1990s Science Fiction Action Blockbuster Secret Gem Gets Surprise Upgrade
What a time to be alive; Hollywood has officially run out of ideas because they’re returning to old content and releasing it as 4K releases. We support this effort, and it plays nicely with media preservation efforts. Giving old things new life is also nice—if nothing else, it will continue supporting the actors who have made said films. In recent news, the 1990 sci-fi action movie Dark Angel is finally receiving a native 4K upgrade.
Dark Angel Follows A Cop That Doesn’t Play By The Rules
For those who haven’t seen the original movie, Dark Angel is the original name of the sci-fi action movie I Come in Peace, starring Dolph Lundgren, Brian Benben, Betsy Brantley, and Matthias Hues. The movie follows a rule-breaking vice cop who becomes involved in the investigation of mysterious drug-related murders on the streets of Houston, Texas. He eventually becomes involved in a cat-and-mouse chase between an alien cop and an alien criminal, the latter of which is using humans to produce a synthetic drug for his home planet.
90s Bomb Turned Cult Classic
The movie didn’t do well with the critics at the time of its release, despite its upbeat script and a healthy sense of humor, and it didn’t do well with the audiences, either. It completely bombed at the box office, failing to recuperate its estimated production budget of $5-8 million. However, more recent reviews of Dark Angel have been more enthusiastic, and many are now calling the movie “ripe for cult rediscovery,” and Matthias Hues, who portrayed the intergalactic drug dealer, lobbied for a sequel to the movie through the early 2000s, until 2016.
The Greatest Upgrade Possible
Well, Hues still hasn’t got his wish, but Dark Angel has received a 4K upgrade from Shout Factory. The upcoming footage is a completely new 4K scan of the original camera negative done in HDR-10-compatible Dolby Vision, which promises a greater color range of the footage. The video is complemented by completely remastered audio for DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround and/or 2.0 Stereo standards. The same applies to Disc Two—we forgot to mention it’s a two-disc release.
Plenty Of Behind The Scenes Extras
However, Disc Two also comes with Go In Pieces: Remembering Dark Angel, featuring interviews with the film’s cinematographer Mark Irwin, editor Mark Helfrich, actor Brian Benben, and special make-up effects artist Gabriel Bartalos. The second disc also contains A Look Back at Dark Angel, featuring interviews with Director Craig R. Baxley and actors Dolph Lundgren and Brian Benben, accompanied by the film’s theatrical trailer and an image gallery.
Blu-Ray Coming This Summer
Dark Angel Collectors Edition is launching on July 9, 2024, as a two-disc set that contains a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray edition of the movie, accompanied by the materials as mentioned earlier, and the exclusive 18” × 24” rolled poster featuring the original Dark Angel theatrical artwork. According to Shout Factory’s announcement, Dark Angel will be available while supplies last, indicating a limited print, so those interested in adding this absolute gem of ‘90s action sci-fi should hurry up and order their copy.
Until then, you can check out an episode of GenreVision that does an excellent job breaking down the original film.
