old Shatterhand and Treasure of the Aztecs by historian David Kalat. Two new interviews shed light on CCC Film and director Robert Siodmak, these in addition to multiple archival featurettes and a 60-page collector’s book with extensive critical writing on related subjects.
Where to buy: $67.99 at Amazon
Point Blank 4K (Criterion) – 1967
In an era when big screen action was still evolving, movies often relied upon the gravitas of a leading man whose mere presence threatened an explosion of potential violence at any moment. Such was Walker (no first name), embodied by Lee Marvin in a career-defining performance. Betrayed by the two people closest to him and left for dead, he sets off on an orgy of revenge as an unstoppable force taking down a corporate underworld and reclaiming his exact share of the loot, not a penny more. Under the brutalist direction of John Boorman, Point Blank takes its time, building real character drama without slick modern fight choreography or special effects, instead employing stylish use of the camera, of voiceover, and flashbacks. It’s also a priceless time capsule of Los Angeles, revisited in its gritty, grainy glory via Criterion’s new director-supervised 4K restoration, paired with a lean, mean uncompressed mono track. The extras are a sampler of new and old: a Boorman commentary hosted by filmmaker/fan Steven Soderbergh, a 1970 Lee Marvin interview clip from Dick Cavett, a vintage promotional short, plus several new featurettes. The insert includes an essay by Geoff Dyer titled “A Dream of Full-Color Noir.”
Where to buy: $34.99 at Amazon
Blue Thunder 4K Limited Edition (Arrow) – 1983
As we travel back in time, we discover that audiences didn’t always ask a lot of nitpicking questions, just so long as plenty of stuff was blowing up on screen. Case in point, Blue Thunder, where a principled LAPD surveillance pilot (Roy Scheider) takes control of an advanced prototype helicopter when he discovers its true, nefarious purpose. Thing is, he puts a lot of people in danger when he bravely crosses that line, and wreaks massive destruction, so is he really the hero the movie makes him out to be? No one can argue that the flying sequences aren’t spectacular, though. Arrow’s single disc proffers the movie in Dolby Vision and both restored lossless stereo and a 5.1 remix, with on-camera interviews from key cast and crew, plus archival extras from 2006 and 1983. It arrives slipcased with reversible cover art and booklet.
Where to buy: $49.95 at Amazon
Blue Thunder The Complete Series Blu-ray (Sony)
The following year, ABC debuted a small-screen redux, concurrent with CBS’ own chopper-based Airwolf. For extra machismo, not one but two ex-NFL superstars joined star James Farentino and a pre-SNL Dana Carvey as his quippy co-pilot, leaving behind the government conspiracies for fairly standard weekly crime procedural plotlines. Running for only 11 episodes, this hour-long mid-season replacement failed to bring the thunder at the time, but it stands as an interesting footnote to both John Badham’s essential thriller and the broader discussion of TV adaptations.
Where to buy: $55.99 at Amazon
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins 4K (Kino Lorber Studio Classics) – 1985
Intending to capitalize on the perceived vulnerability of long-in-the-tooth James Bond, Orion Pictures bet big on their own secret agent franchise, born of the 150+ Destroyer novels in the series created by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir. Fred Ward makes a formidable action hero, a tough New York cop turned superspy, taught mad skills by his Korean mentor, Chiun (a problematically cast Joel Grey under four hours of Oscar-nominated makeup). Although Remo is seldom given a chance to flex his awesome new prowess, the fight scene on the gleefully dated mid-renovation Statue of Liberty, recreated at full scale on a hillside in Mexico for the production, remains an absolute classic. The new 4K disc builds upon the great bonus features of KLSC’s 2022 Blu-ray with a new Dolby Vision master from the camera negative, a new audio commentary joining the producers on their own separate archival track, and porting the five great featurettes while adding a new interview with co-star Patrick Kilpatrick.
Where to buy: $30.64 at Amazon
Innerspace 4K Limited Edition (Arrow) – 1987
While the ‘80s saw no shortage of feature films from producer Steven Spielberg, this high-concept sci-fi adventure rose above the clutter with director Joe Dante’s fun and funny flourishes throughout. Innerspace has been newly restored from the 35mm negative, the better to appreciate ILM’s Oscar-winning visuals not only of Martin Short’s insides, visited by microscopic voyagers friendly and otherwise, but some inspired use of forced perspective trickery. Audio is on-point too, offering the lossless original stereo, the 70mm six-track mix presented in 4.1, plus a new Atmos remix. An archival jam commentary anchored by Dante is joined by a new critic track, alongside a new hour-long “making of” documentary, previously unseen vintage, behind-the-scenes video, and extensive stills. Arrow has given this one a slipcased fatbox, wherein we will find a two-sided poster, reversible cover art for the disc case, and a particularly well-researched booklet.
