The Weekend Blues: Blu-ray releases in brief

These are the upcoming Blu-ray releases that you really should be buying.

In the annals of history, 29 August will go down as an impressive date for science-fiction fans, as the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation (Paramount) hits Blu-ray. It's been a staggering 25 years since the series started airing, and the episodes have been restored and upgraded from the originals to look better than ever on Blu-ray. The first box set has an impressive 1183 minutes of footage, including bonus footage. For AU$89.95, it's worth getting — if only for scaring yourself with how young everyone looks. Just to hammer this home, it's been 25 years since the first episode aired, but only 21 years had passed between the final episode of the original season and Next Gen's kick off...

Possibly also something for science-fiction fans (but not necessarily), the patchy-with-flashes-of-excellence Falling Skies season one arrives from Warner Bros also on 29 August. The show, set in a world where pockets of human resistance fighters battle alien overlords, has all the hallmarks of Steven Spielberg's creative hand, being mostly about fathers, the success of fathers, the failure of fathers and fathers who are occasionally teachers. It's not the greatest new show, but at AU$49.95, it's worth a look.

Anyone who didn't buy The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-ray box set last year might be excited to learn that all three movies — in their extended format — are getting individual Blu-ray releases from Roadshow. Everyone else will probably shrug their shoulders, especially at the AU$49.95 price tag per film. That said, they do have a lot of extras, so if you're the kind of LotR fan who's keeping the box set in mint condition, these might be just the ticket.

Two mentions for a couple of films that are already out on Blu-ray, but definitely worth grabbing: Good Will Hunting got its 15th-anniversary Blu-ray edition, and remains an excellent flick from what were two brand new talents at the time. It's AU$24.95 from Roadshow, and worth every cent. Secondly, The Raid (Madman Entertainment) is a high-kinetic Indonesian martial arts film that has to be seen to be believed.

That's it for this week; enjoy.