New on video: Ultimate edition of ‘Batman v Superman’ packs a punch

New on Blu-ray

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice -- Ultimate Edition” (Warner Bros. DVD/Blu-ray combo-pack 35.99; 3-D Blu-ray, $44.95; 4K Blu-ray, $44.95; also available on VOD)

Love it or hate it, Zack Snyder’s somber, punishing superhero epic “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is one of 2016’s defining movies. A sequel to Snyder’s 2013 “Man of Steel” — and, in a way, a corollary to his 2009 adaptation of “Watchmen” — Batman v Superman” features a lot of the same angry arguments about power and responsibility that pepper Marvel’s “Avengers” series, but with none of the mitigating camaraderie or humor. As Ben Affleck’s Batman fights to contain the awesome strength of Henry Cavill’s Superman, Snyder relies on long scenes of mass destruction and grunted accusations to carry the narrative. The new, R-rated “Ultimate Edition” is more violent but also more articulate, using its extra 30 minutes to expand on the film’s themes. It’s unlikely to convert haters into fans or vice versa, but the longer version does better express Snyder’s point of view, and is the one newcomers should see — especially if they want to understand what so many moviegoers have been mad about this year.

Special features: A generous collection of behind-the-scenes featurettes.

VOD

“The Blackout Experiments” (available July 22)

A rare hybrid of documentary and horror, Rich Fox’s “The Blackout Experiments” examines the cultural phenomenon of “extreme haunted houses,” where patrons are specially invited — and pay handsomely — to be psychologically and even physically tormented. Fox doesn’t get the people behind the experience to say much about how and why they do what they do, though “The Blackout Experiments” does show a little of their preparations and a lot of the actual terror. Mostly Fox spends time with the customers, who talk about why they’re compelled to put themselves through something that most people would spend a fortune to avoid.

TV set of the week

“Person of Interest: The Complete Series” (Warner Bros. DVD, $129.99; Blu-ray, $169.99)

Though it ended last month somewhat unceremoniously, the CBS sci-fi procedural “Person of Interest” had a good five-season, 100-plus-episode run, and developed into the kind of show that genre fans will be watching for years to come. The strong premise — with Jim Caviezel playing an off-the-grid special agent who prevents future crimes with the help of an advanced computer — allows for a conventional case-of-the-week structure, within which creator Jonathan Nolan and his writers introduce a string of mysterious characters, played by the likes of Michael Emerson, Taraji P. Henson and Amy Acker. What starts as a far-fetched action-adventure eventually becomes a complex, provocative saga about hackers, vigilantes and the ethics of our surveillance-heavy world.

Special features: Commentaries on selected episodes and a smattering of featurettes.

From the archives

“The Return of the Living Dead: Collector’s Edition” (Scream! Factory Blu-ray, $34.93)

Though “Night of the Living Dead” co-writer Joe Russo gets a “story by” credit on the 1985 horror-comedy “The Return of the Living Dead,” the film is only tangentially related to George Romero’s bleak zombie series. This spinoff is more the brainchild of cult writer-director Dan O’Bannon, who pits cartoonish punk-rockers against undead hordes who are more physically nimble and quick-witted than is the norm for these kinds of movies. O’Bannon takes his time to move the pieces into place, but eventually “The Return of the Living Dead” becomes a non-stop succession of some of the funniest, goriest slapstick gags in horror history. It’s not Romero, but this movie is its own kind of classic, and worthy of its enshrinement on a new features-packed Scream! Factory Blu-ray.

Special features: Multiple commentary tracks and featurettes, including a second disc containing a retrospective documentary that’s longer than the original film.

Three more to see

“Demolition” (20th Century Fox DVD/Blu-ray combo-pack, $39.99; also available on VOD); “Elvis & Nixon” (Sony DVD, $25.99; Blu-ray, $29.99; also available on VOD); “Miles Ahead” (Sony DVD, $25.99; Blu-ray, $30.99)