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What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – June 2, 2026 – Hoppers, Robin Hood, Jess Franco, TMNT, & More!

Mike Spring

By Mike Spring

 on 

What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – June 2, 2026

We have a nice mix of titles this week, with a heavy focus on action and adventure movies. Must be that upcoming Father’s Day push from the studios! Read on to see what’s on deck!

In This Week’s Column:

Hoppers (Blu-ray + Digital)

Official Synopsis:

In this animated comedy adventure, animal lover Mabel seizes an opportunity to use a new technology to “hop” her consciousness into a lifelike robotic beaver and communicate directly with animals. As she makes amazing discoveries, Mabel befriends a charismatic beaver and must rally the entire animal kingdom to face a major, imminent, human threat.

The Movie: 

I was a little surprised when the Pixar logo came up at the start of Hoppers, just because from the marketing I’d seen for the film, it had much more of a Disney Animation vibe to it than a Pixar vibe. Once the movie started, I could see the Pixar influence right away (the main character starts out as a young girl whose grandmother is the only person who understands her, a Pixar staple), but honestly, Hoppers feels like a very minor entry in the body of work of either studio. 

The film focuses on Mabel, a 19-year-old young woman trying to save the glade she used to come to with her grandmother, but that a slimy politician is trying to build a highway through. When she discovers her science professor’s technology to enter the animal kingdom by transferring her consciousness into a lifelike robot beaver, she tries to enlist the animals to help, until things go horribly awry. 

The problem is that the film just isn’t all that interesting until the third act, when things shift gears a bit. (I can’t say more without spoiling the story, which I don’t want to do, but let’s just say the narrative shifts as does the underlying tone.) Honestly, Mabel as a character is more reckless and impulsive than she is endearing, the supporting characters feel kind of dull, and the film’s humor never really lands, minus one or two particularly funny scenes. 

Do I think the movie’s target audience – read: kids — will enjoy it? Sure. But do I think Hoppers is destined to go down as a childhood favorite for anyone? Not really. It’s a decent way to divert your kids’ attention for a couple of hours, but beyond that I don’t see it really garnering a big fan base. 

The Bonus Features: 

Digital Copy Included: Yes

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

Robin Hood decides to fight back as an outlaw when faced with the tyranny of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Sometimes the only way to uphold justice is to break the law. From Errol Flynn to Disney, Hollywood has long been fascinated with the legend of Robin Hood. Helmed by director Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld, The Count of Monte Cristo), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves pays homage to the past while transforming the famous outlaw of Sherwood Forest into a movie icon fit for the 1990s.

Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner, Waterworld) returns from the Crusades to find his father dead and vows revenge. With his Moorish companion Azeem (Morgan Freeman, Unforgiven), he joins a band of peasant rebels to do battle against the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman, Die Hard) and win the hand of the fair Maid Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, The Abyss), cousin of the absent King of England.

This grand, swashbuckling adventure in the classic tradition is brought to life by an all-star supporting cast, including Christian Slater (True Romance), Brian Blessed (Flash Gordon) and a memorable cameo from Sean Connery (himself a former Robin Hood), plus an instantly recognizable score by Michael Kamen (Highlander) – not to mention a chart-topping Bryan Adams theme song. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves dazzles in a stunning 4K restoration, accompanied by a king’s ransom of bonus features.

The Movie: 

One of the biggest blockbusters of the early ‘90s, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves celebrates its 35th anniversary with a new 4K Ultra HD release from Arrow Video, one of the finest boutique labels making home video releases today. 

Now, in the more cynical world of 2026, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves may seem somewhat anachronistic, especially as you struggle to understand why Kevin Costner’s British accent is so bad. But, man, I do love this movie! It’s got everything: a great cast, a big scope, amazing sets, epic romance, fantastic action sequences, and one of the greatest performances of all time with Alan Rickman chewing up the scenery as the Sherriff of Nottingham. It’s a ‘90s blockbuster in every sense of the word, and I mean that in the best possible way. Sure, it’s not without its flaws – you really do wish Costner had just not even bothered attempting an accent – but the movie has charm to spare and I will never get tired of revisiting it. 

This week we get a gorgeous limited-edition 4K Ultra HD release from Arrow Video. Not only does the film look and sound better than ever, but it comes in Arrow’s mini-box-set format, which sees an oversized case, a squarebound booklet, art postcards, and a poster all included alongside the discs and the copious extra features. It’s an amazing home video release for fans of the film.

