‘Dick Tracy’ Cassette Has a Lot Going for It : THIS WEEK’S MOVIES

There are several good reasons for renting the just-released videocassette of “Dick Tracy” (Touchstone, $92.95, PG), even for someone who’s already seen the movie.

Among them:

* To fully appreciate Warren Beatty’s strong work both as director and in the title role.

* To enjoy the sexy performances by Madonna (as Breathless Mahoney) and Glenne Headley (more subtle, but just as impressive, as Tess Trueheart).

* To test your TV’s color fidelity, especially as Richard Sylbert’s color-coded sets fill the screen.

* To still-frame and examine those intricate, special-effects cityscapes.

* To see (again freezing the picture) if you can identify big stars Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and James Caan--portraying Chester Gould’s grotesque gangsters behind all that makeup. (And maybe you can finally figure out what Mumbles, played by Hoffman, is mumbling.)

There’s a lot more going for this delightful interpretation of the classic comic strip--including young Charlie Korsmo’s performance as “The Kid” and the great music by Danny Elfman (score) and Stephen Sondheim (songs).

Of course, “Dick Tracy” has its flaws, too--a sometimes confusing and increasingly uninvolving plot, an overuse of (not very good) montages. But even if the wrapping outshines the contents, this is a Christmas present to be grateful for.

Also out this week: “The Ewok Adventure” (MGM/UA, $79.98), the 1984 TV movie that charmingly employed those fuzzy-wuzzies from George Lucas’ “Return of the Jedi,” and an offbeat adult comedy about what it’s like to struggle in Hollywood: “Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog” (Fries, $79.95, R), with cameos by Robert Culp and Phyllis Diller.

OTHER NEW VIDEOS

If you’re a fan of those old Saturday-matinee serials, Republic has packaged every episode of four more from the late 1930s ($29.98 for each of the four tapes):

* “Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island”--later retitled “Robinson Crusoe of Mystery Island,” but having more to do with the foes of freedom (circa 1937) than Defoe.

* “S.O.S. Coast Guard.” No, it’s not a boatload of marijuana, it’s an evil scientist (Bela Lugosi) who wants to rule the world.

* “The Painted Stallion.” With a mysterious masked rider aboard, natch.

* “Undersea Kingdom.” Also known as “Sharad of Atlantis,” this below-sea and below-par adventure stars Ray (Crash) Corrigan.