Arrow Video’s February Releases Include ‘Excalibur,’ The Original ‘Westworld,’ A Tsui Hark Classic, And More
by David Lewis
The holidays may be right around the corner, but film fans are going to want to save some money for 2026 as Arrow Video’s February slate is stuffed with culty goodness, featuring Knights of the Round Table, cybernetic 1970s cowboys, Japanese gangsters, and more.
First up, is an epic boxset worthy of 1981’s epic sword and sorcery epic Excalibur from epic director John Boorman (Point Blank, Zardoz). Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson — and an impossibly gorgeous Helen Mirren — star in this dreamy fantasy film that brings Arthurian legend into the era of flashy ’80s blockbusters. A new 4K restoration of the film is making its ultra HD debut in the US and UK. The three disc sets include two cuts of the film, new audio commentaries, an archival commentary with Boorman, a never before released documentary on the film directed by Neil Jordan, new interviews and featurettes, plus a booklet, poster and postcards.
Next, return to Westworld for the first and maybe last time. Before Jurassic Park made him a literary superstar, Michael Crichton wrote and directed this lean, mean 1973 sci-fi thriller that was later turned into an HBO series. Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, and Yul Brynner star in this ahead-of-it-time cult classic about the dangers of playing cowboys and gods. The limited edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray will arrive in the US and UK with a booklet, poster, postcards, and bonus features TBA.
Next up, American Yakuza (1993) stars a young Viggo Mortensen as — you guessed it — an American caught up among the Yakuza violence in Japan. Co-starring Ryo Ishibashi, Michael Nouri, and Robert Forster, the limited edition Blu-ray will be available in the US and UK, boasts a 2K restoration and includes extras including a new commentary and new interviews.
If someone wants to experience classic Hong Kong cinema for the first time, Tsui Hark‘s eye-popping 1986 period action piece Peking Opera Blues would be a great place to start. Starring Brigitte Lin, Sally Yeh, and Cherie Chung, Peking Opera Blues is presented in a stunning 4K restoration and extras will include new audio commentaries, interviews, and more. This Arrow edition is only available in the UK, but Shout! Factory has already released it in the US as part of their Hong Kong Classics sub label.
Next we have director Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 genre mashup Save the Green Planet! landing on 4K UHD. The sci-fi comedy finds two conspiracy theorists kidnapping a corporate exec they insist is an alien invader bent on destroying the Earth. Even if you haven’t seen it, it may sound familiar, as Yorgos Lanthimos just remade it as Bugonia, starring Emma Stone. This new two disc release boasts a director-approved 4K transfer, two original short films by Jang, a fold-out poster, booklet, reversible sleeve, and more.
As per usual, Arrow’s February slate has one of the canonical cult classics for your viewing pleasure. This time it’s the 1979 genre-blending, mind-bending Italo-US oddity The Visitor on limited Edition 4K UHD in the US and UK. What begins as the story of a girl and her pet hawk soon turns into an indescribable horror-alien invasion film with a Grade A cast of Classic Hollywood legends including John Huston, Mel Ferrer, Glenn Ford, Shelley Winters, and Franco Nero. The 4K disc comes with a new audio commentary, collector’s booklet, and more TBA.
Lastly, the Sana Collection returns Takashi Shimizu (Ju-On: The Grudge) to his J-Horror roots with two films starring pop group Generations from Exile Tribe as fictionalized versions of themselves. This UK-only Blu-ray release includes a new retrospective doc, making-of featurettes, a reversible sleeve, collectors’ booklet, and more.
Also be sure to check out Arrow Video’s January lineup, which pits Samuel L. Jackson against Snakes On A Plane, Steven Seagal against Tommy Lee Jones on a battleship, and Billy Crystal against a midlife crisis in City Slickers. Finally, Arrow’s December release slate boasts breakdancers, Shaw Brothers, Chow Yun-Fat, and 4K Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