The 4K Video/Audio:

The audiovisual upgrade for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is definitely noticeable, even if the film does show its age a little bit. Imagery is nice and clear with it most notable on close-ups, where fine detail is extra visible. There’s excellent shadow delineation and strong contrasts, while colors are strong and the overall look of the film is a step up from previous home video efforts. The surround soundtrack really shines, creating an active atmosphere throughout the film while dialogue remains clear and present. There are some fun directional effects and the soundfield is constantly active in the satellite speakers, plus the bass channel offers up some good low-end-oomph. All in all, I’m very pleased with Arrow’s A/V presentation of the film. 

The Bonus Features: 

Digital Copy Included: No

Protector (Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

Former war hero Nikki’s peaceful life is shattered when her daughter is kidnapped. Thrust into the criminal underworld while hunted by cops and military, she must fight to rescue her child.

The Movie: 

I try to avoid simply comparing movies to other movies when I review them, because it feels a little derivative and uninspired sometimes. But on occasion you also just have to recognize when a movie is just a riff on another movie. Protector is a quite enjoyable action thriller.. that you might have already seen back when it starred Liam Neeson and was called Taken. 

Okay, so there are SOME differences between Taken and Protector. For example, this time it’s a mom with a particular set of skills who’s trying to save her teenage daughter from human traffickers instead of a dad. And… oh yeah, I guess that’s kind of about it. To be fair, I actually enjoyed Protector. Milla Jovovich is back in action mode, which she excels in. (Did you see Monster Hunter? You should. She’s an utter bad-ass in that movie, much like she is here.) And all kidding aside, there are enough differences in the beats and the narrative between this and Taken that it doesn’t really feel like you’re watching the same movie. 

Protector isn’t a deep or nuanced film, but if you just want a couple hours of high-octane action, this is a fun way to fit the bill. 

The Bonus Features: 

There are no bonus features on the disc. 

Digital Copy Included: No

Jess Franco: From Bangkok with Bullets (Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

In 1985, writer/director Jess Franco briefly stepped away from horror and erotica to focus on several adventure thrillers that combined elements of his earlier Eurospy and Fu Manchu hits with his sardonic wit and love for exotic settings. But having no budget for foreign locales, he instead sent cinematographer Juan Soler to Thailand to shoot a few days of exteriors which became the foundation for two of Uncle Jess’ most surprising – and rarely-seen – Spanish productions of the decade: In the worldwide Blu-ray premiere of Trip to Bangkok, Coffin Included, Francoverse legend Howard Vernon stars as a cantankerous British agent on the trail of a creepy cult leader. In The worldwide disc premiere of Bangkok, Date With Death, Jess unleashes a pop-art crime spree of pirates, kidnappers and kung fu killers starring his beloved muse Lina Romay. Both films have been scanned in 4K from their original camera negatives, complete with all-new appreciations by Stephen Thrower and Parts 14 & 15 of In the Land of Franco, hailed by Mondo Digital as “Severin’s ongoing featurettes that now constitute the most intensive and valuable survey of a filmmaker’s locations in history.”

The Movies: 

This new two-movie collection from Severin Films – one of my other favorite purveyors of home video goodness! – focuses on the lesser-known side of notorious director Jess Franco: his action filmmaker side. For those of you who don’t know, Franco was a filmmaker from Spain who specialized in B-movies and exploitation films, mostly in the realms of horror and erotica. As you might surmise from the title of this set, the films included here are neither horror nor erotica. 

Hailing from the mid-1980s, both Trip to Bangkok, Coffin Included (and how can you not love that title?) and Bangkok, Date With Death fall into the adventure/spy/criminals category. Trip to Bangkok, Coffin Included is a fun (if slightly bizarre) little thriller about a pair of agents on the trail of the murderer of an ambassador. It features veteran character actor Howard Vernon as Colonel Blimp, who sounds like either a character in the board game Clue or from Hogan’s Heroes. But while the film slows down occasionally and it’s certainly not a big-budgeted affair, it works pretty well and is largely entertaining. 

Ostensibly, Bangkok, Date With Death is a sequel to Trip to Bangkok, Coffin Included but there really is no connective tissue outside of shared cast members – something that comes about because of Franco’s practice of filming two movies at once to minimize budgetary spending. This one stars Female Vampires’ Lina Romay, a Franco regular, and while it doesn’t work quite as well as its predecessor, it does have its charms. 

