Blu-ray

Inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage, The Brood is basically David Cronenberg's take on Kramer vs. Kramer. Only – instead of boring custody hearings – Cronenberg gives us a mother whose anger is personified in the form of murderous dwarves she grows in an external womb! While not as badly served on DVD as some of the director's other work from the same era, this BD's AVC 1.78:1 1080p encode is a major step-up in quality, particularly when it comes to the colour accuracy and grain retention. It also includes five interviews – including a 13-minute chat with Cronenberg about his early flicks.

Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin star in this high concept thriller about a guilt-ridden 911 phone operator whose shot at redemption comes when a kidnapped teen phones for help from the boot of her attacker's car. Sadly, while the setup is certainly gripping, the longer the film goes on the less convincing it becomes, and by the end the whole thing falls apart. Thankfully, the hi-def platter itself is a more consistent affair with crisp AVC 1.85:1 1080p imagery and moody DTS-HD MA 5.1 sonics. It also includes four brief Making of… featurettes and five deleted scenes (including an extended ending).

While it's hardly a classic political satire, there are a some belly laughs to be found in this comedy outing for Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. The two funnymen play warring Congressional candidates who end up playing every dirty trick in the book after a 'Civility Brunch' for the duo turns into something much more hostile. Warner's Blu-ray includes 85-minute and 96-min 'extended' cuts of the film, both of which look gorgeous thanks to the branching AVC 1.78:1 1080p encode. Extras are limited to nine deleted scenes, a gag reel and a collection of alternate lines.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader finds the fantasy franchise setting up a new home at 20th Century Fox after Disney dumped it following the disappointing box office performance of Prince Caspian. Sadly, this third film in the saga doesn’t offer a bright new beginning for the series. What should be a rip-snorting adventure concerning Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmund (Shandar Keynes) and annoying cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) helping Caspian (Ben Barnes) rescue the seven Lords of Narnia, proves to be a fairly dull and episodic slice of fantasy hokum dripping with heavy-handed Christian overtones. Yawn.

Purporting to be based on actual events, The Conjuring stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Set in 1971, the film follows the Warrens' attempts to help Roger and Carolyn Perron (Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor) and their five daughters, when their new home proves to be a locus for some terrifying supernatural activity.

A combination of spirited humour and inventive design ensures that DreamWorks' caveman 'toon is significantly more fun than either of the duffers Pixar served up in 2013. Unsurprisingly, the CG animation works very well in 3D, with the MVC 2.40:1 1080p encode revealing plenty of depth and some good examples of negative parallax with floating embers and other airborne particles. The 2D AVC version is even better, looking slightly sharper and a touch more detailed. Both versions sport a thrilling DTS-HD MA 7.1 mix that really brings the prehistoric world to life.

Bloated. Epic. Po-faced. Spectacular. Say what you will, but Christopher Nolan certainly knew how to pull out all the stops and subvert expectations when it came to bringing his Batman trilogy to a close.