Crammed with new material and sneak previews, this is "X-Men" heaven, DVD style. This is no mere upgrade from the first DVD release. Most of the material is new, and the retrospective angle works well, as the people involved talk about the project from the set of "X-Men 2", which you get a hefty-sized sneak preview of on disc two.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture Vivid and sharp, this is one of those picture transfers you feel you could almost step into, it looks so realistic.
Sound Dramatic, vicious, and exciting, the Dolby and DTS 5.1 mixes rip through the speakers. The DTS version sounds a little tighter, but the Dolby effort kicks ass too.
DISC ONE SPECIAL FEATURES
Enhanced Viewing Options OK, are you paying attention? There are quite a few ways you can watch this film. You can play it with six extended scenes integrated into the movie, or with those six scenes and 17 sections of behind-the-scenes footage too. You can also watch the film with a commentary, and should you choose to incorporate the extended scenes, you can get a commentary for them too.
It's great to have the choice, but the execution is a little clumsy. The extended scenes aren't anamorphic, so you may end up with a squashed image during the extra bits (depending on your TV settings) and the behind-the-scenes footage cuts whether you want it for the scene or not. It's also impossible to skip the behind-the-scenes material if it's not of interest (you can fast forward it though).
That said, the extra material is good and worth seeing.
Audio Commentary Director Bryan Singer admits at the start that before making "X-Men", he never read comic books. Even more galling was that he needed to try and condense 38 years of "X-Men" history into the opening scenes so non-fans would understand what the movie was about.
Despite not previously being a fan, Bryan did see "X-Men" as an ensemble picture, just as with "The Usual Suspects", so he was back on familiar territory in that respect.
Singer offers up quite a bit of technical detail on how scenes were shot. He also reveals that none of the sets were saved so had to be rebuilt for the sequel.
DISC TWO SPECIAL FEATURES
The welcome menu of this disc allows you either to delve into the making of the first film, or take a sneak peek at the sequel.
"X-Men 2" Sneak Preview Here you've got a seven minute look at the sequel, most of which is a combination of a set tour, some behind-the-scenes filming, and the odd glimpse of the finished product. Also in this section you'll find a trailer for the film, and a teaser for "Daredevil".
Evolution X From this point the special features, many of them brand new retrospective efforts, concentrate on the first movie.
Special Effects of the X-Men Delve into this menu and you get five special effects breakdowns and a 17-minute featurette. There's plenty of behind-the-scenes footage on offer, plus a look at how some of the characters were turned into pure CGI effects for difficult shots.
Reflections of the X-Men Three featurettes make up this retrospective look at a film no one was sure would be a success.
In the first featurette, producer Lauren Shuler Donner admits that most people were openly questioning her decision to do a comic book movie.
The other two featurettes contain footage from the premieres around the world. It's quite possible you'll never see so much mugging in front of a camera as you get here. Plus people keep shoving their tongues out - it's very strange.
Producing the X-Men In this section you get two multi-angle scenes, and a fraction of footage of the Prime Minister of Canada, presumably on a set visit.
The main attraction, though, is an hour-long diary of the film shoot, right from the first production meeting to the actors playing their roles. You get to see storyboard, art and design department meetings, sketches, set building, and even a review of the shooting schedule taking place.
This glut of behind-the-scenes footage is interspersed with cast and crew interviews. Ian McKellen discusses Bryan Singer's directing style. Heaping praise on the guy, he singles Singer out as a director of excellent taste.
Bringing X-Men to Life This is a revealing part of the DVD, where you can see Hugh Jackman's first reading, his screen test, and an image gallery of the characters.
There's also a 24-minute featurette where the actors, one by one, confess that they hadn't read comic books before, and most hadn't even heard of the X-Men.
X-Factor The last sub-menu of the DVD contains four large image galleries, a costume test for Cyclops (teenage boys will love it), and a make-up test for Toad.
There's also a 22-minute featurette on the design and look of the X-Men. Each character is dealt with in turn, from costume designs to make-up and behind-the-scenes footage of the effects work.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Region: 2
Chapters: 40
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1
Audio Tracks: English
Subtitles: Multiple languages
Captions: English
Menus: Animated, with music
Special Features Subtitles: All of the special features, including the commentary, come with subtitles.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.
The "X-Men 1.5" DVD is out to buy on Monday 7th April 2003.