Now, Severin Films doesn’t mess around when it comes to their home video releases. This disc not only includes two movies for the price of one, but it also comes with a nice collection of bonus materials and some sweet cover art. 

The Bonus Features: 

Digital Copy Included: No

Aesthetics of a Bullet (Blu-ray)

Official Synopsis:

A yakuza gang selects a good-for-nothing street vendor to stir up trouble in enemy territory. With a flashy suit, a gun and a pocketful of money, he feels like a king but when trouble comes knocking, he realizes that waving a gun and pulling the trigger are two very different things.

After the major studios refused to finance it, director Sadao Nakajima (The Japanese Godfather Trilogy) took this project to New Wave bastion the Art Theatre Guild. With a deeply impressive performance by Tsunehiko Watase (Sympathy for the Underdog) that predates Robert DeNiro’s indelible turn as Travis Bickle in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver by three years, Aesthetics of a Bullet is a lost gem of 1970s Japanese cinema ripe for rediscovery.

The Movie: 

I just watched my first Sadao Nakajima movies a month or so ago when I reviewed The Japanese Godfather Trilogy, three highly acclaimed movies by the director. Aesthetics of a Bullet is a very different experience from those movies, much more wild, dark, and experimental. 

The film follows Kyoshi, a loser of a guy with debts, a girlfriend who would be better off without him, and an anger problem. When a local gang needs a patsy to go into rival turf and effectively kick off a gang war, they select Kyoshi. Flush with the mob’s money and a gun, Kyoshi transforms himself into a faux big shot, but he’s not prepared for the trouble that comes his way. 

The movie is highly stylish with a raucous soundtrack, a far cry from some of Nakajima’s other films (at least the ones that I’ve seen.) It also focuses on a main character who is at best a loser and at worst reprehensible. This is not a movie about good guys, and at times it’s hard to sympathize with the main character. It’s also a fascinating narrative that you’re not sure how it’s going to end, which is always refreshing. This week, Aesthetics of a Bullet gets what I believe is its home video debut (or at least its Blu-ray debut), courtesy of Radiance Films, and they’ve done their usual bang-up job of bringing the film to shelves. 

The Bonus Features: 

Digital Copy Included: No

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution – The Covers (Graphic Novel)

Official Synopsis:

The Last Ronin has become one of the best-selling comics with its gritty appeal and amazing art, and this hardcover of all the covers from the Re-Evolution miniseries is perfect for fans looking for more! It includes over 115 pieces of cover art created for the series from co-creator Kevin Eastman and artists Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, Freddie E. Williams II, Vincenzo Federici, Mateus Santolouco, and more!

Re-Evolution picks up more than a decade after the Last Ronin defeated the Foot Clan, when New York City finds itself in a state of steady decline. Return to the gritty future of The Last Ronin to see what new heroes will grow from the ashes of the TMNT legacy. The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution

The Book: 

If you’re a regular comic book reader, then chances are good you’re familiar with The Last Ronin, the massive blockbuster Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles miniseries that became a runaway bestseller a few years ago. Well, any book that is that successful is of course going to get a sequel, so that brought us to The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution, the inevitable follow-up. 

Now the other thing to know is  that while each of these two chapters in the story have been miniseries, each single issue has had approximately 492 variant covers. (Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but not by much!) The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution – The Covers is a gorgeous new oversized hardcover graphic novel collecting every cover from the second series, and they are amazing! In addition to the main covers by series artists the Ezcorza Brothers, you get variants for each issue by Kevin Eastman himself, plus regular TMNT/Last Ronin artists Ben Bishop and Matteus Santoluoco, and a host of guest artists who did variants for every outlet imaginable. It’s effectively a monster art book filled with incredible art of your favorite Ninja Turtles!

Without a doubt, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution – The Covers is a must-have companion book to the original issues!

The Specs: 

Billy Bat (Graphic Novel)

Official Synopsis:

A long-awaited English debut from Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki, Billy Bat Volume 1 launches a sweeping conspiracy thriller that moves across decades and continents, pulling readers into a mystery that refuses to stay contained on the page! Praised with two starred reviews, this series arrives as one of the most anticipated manga releases of the year.

