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New DVDs: 'Heroes Reborn,' 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' 'The Sicilian'

By now, you're probably on your 18th viewing of this week's biggest home entertainment release, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Have you heard? Daisy Ridley, with BB-8 in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," just out on DVD.
Have you heard? Daisy Ridley, with BB-8 in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," just out on DVD.Read moreDisney

By now, you're probably on your 18th viewing of this week's biggest home entertainment release,

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

.

But J.J. Abrams' blockbuster isn't the only sci-fi game in town. Tuesday will see the release of Heroes Reborn: Event Series, a 13-episode miniseries that returns fans to the exciting comic-book world of the NBC show, which ran for four seasons, from 2006 to 2010.

Exec-produced by series creator Tim Kring, the new story is set about five years after the events of the regular series. There has been movement in the fraught relationship between the human majority and Evos, the show's name for the X-Men-type, genetically souped-up men and women whose special powers so terrify regular folk.

The Evos have been gaining acceptance - until a terrorist attack rallies the nation against them.

The miniseries features a new host of stars, including Robbie Kay, Zachary Levi, and Judu Shekoni.

But a few old faces also crop up.

Jack Coleman returns as the dependable Noah Bennet (or HRG, as everyone calls him after his horn-rimmed glasses), whose estranged daughter Claire is an Evo. Alas, while Hayden Panettiere, who played Claire on the original run, isn't in the new series, we do get guest appearances by Masi Oka as the beloved Hiro Nakamura, Francesca Eastwood (replacing the original's Adair Tishler) as Molly Walker, and Jimmy Jean-Louis as the terrifying Haitian. (www.uphe.com; $44.98 DVD; $49.98 Blu-ray; not rated)

Other titles of note

Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher reprise their roles from the classic film for this triumphant blockbuster. (http://movies.disney.com/watch-at-home; $29.99 DVD; $39.99 Blu-ray/DVD Combo; rated PG-13)

The Sicilian (Director's Cut). Michael Cimino's career took such a nosedive after the unjustly pilloried Heaven's Gate that his later films were all but ignored. Rediscover his work with a restored Blu-ray edition of this 1987 political thriller that features 31 minutes of footage cut from the theatrical release. Adapted from the Mario Puzo novel, it stars Christopher Lambert as a fictional version of Sicilian bandit and revolutionary Salvatore Giuliano, who in the 1950s lead a revolt to liberate Sicily from Italian rule. Lambert is backed by a terrific ensemble cast that includes Terence Stamp, John Turturro, Joss Ackland, and Barbara Sukowa. (www.shoutfactory.com; $26.99 Blu-ray only; rated R)

The Forbidden Room. Guy Maddin, Canada's most famous experimental filmmaker, is in top form with this postmodern phantasmagoria, created with help from poet John Ashbery, which pays tribute to classic cinema of the 1920s and 1930s. (www.kinolorber.com; $29.95 DVD; $34.95 Blu-ray; not rated)

The Hallow. Inspired by British cult classic The Wicker Man, this terrifying fairy tale is about a forest in Ireland, slated to be sold for development, that takes revenge on humanity. (www.shoutfactory.com; $14.98 DVD; $22.97; not rated)

The Bible Stories: Samson and Delilah. Nicholas Roeg's 1996 TV movie starring Dennis Hopper, Eric Thal, and Elizabeth Hurley, is one of the entries in an extensive series of biblical narratives on DVD from Shout Factory. (www.shoutfactory.com; $14.93 DVD only; not rated)

The Great Hypnotist. Horror director Leste Chen (The Heirloom) explores the world of hypnotherapy in this creepy thriller about repressed desires and terrifying memories. (www.wellgousa.com; $24.98 DVD only; not rated)

The Forest. Jason Zada's J-Horror-styled creepfest stars Natalie Dormer as an intuitive woman who feels her identical twin is in trouble - at the very moment that the sister enters a forest in Japan that's said to be haunted. (www.uphe.com; $29.98 DVD; $34.98 Blu-ray; rated PG-13)

Most titles also available for digital download from major retailers.

tirdad@phillynews.com

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