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There are two
movies out on DVD today by director Zack
Snyder. Some have called him ‘Hack’
Snyder, but I heartily disagree. Granted,
he really didn’t find himself embraced
by horror fans back in 2004 when he came
on the scene with a remake of George Romero’s
“Dawn of the Dead.” I have to
say I agreed with most. The films was actually
really good, so good that I felt it should
have stood on its own, without tying it
to the proven classic. (Different name and
all…)
That said… 2 years later Snyder hit
us audiences again with the visual knockout
that was “300.” Based on the
graphic novel by Frank Miller, “300”
recreated the story of the stand that was
taken at Thermoplyae in 480 B.C. against
the tens of thousands of soldiers that made
up the Persia. Accused of being a little
on the homo-erotic side (by a small minded
few), the film was a slick and stunning
onslaught of visual artistry.
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While the film has a few detractors, mostly from
homophobes complaining about the sparse uniforms
worn by the Spartans and the rippling muscles
(interesting that they would notice… hmmm?),
Snyder did an amazing job of translating the graphic
novel accurately. At times, the film seemed like
a living storyboard of its source.
I could go on and on about the film itself, but
it has been reviewed ad infinitum, and I’m
here more to talk about its newest incarnation.
Warner Brothers is releasing “300: The Complete
Experience” on Blu-ray. And yes… it
is a case of multiple dipping, but I have to say
this is the most comprehensive version I’ve
seen yet. The packaging itself is quite nice as
it has the look of being a bound book. I guess
in a way it is, as the front half of the case
is actually a 40 page book full of photos and
information about the production. The only odd
bit is that the Digital Download disc is in a
small envelope stuck to the back of the case.
I’m not a really big fan of that, it’s
like this cool packaging has a little sleeve riding
piggyback.
The 2-disc set contains a ton of supplemental
materials as well as the aforementioned Digital
Download for your mobile device (a terrific addition
that we are seeing more and more). But to the
movie itself, the video presentation is as perfect
as you can get. Keeping in mind that Snyder purposely
went for a graphic novel look by filtering out
a lot of the color and adding grain to get its
look, the images are exactly as they were on the
big screen. I turned up the stereo for this one
and was completely immersed in the atmosphere
created by the sound mix.
If you have a few days, you can sit back and
be entertained by the myriad of special features
that fill this disc. Most notably are the various
branching features including “Creating a
Legend” which looks at the original graphic
novel; “Bringing the Legend to Life”
which focuses more on the technical aspects of
the film; and “The History Behind the Myth”
which compares fiction to what we know of fact.
You can switch back and forth between these features,
if you so desire. Additionally, there is a fascinating
feature that allows you to watch a picture-in-picture
commentary where Snyder is given the opportunity
to visually compare the film to its raw components.
Technically, this is a film student’s dream.
As it is the “Complete Experience”,
this set also includes all of the features that
were available on the previous Blu-ray release.
These come in the form of various behind the scenes
featurettes, deleted scenes, webisodes, and a
voice commentary by Snyder and director of photography
Larry Fong. Then there’s the BD-Live section…
go to town.
“300: The Complete Experience” is
a very well-produced Blu-ray set for what is essentially
a ‘love it or hate it’ movie. Personally,
I loved it.
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic
West, David Wenham
Extras: Bluescreen Picture In Picture, 300 Spartans
- Fact Or Fiction, Preparing For Battle: The Original
Test Footage, Who Were The Spartans, Frank Miller
Tapes, Webisodes, Additional Scenes, Audio Commentary
By Director Zack Snyder, Additional Features Via
Warner Bros. Blu-ray Live, 40 Page Book, Includes
Digital Copy Of 300 For Portable Media Players
Specifications: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 (2.40:1), English
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 7/21/2009
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.300ondvd.com
We'll give 300: The Complete Experience (Blu-ray)
an A.
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