New this week on DVD: ‘Alice in Wonderland’

Alice in Wonderland

Walt Disney, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99/$44.99

Give Tim Burton credit: When asked by Disney to make a live-action, 3-D version of “Alice in Wonderland,” he didn’t take the safe route. With the help of screenwriter Linda Woolverton and skilled computer-animators, Burton reinvents Lewis Carroll’s creation as the story of a young woman (played by Mia Wasikowska) who returns to the surreal land she dreamed of as a girl and gets involved in an epic battle between queens. More Narnia than Alice, Burton’s take on a classic is bizarre, violent and often visionary, with uncompromisingly oddball supporting performances by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. It’s one of the weirdest movies ever to make a billion dollars. The DVD and Blu-ray aren’t in 3-D, but they do feature more than an hour of insightful backstage featurettes.

The Wolfman

Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98

Unlike the classic Universal horror films “Dracula” and “ Frankenstein,” 1941’s “The Wolf Man” derived from folklore, not literature, and thus had a more no-nonsense, “man becomes monster” premise. The problem with the long-gestating remake “The Wolfman” is that it treats the trashy original as Great Art and turns what should be a fun, freaky genre exercise into something portentous and drab. Director Joe Johnston gives the movie a lovely gothic burnish, and a roomful of screenwriters work in some new characters to create a connection to a broader Victorian mythology. But Benicio del Toro is practically inert as the poor little rich boy who transforms into a beast, and the arc of his story is too predictable, even for a remake. The DVD adds some negligible deleted scenes and an unrated, extended version of the movie; the Blu-ray also includes worthwhile featurettes dealing with the special effects and the history of the character.

Life

BBC Warner, $59.98; Blu-ray, $69.99

Following in the footsteps of the remarkable “Planet Earth,” the BBC docu-series “Life” (made in association with Discovery Channel) takes a closer look at the infinite varieties of animals and how they survive. With the help of state-of-the-art digital cameras, the “Life” producers assemble stunning footage of insects, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals as they eat, mature, mate and die. It’s a laudable achievement, and a fine education. The “Life” DVD and Blu-ray sets include all 10 hours of the series — including the behind-the-scenes footage — and offers the option to watch with or without the narration. The sets are available in two versions: one with Oprah Winfrey narrating (as it aired in the U.S.), and one with U.K. narrator David Attenborough.

And...

“Burn Notice: Season 3” (20th Century Fox, $49.98); “The Cleaner: The Final Season” (Paramount, $36.98); “ Clint Eastwood Collection” (Warner Blu-ray, $149.99); “Drop Dead Diva: The Complete First Season” ( Sony, $39.95); “Ghost Hunters International: Season 1, Part 1” (Image, $24.98); “Hope Springs” (Acorn, $49.99); “The Red Baron” (Monterey, $26.95; Blu-ray, $34.95); “Rescue Me: The Complete Fifth Season” (Sony, $49.95); “Small Town Saturday Night” (Lionsgate, $26.98); “The Stranger (2010)” (Anchor Bay, $29.97; Blu-ray, $34.98); “The Sun” (Kino, $29.95); “Tony Manero” (Kino, $29.95); “Undisputed III: Redemption” (New Line, $27.98; Blu-ray, $35.99); “Wild Things: Foursome” (Sony, $24.96; Blu-ray, $30.95)

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