Universal
Adventure
$29.98 each Blu-ray
Rated ‘PG-13’
Stars Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Dwayne Johnson, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr

With Brandon Fraser back in action in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (in theaters Aug. 1), Universal has served up the first three films in the franchise on high-definition.

When it comes to presentation and sound, these films are excellent. The 35mm Panavision prints have all the intensity and visual clarity of the HD DVD versions, if not more. The films are presented in 1080p and the action really comes to life on a home theater system. All three films feature DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio surround, which was not available on the HD DVD releases in 2006, which used Dolby Digital Plus.

Audiophiles will fall in love with these films, which offer the perfect blend of orchestral score, action and dialogue (even if said dialogue is often more cheesy than entertaining).

In terms of special features, all three of these BDs have the new-and-improved U-Control picture-in-picture option that was first introduced by Universal on HD DVD. This BD upgrade, which takes advantage of the Bonus View capability (on Profile 1.1 players and all PlayStation 3 consoles), allows viewers to toggle PIP on or off any time.

With featurettes consisting of cast and crew interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and storyboard comparisons, this mode always has something interesting going on in the small window, with not too much dead space.

In addition, U-Control — now with a new format logo and color screen — allows fans to bookmark their favorite parts of the movies to quickly come back to at any time.

The three packages contain a code that allows viewers to print a coupon to apply toward a ticket to see the new big-screen “Mummy” adventure. A common thread among this trilogy of BDs is the standard three-minute featurette promoting the new movie, as well as commentary tracks and featurettes brought over from the HD DVD and DVD versions of the films. Unfortunately, all of the extras on these BD movies are in standard definition.

The one standout on the three discs is the 50-minute documentary, “Building a Better Mummy,” which explores Universal and director Stephen Sommers’ revival of the classic monster movie for the modern special effects age.

For those who purchased the HD DVD versions of these films, there’s no reason for another investment. But those film fans who’ve waited for high-definition versions will get a slightly better BD experience at a good price.