New on DVD: ‘Robin Hood,’ starring Russell Crowe

Robin Hood

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

The Robin Hood legend has been told so many times on screen that anyone who wants to give it a go had better have a great idea for how to make it fresh. Unfortunately, director Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” — starring Russell Crowe as the aristocracy-thwarting archer — heads down the wrong path, aiming for somber historical accuracy. The result is a familiar medieval action adventure that’s not so bad on its own merits, but that is so far removed from the swashbuckling spirit of the original tales that it seems pointless. That said, Scott’s director’s cut on the DVD and Blu-ray does add nuance, and the behind-the-scenes featurettes — especially the multimedia “Director’s Notebook” on the Blu-ray — are fascinating even for those who haven’t seen the movie.

Community: The Complete First Season

Sony, $39.95

NBC had last season’s best new sitcom in “Community,” an untethered ensemble show set at a kooky community college. A stellar comic cast — including Joel McHale, Chevy Chase, Alison Brie and the very funny pairing of Donald Glover and Danny Pudi — are well deployed by creator Dan Harmon, who’s willing to stretch the limits of plausibility if a gag calls for it, or to turn an entire episode into a pop culture reference-fest, but never forgets that fans tune in because they like hanging out with these people. The first-season DVD is nicely put together too, with commentary tracks on every episode, plus outtakes and a few tongue-in-cheek featurettes.

Modern Family: The Complete First Season

20th Century Fox, $59.98; Blu-ray, $69.99

It was heartening last TV season to see the success of ABC’s “Modern Family,” a now multiple-Emmy-Award-honored sitcom about three interrelated Los Angeles families. Shot in the now overused “mockumentary” style, “Modern Family” overcomes the familiarity of its format thanks to warm, funny performances by the likes of TV comedy veterans Ed O’Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and the Emmy-winning Eric Stonestreet, — and also thanks to co-creators Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan’s grounding the humor in the way children and parents actually behave, not the way most TV writers presume they behave. The first-season “Modern Family” DVD and Blu-ray adds bloopers, extended/alternate/deleted scenes and explanations of the real-life moments that inspired scenes in the show.

Ondine

Magnolia, $26.98; Blu-ray, $29.98

Writer-director Neil Jordan mixes blue-collar melancholy and wild fantasy in “Ondine,” a sweet, seductive story about an Irish fisherman (played by Colin Farrell) who’s dealing with a terminally ill daughter and a strange visitor who might be a mermaid. Jordan keeps what’s real and what’s imaginary ambiguous — sometimes too ambiguous — but the relationships between the members of this unlikely family feel real, and touching. This is a strange, special little movie. The DVD and Blu-ray add a pair of featurettes.

The Secret in Their Eyes

Sony, $28.95; Blu-ray, $38.96

Despite stiff competition at the 2010 Academy Awards, the Argentine thriller “The Secret in Their Eyes” won the Oscar for best foreign language film, then went on to a decent art-house run. And no wonder: It’s a gripping piece of work by director Juan José Campanella, telling the story of how a 25-year-old murder case haunts a retired investigator to the point where he feels compelled to write a book about it and lay his ghosts to rest. This is the kind of thoughtful procedural that American movies largely have ceded to television. The DVD and Blu-ray include a Campanella commentary (in Spanish with subtitles) and two featurettes.

And...

“Bored to Death: The Complete First Season” ( HBO, $39.98; Blu-ray, $49.99); “Fantomas: The Complete Saga” (Kino, $34.95); “Human Target: The Complete First Season” (Warner, $39.98; Blu-ray, $49.99); “Spartacus — Blood & Sand: The Complete First Season” (Starz/Anchor Bay, $59.97; Blu-ray, $79.97); “Stomp the Yard: Homecoming” (Sony, $24.96; Blu-ray, $30.95); “Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue” ( Walt Disney, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99).

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