NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray (October 2020): Arrow have transferred Dwight H. Little's Bloodstone to Blu-ray. As they state in their accompanying booklet for Bloodstone, this transfer is thanks to the original 35mm interpositive being scanned, graded and restored in 2K resolution (at Silver Salt Restoration, London.) "Bloodstone" is also presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The film is housed on a dual-layered Blu-ray disc and thankfully has a maxed out bitrate. While looking rather impressive for a 2K scan of an interpositive, certain sequences can feature a rather thick grain, lacking in certain minute details. Colors benefit from a rather effective set of black levels, though certain shots can look a tad too heavy in the red and green department (notice the image below of the police station exterior and its rather odd red bricks). These moments of questionable color popping are few and far between. For a film as overlooked as "Bloodstone", this transfer is more than one could expect, and is most definitely an upgrade over any previous SD DVD editions. There are notably no chapter selections available from the main menu.

According to Arrow, the 5.1 and stereo mixes were supplied by the filmmaker. We are given the option of watching the film either in English 2.0 linear PCM (16-bit) or in 5.1 DTS-HD Surround (24-bit). There is a nice amount of separation in the 5.1 tracks, especially during battle / action sequences. The title track "Bloodstone" is thanks to Thomas Marolda (who has written songs featured in films as varied as "Days of Thunder", "Rocky Balboa", and "Leprechaun 6: Back 2 Tha Hood"). Arrow is wise to include the English SDH subtitles since certain accents are hard to make-out at times. There are also optional Greek subtitles on this Region 'Free' Blu-ray disc.

Arrow Video gives us two choices for audio commentaries, starting with one featuring Michael Felsher and director Dwight H. Little. Little has a great recollection of his time spent working on the film and Felsher keeps the pace from going stale. Surely fans of the film will get a kick out of this track. The second track is with New York author and entertainment journalist Bryan Reesman. Reesman begins by discussing the slew of Indiana Jones rip-offs of the 80s, including "Romancing the Stone''. The author tells us that co-star Anna Nicholas told him that this film was to be the poor man's "Romancing the Stone", and like Reesman, it is hard to deny the similarities. It has been a while since listening to a commentary from Reesman and his diligent preparation (including contacting various co-stars for such insider-info prior to recording) has paid off for this informative and fun track. Reesman goes on to discuss star Rajinikanth as well as Nico Mastorakis (not to mention his old colleague Hans Zimmer). Speaking of Mastorakis, Arrow Video provides a new 28-minute interview with the producer and co-writer ("Keeping it to Myself"), prefaced with title screens explaining the 'selfie-interview' style made necessary due to the coronavirus restrictions. Any worries about this bonus feature suffering from such restrictions should be eased, as this is a well-produced interview / video with footage and outtakes from Mastorakis' body of work. Also worth a watch for fans of Mastorakis. "From Bollywood to Bloodstone'' is another well-produced extra thanks to Indian cinema expert, Josh Hurtado. This 22-minute audio essay (with accompanying still shots) covers "Bloodstone"'s star Rajinikanth. Rajinikanth is South India's biggest star of the last 40 years and for anyone unfamiliar this is a great primer. The film's original trailer and the 2020 Re-issue trailer are included here. As an aside, whoever is responsible for Arrow Video's recent re-release trailers deserves a raise (check out the trailer for "White Heat" for further proof.) An image gallery and BD-ROM original screenplay round out the Blu-ray disc. There is also a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys and an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mark Cunliffe.

"Bloodstone" is an odd Frankenstein-like creature of various action (and comedy) films, using certain tropes and over-the-top dialogue. A good time is sure to be had by anyone watching, though the film pales in comparison to most of the films that it so gladly apes. It is hard to deny the pure star power of Rajinikanth, though his character is sadly often sidelined (most likely to create a cross-market appeal). Arrow Video has done a decent job of putting together a handful of valuable extras, even during this time of wolrdwide shutdown. Recommended to fans of cheesy action and low budget exotic adventure films.

Colin Zavitz