There’s a new version of Crimson Tide coming out on DVD, and it’s called the Unrated Extended DVD, sounds impressive doesn’t it? A great movie with finally a worthy DVD release? Afraid not, no.
The current Special Edition release (currently a mere £7 delivered) offers the following:
7 x Deleted Scenes, Trailer, Behind The Scenes Featurette, Making Of’ Documentary, Interactive Menu, Scene Access
Well scene access and interactive menu’s are not extra’s, they are standards on every DVD, as is a trailer, so let’s scrub those off the list. That leaves us with your standard behind the scenes and making of with seven deleted scenes. Not too bad, but no commentary. It’s in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Anamorphic 2.35:1, so the audio and picture are pretty good on paper.
So what of the new version, this Unrated Extended version? Well according to Movies Online:
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English DD5.1 Surround, Optional French Subtitles, Additional Footage Added Back into the Movie, Deleted Scenes, All-New Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Making of, and more
Eh? So we’re probably getting those seven deleted scenes linked into the movie to watch as a whole and another TV advertisement of a behind the scenes featurette. Very poor, unless that “and more” means an audio commentary, but considering how the list scales down as you go through it, it doesn’t look good. It actually looks the same!
For me an audio commentary is the key extra that I want to see on a DVD, followed by any alternate endings, relevant deleted scenes (not just cuts from the edit room). As for the DVD, I want a DTS\ES and\or DD5.1\6.1\EX audio and Anamporphic Widescreen. Let’s see and hear it as though the filmmakers intended.
For those Home Cinema fans out there, what do you look for on a DVD? What extras do you want in them? Are you attracted by the gimmick of the Crimson Tide above?
