NEW ON THE SHELF

“THE LEGO MOVIE,” animated, with the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks. It’s rare that one runs into a blatant product tie-in with this level of creativity and enthusiasm, but “The LEGO Movie” makes perhaps the first solid case for advertisement as feature-length entertainment, putting mild-mannered construction worker Emmet (Pratt, “Parks and Recreation”) through a surreal, brick-built adventure on a quest to become the Master Builder that blind wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) has prophesized about. Aiding him on his journey are vivacious warrior Wyldstyle (Banks), ’80s-era spaceman Benny (Charlie Day, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), pirate Metalbeard (Nick Offerman, “Parks and Recreation”), a fairly self-explanatory creature known as Uni-Kitty (Alison Brie), and, last but certainly not least, Batman (Will Arnett, “The Nut Job”). It’s part “The Matrix,” part “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” and pure fun from start to finish. Well, maybe not as fun as playing Legos with your own kiddos, but certainly more enjoyable than stepping on them. Rated PG. Running time: 1:40. Suggested retail price: $28.98; Blu-ray $35.99.

“300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE,” Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green. Concerned fans of the original megahit “300” should find very little to post snide online comments about with this faithful sequel, which refreshingly makes no effort to fix what isn’t broken despite a new director (Noam Murro taking over for Zach Snyder) and cast. The battles are intense and the bloodshed nonstop, possibly even more so than in the original, with no gaping wound left un-filmed. Apart from that, the story moves along at a good clip, and the characters more fully realized than one might expect, so you’re never under the impression that you’re simply watching your roommate play a gory Xbox game. Skeptical “300” fans – or fans of action flicks in general – are encourage to set aside their misgivings. Rated R. Running time: 1:42.Suggested retail price: $28.99; Blu-ray $35.99.

NEW TO DVD

“THE BRIDGE: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE,” Demian Bichir, Diane Kruger. Skillful adaptation of Scandinavian series “Bron,” this complex and inventive FX series details the efforts of homicide investigator Marco Ruiz (Bichir, “The Heat”), an increasingly rare good cop in a force outmatched and all but controlled by drug cartels in Chihuahua, Mexico. When a serial killer begins leaving bodies on both sides of the border, Ruiz is forced to team up with American officials – in particular Detective Sonya Cross (Kruger, “Inglourious Basterds”) – to track them down, a partnership that isn’t always the smoothest. Not rated. Running time: 9:50. Suggested retail price: $39.98; Blu-ray $49.99.

“MASTERS OF SEX,” Michael Sheen, Lizzy Caplan. The life’s work of Masters (Sheen, “Frost/Nixon”) and Johnson (Caplan, “Party Down”) is given the “Mad Men” treatment in this engaging and explicit Showtime series. The antiquated, awe-inspiring lab equipment employed for the duo’s then-revolutionary sexual research makes the series worth a watch all by itself, but controversial subject matter aside, Sheen and especially Caplan create rich characters that would captivate regardless of milieu. Special features include cast and crew commentary on the pilot episode and deleted scenes. Not rated. Running time: 11:16. Suggested retail price: $55.99; Blu-ray $65.99.

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“ENEMY,” Jake Gyllenhaal, Melanie Laurent. Reteaming with director Denis Villeneuve of last year’s surprise hit “Prisoners,” Jake Gyllenhaal ventures into far more abstract territory, with “Enemy,” a psychological thriller that details what happens when someone discovers what would appears to be their never-previously-introduced identical twin while watching a movie, then attempts to both track down and infiltrate said twin’s life by pretending to be them. Impressively handling a dual role, Gyllenhaal anchors the film with two well-realized performances, and Villeneuve keeps things uncertain throughout, believably conveying an unthinkable yet fascinating situation. Largely overlooked upon its initial release, “Enemy” is a compelling mindbender with a lot going for it. Rated R. Running time: 1:30.Suggested retail price: $19.98; Blu-ray $24.99.

“WINTER’S TALE,” Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay. Tonally bizarre but nothing if not unpredictable, director Akiva Goldsman’s disjointed adaptation of the popular fantasy novel by Mark Helprin saddles the viewer with a lot to keep track of, including a doomed love between a troubled burglar (Farrell) and the ailing heiress (Findlay) whose home he’d targeted, a bloodthirsty demon named Pearly (Russell Crowe, even hammier than usual) who wants the burglar dead by any means necessary, reincarnation, and a food writer (Jennifer Connelly) with a cancer-stricken child. Oh, and Will Smith plays Satan. Genre-defying to say the least, “Winter’s Tale” seems calculated to confuse, more likely to entertain fans of Incredibly Strange cinema than to delight the romance and fantasy crowd its ad campaign appears to be attempting to court. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:58. Suggested retail price: $28.99; Blu-ray $35.99.

– Courtesy of Videoport