Bloody details are right

Watchmen

Warner, $28.98/$34.98; Blu-ray, $35.99

Zack Snyder’s big-screen version of Alan Moore’s beloved graphic novel “Watchmen” gets the broad strokes right, telling a sexy, blood-spattered story about a band of discredited heroes who reunite to solve the murder of one of their own. But despite some stunning visual effects and a few bravura sequences, the “Watchmen” movie comes off a little flat. Without Moore’s complicated narrative structure (or his humor, influenced as much by Mad magazine as old pulps), Snyder’s “Watchmen” plays like a very expensive fan video and an example of the adolescent superhero mentality that Moore tried to criticize. Still, whatever the failings of the movie, the features-packed special-edition DVD and Blu-ray are well worth checking out -- especially the latter, which includes an innovative “Maximum Movie Mode” that combines a picture-in-picture commentary with behind-the-scenes footage and art from the comic.

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Ballerina

First Run, $24.95

Though Bertrand Normand’s documentary “Ballerina” sports the production values of a state park’s visitor center video, this study of five dancers from St. Petersburg’s Kirov Ballet is still valuable for its rare look inside a world of intense discipline, deprivation and disappointment. Normand shows the casual cruelty of dance instructors as they run their charges through a combine that reduces them to their bodies alone, not their personalities. “Ballerina’s” lone DVD extra is a set of still photos, but the movie itself remains a must for devotees of dance.

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Coraline

Universal, $29.98/$34.98; Blu-ray, $39.98

Animator Henry Selick’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s juvenile novel “Coraline” follows the plight of a preteen girl who moves to a dreary new town and discovers a portal into another realm -- one like her own, but seemingly nicer. The longer Coraline lives in the other world, the more she sees its dark side. Everything about “Coraline” -- including its handmade design and its lively voice-acting -- is absolutely spot-on. It’s a story about childhood fantasy worlds that’s as knotty and moody as a classic fairy tale. The “Coraline” Blu-ray and special-edition DVD contain 2-D and 3-D versions, along with a set of very short deleted scenes, comprehensive featurettes and an engaging commentary by Selick.

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The Great

Buck Howard

Magnolia, $26.98; Blu-ray, $34.98

More indie films should be like “The Great Buck Howard,” a light-but-likable comedy starring John Malkovich as a world-famous mentalist who catches an unexpected upsurge in popularity and proceeds to make the life of his assistant (played by Colin Hanks) singularly miserable. Writer-director Sean McGinly’s plot is reminiscent of “My Favorite Year” and “Swimming With Sharks,” and it never quite kicks over into a higher gear. But the performances are sharp, and it’s nice to see an indie that’s neither self-indulgently dour nor overly quirky. The DVD and Blu-ray are less inviting, though; neither offers any special features.

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All titles available Tuesday.

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