The window between a film's theatrical release and its arrival on Blu-ray and DVD continues to slam shut, with a bumper crop of would-be blockbusters from all the way back in May hitting store shelves in the next few weeks. It used to be you had to wait months and years for your favorite film to get the Deluxe Titanium Edition treatment, but with Video on Demand allowing cable customers to stream recent releases into the living room earlier and for less cash than buying physical media, the studios have had to step up their game.
As such, we get a set like the Robin Hood Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack (out Sept. 21). This medieval repairing of Gladiator star Russell Crowe with director Ridley Scott didn't work at the multiplex, devolving into an oddly flat rip-off of the famous Omaha Beach landing in Saving Private Ryan. In the home theater, however, anglophiles and fans of history can relish the winning performance by Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian and all of Scott's absurd attention to period detail in his unrated director's cut.
The special features include something called the Director's Notebook, which promises "A seamlessly-branched multimedia presentation focusing on the director's vision, taking us into Ridley Scott's unique process," that includes behind-the-scenes footage, the director's drawings (called "Ridleygrams," apparently) and interviews with his closest collaborators. Seems tailor-made for those who enjoy deep peeks into the creative process.
One other cool feature I have to mention is Pocket BLU, a mobile app for your iPhone or Android device that turns the smartphone into a remote control for the Blu-ray player. If you've ever tried to get deep into Blu-ray's advanced BD Live content with the standard remote, you know Pocket BLU could be a godsend — if it works as advertised, of course.
Following Robin Hood out of the gate is the much more anticipated Iron Man 2 three disc Blu-Ray-DVD combo pack. (Out Sept. 28.) Barely four months after blasting through theaters, IM2 hits home with an incredible assortment of extras. Yes, you get the standard commentary track by director Jon Favreau, lots of illustration-to-screen comparisons (this is a comic book adaptation, after all) and featurettes on what seems like every aspect of the production, from the redesign of Tony Stark's super suit down to the scoring, editing and pre-production animations. Beyond the usual, Marvel has included something called the "S.H.I.E.L.D. Data Vault," which adds clarifying information to scenes from the movie (think a much more slick Pop-Up Video), and promises to allow fans to "view case files, dossiers, S.H.I.E.L.D. training films, tech details and more." If you've already seen IM2, you know this feature is necessary to figure out who in the hell all those supporting characters were.
Coming weeks will also see the releases of Jaden Smith-Jackie Chan remake of The Karate Kid (Oct. 5), Dreamwork's April hit How To Train Your Dragon (Oct. 12) and the creepy Adrien Brody-Sarah Polley sci-fi chiller Splice (Oct. 12). Enjoy the summer … again.
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.