Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Member since:11.07.2000
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To start off this opinion I'm not going to talk much about the film other than say it's a great action packed comic book movies that actually takes time to focus on the characters and actually grounds itself in the real world.
Now the dvd has been available in the USA since November and has now seen a R2 release. All the extras arethe same although the packaging isn't and we get another pointless featurette and a trailer for Tian A.E
20TH Century Fox has vastly improved their dvd output in the past year and with X-Men provong a big hit you'd expect a great dvd. Bryan Singer was quoted as saying they had shot a lot of behind the scenes stuff and there was a rumour that a lot of stuff had been cut from the film.
What we get is very poor by comparison to say disks like Fight Club. Firstly the picture is presented in anamorphic 2.35.1 and features a Dolby 5.1 sound mix. The picture is top quality and as you'd expect the sound is great. However a DTS soundtrack was omitted because it apparantly caused a downgrade in picture quality. With disks like Gladiator having these features and being high quality I find this hard to believe. There is also a 2 channel track and a french surround track if you are that way inclined.
The menus are animated and pan around the cerebro chamber as well as Wolverines motorcycle ride. A nice touch.
The extras may look like a good package from the outside but what you get is very poor. There are 6 deleted scenes which are merely more character development. You can choose to put these scenes back into the film but if you do they are not seamless and the film will pause and go to the scene in question where is is presented in lower quailty non-anamorphic. Still nice to have the option.
The Mutant Watch featurette is a big piece of promotional fluff which features very little behind the scenes footage and mainly interviews that can be downloaded off the website. The whole thing is presented as a senate hearing by Senator Kelly which is a nice touch but more would have been nice.
There are a few interview clips with Director Bryan Singer on an american talk show which are very brief and would have been better if pieced together. Singer seems to have a lot to say but a lot is ommited from the dvd.
The best features are the screen test of Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) who plays out the truck scene with Anna Paquin. It shows some signs of the great performance Jackman gave in the film. Again it's short but these are always things that you never normally get to see.
Lastly there is a collection of still that feature a lot of the character and set deisgns. There aer a lot of differnt takes on the costumes and it's also interesting to see that some of the wolverine pictures are modelled on Dougray Scott who was originally cast in the role.
Hidden away on the disk are two easter eggs. There is some concept art for two omitted charcaters Beast and Blob but we are informed these may turn up in later films. The other is an amusing take where the X-men's scene is stumbled upon by Spiderman who realizes he's in the wrong movie !
There are also the normal trailers and tv spots on the disk. Here you get 3 tv spots and the two full trailers. What is missing is the forst teaser which showed Wolverine slingshotting around the statue of Libertys crown. This shot had some negative reactions and was re-shot. It would have been nice to have it on the disk however.
For a big blockbuster film the disk is just ok rather than being feature packed. There are rumours of a full special edition in the future which would seem likely if sequels appear. I love the film so if you do then just get the disk for that.
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Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Great op. The special ed. is indeed out, and apparantly Bryan Singer is in the process of writing X-Men II now.
pakalang 08.04.2001 20:15
couldn't agree more wif the first comment, an excellent look at the x-men dvd region 2. i got this on region 1 and the silver cover is just a collector's item..! i think i missed the easter egg thingy.. gonna have to check that again.. cheers :)
mrbibbly 08.04.2001 19:50
Well written op,with good emphasis on the extra features.Cheers.Alex:)
Although the superhero comic book has been a duopoly since the early 1960s, only DC's ... more
flagship characters, Superman and Batman (who originated in the late 1930s) have established themselves as big-screen franchises. Until now--this is the first runaway...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Born into a world filled with prejudice are children who possess extraordinary and ... more
dangerous powers the result of unique genetic mutations. Cyclops unleashes bolts of energy from his eyes. Storm can manipulate the weather at will. Rogue absorbs the lif...
Although the superhero comic book has been a duopoly since the early 1960s, only DC's ... more
flagship characters, Superman and Batman (who originated in the late 1930s) have established themselves as big-screen franchises. Until now--this is the first runaway...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Born into a world filled with prejudice are children who possess extraordinary and ... more
dangerous powers - the result of unique genetic mutations. Cyclops unleashes bolts of energy from his eyes. Storm can manipulate the weather at will. Rogue absorbs the l...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Unbelievable special effects, good acting, good value, popular with kids, great extra features on the DVD Disadvantages: Too unrealistic, predictable, mutants, appaling ending
craigy_baby_2000 12.04.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of X-Men (DVD)
Advantages: Some attractive actors, seeing a comic come alive, one or two nice special effects. Disadvantages: Very average plot and script, numerous plot holes, changes to the original X-Men, disappointing effects.
ronniec 27.02.2001 ·
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Review of X-Men (DVD)