Where to buy: $59.95 at Amazon
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 4K Limited Edition (Arrow) – 1991
Much like Robin of Locksley biding his time in a Jerusalem prison, waiting to strike, our patience has finally been rewarded with this U.S. version of Arrow’s 2022 U.K. 4K limited edition release. The movie has taken a lot of ribbing since its release, but I happen to love the character, and I think that the fresh takes on the lore, the plot and the setpieces all hit. The BD-100 disc serves up respectable 4K restorations of the theatrical and extended cuts (more with Alan Rickman’s Sheriff of Nottingham and his witchy cohort, Mortianna) with uncompressed stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. In addition to Arrow’s own multi-part ‘22 documentary, there’s archival audio commentary by The Kevins (director Reynolds and star Costner), another from actors Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater and writers/producers Pen Densham and John Watson, a Pierce Brosnan-hosted TV special, the Bryan Adams music video, and some basic electronic press kit interviews. As across the pond, the packaging here shines, with a rigid box, a companion book, a pair of double-sided posters, reversible cover art and a set of artcards.
Where to buy: $59.95 at Amazon
The Phantom 4K (Kino Lorber Studio Classics) – 1996
Created by Lee Falk for the daily comic strips back in 1936, “The Ghost Who Walks” was in many ways the seminal superhero, an archetype for those who followed. In the footsteps of a 1943 serial and a lost 1961 TV pilot, Billy Zane tackled the swashbuckling role with great earnestness, undergoing a physical transformation not seen Christopher Reeve for Superman. It’s a terrific period adventure, released in that curious crush post-Batman and before cinematic men in tights became a staple. KLSC’s new master, approved by director Simon Wincer, is absolutely gorgeous, particularly in terms of its Dolby Vision colors, and not just the purple suit. The exclusive extras are a treat: a new Wincer commentary and excellent new interviews with Zane and composer David Newman.
Where to buy: $33.99 at Amazon
Soldier 4K Limited Edition (Arrow) – 1998
From a script by Blade Runner’s David Webb Peoples, Soldier has long been rumored to be set in the same universe, and the proof is there is you know where to find the Easter eggs. It’s also thematically similar, exploring a grim future wherein a manufactured being (Kurt Russell, who trained 18 months for the role) comes to terms with the reality that he’s just a disposable tool to his masters, a weapon and nothing more. Taken in by a group of endangered settlers, he’s Shane for a new generation, and a new genre. Visually, Soldier is a fascinating blend of extensive practical effects and late-20th-century CGI that recalls a specific, somewhat prescient moment in movie history. Director Paul W.S. Anderson is joined by co-producer Jeremy Bolt and actor Jason Isaacs for his archival audio commentary, with the vintage EPK and extensive new talent interviews too, all inside a simple slipcover with a photo-filled booklet.
Where to buy: $49.95 at Amazon
After all of these fine, aged-to-perfection delicacies, you might want a preview of a couple of recent efforts, a palette cleanser of sorts to lend contrast:
The Running Man 4K (Paramount/Alliance Entertainment) – 2025
Don’t call it a remake, think of it as the first attempt at making a faithful adaptation of the 1982 book by Richard Bachman (né Stephen King), reportedly written over a single long weekend. Glenn Powell (Twisters) stars as a desperate, impoverished everyman who enters a big-money, life-and-death game show to pay for his daughter’s medicine, if he can just survive a worldwide manhunt for 30 days. The themes of the cultural/economic divide have never been more relevant, even if the ending lacks the source material’s original impact. Director Edgar Wright has crafted a bleak alternate-present-day dystopia, its grungy nuances captured wonderfully in Dolby Vision. Likewise the Atmos audio delivers the subtlest dialogue and the wildest action–and there’s plenty of the latter–in grand style.
The two-disc set (with digital copy) is loaded with bonus content, starting with an audio commentary from Wright, Powell and co-screenwriter Michael Bacall, an assortment of behind-the-scenes featurettes and in-universe tidbits, plus deleted and extended scenes.
Where to buy: $31.99 at Amazon
Mercy 4K (MGM/Alliance Entertainment) – 2026
Chris Pratt tries again, as an accused criminal trapped in an elevator-pitch nightmare, forced to prove his innocence to an icy AI judge (Rebecca Ferguson) in just 90 minutes, or be executed. Filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov’s “Screenlife” manifesto is on full display, as the story unfolds in real time as a stream of digital data, body cam footage, and interface windows. It starts out well enough but eventually buckles under the weight of its intended social commentary, ultimately lapsing into over-the-top, borderline nonsensical action before it’s finished. The Dolby Vision picture has its moments, although much of the runtime is built from lower-res imagery for the aforementioned realism. The Atmos is where this extras-free disc excels, with near-constant overhead channel usage, notably for the holographic screens flying around our hero’s head, as well as booming bass, yet never at the expense of dialogue clarity.
Where to buy: $34.99 at Amazon
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