The story begins in 1949 Los Angeles. Kevin Yamagata, a Japanese American cartoonist, has built his career on Billy Bat, a sharp, wisecracking detective beloved by readers. But everything shifts when Kevin realizes he may have unknowingly copied the character from an image he once saw in Japan. Determined to find the truth, Kevin returns to a devastated, postwar Japan. What he uncovers goes far beyond questions of inspiration or theft. The image of the bat is ancient, surfacing again and again across history, tied to moments of upheaval, power, and violence. As Kevin follows the trail, he is drawn into a far-reaching mystery that blurs fiction and reality, where a single drawing may hold the key to forces shaping human history.

The Book: 

Most of the manga I’ve gotten to review – which is a limited amount, to be fair – has been squarely in the sci-fi and fantasy realm, usually dealing with super heroes or big robot mechs or the like. Billy Bat is something completely different, and man, is it fascinating. 

So, the basic premise is this: in 1949 Japan, a Japanese-American manga artist named Kevin Yamagata has created a series called Billy Bat, starring an anthropomorphic detective. When he becomes concerned that mhe might have subconsciously copied his character from another image, he returns to Japan to try and get permission to use the character. So far, so normal, right? Well, that’s where things go off the rails. Kevin gets wrapped up in a huge conspiracy that involves murder and secrets and is so much bigger than he ever imagined. To say more than that would be to spoil the surprises, but suffice it to say it goes much deeper than you would think. 

The series ran as a serialized manga for 8 years in Japan, from 2008 to 2016. It was written by Naoki Urasawa (who also drew it) and Takashi Nagasaki and it quickly became a popular fan phenomenon. Now, Kana (an imprint of Abrams ComicArts) has picked up the license to translate and release Billy Bat in the U.S. This first volume is in the popular manga digest size and weighs in at 200 pages, representing the first of what I believe to be 20 volumes. That might sound like a big commitment, but not only are the books very affordably priced, this first volume is so intriguing, you’re definitely going to want to come back for the second volume to see what happens next!

The Specs: 

Midsummer Sisters (Graphic Novel)

Official Synopsis:

Midsummer Sisters is a contemporary graphic novel about two sisters who find themselves watching over a wild foal during a summer of change. A stunning story about the power of sisterhood. Kenzie and Quinn aren’t just stepsisters ? they’re best friends. They’re spending the summer with their grandmother, kayaking in the marshy coastal islands she calls home. The Outer Banks are also home to a herd of wild ponies, and the girls fall in love with a fragile newborn foal that they name Starling.

But even blue skies and sandy beaches can’t distract from what’s going on back home. Things between their parents aren’t the way they used to be, and the constant fights have left Kenzie and Quinn anxious and confused. They can’t remember a time when they weren’t a family. If their parents divorce and Quinn and her mom move away, will they even still be sisters… or will they be nothing? As their world shifts around them, the girls swear to do the one thing they can: keep Starling safe.

Award-winning cartoonist Niki Smith delivers a stunning story set during a summer of change. Filled with gorgeous and expressive illustrations, Midsummer Sisters is a celebration of the beauty of wild horses, as powerful as the unbreakable bond between sisters.

The Book: 

As I’ve stated in the past, when I review young reader and middle-grade reader books, I try not to approach my reviews as an adult male, but rather I simply read the books and try to enjoy them for what they are. (Which usually isn’t hard, because I’m an easy-to-please guy who’s not overly critical!) So I’m happy to report that Midsummer Sisters is one of those books where it was easy to forget my demographic and just get wrapped up in a charming little story. 

The book focuses on stepsisters Kenzie and Quinn, as they stay with their grandmother for the summer and fall in love with a wild horse that they name Starling. Now, there’s a phenomenon in the home video world where at least once a month, there’s a Girl With A Horse Movie, and I’ve watched enough of them to last a lifetime, so I was a little worried that this book would be more of that kind of storytelling. But the narrative also deals with the uncertainty that comes with the fact that the stepsisters’ parents might be heading for a divorce and what that might mean for the two girls. I’ve read a lot of middle-grade graphic novels over the past few years and I don’t recall any dealing with that particular subject matter, so I found it really engaging and intriguing. (And to be fair, there might be other books that do deal with that concept, just none that I’ve personally read.)

Writer/artist Niki Smith has a style that fits the book perfectly and is easy to read and pleasing to the eye, while her dialogue feels natural and realistic. The book moves at a good pace, but at almost 300 pages, it’s still a chunky tome that will keep the target audience occupied for a nice block of time. Midsummer Sisters is definitely a recommended read for middle-grade readers! 

The Specs: 

What’s New in Home Video & Pop Culture – June 2, 2026 – Hoppers, Robin Hood, Jess Franco, TMNT, & More!
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