Whether it is CGI mummies, bugs or battles, they are really impressive and make the movie even more fun. Grab the popcorn, crank up your speakers and enjoy the two hour ride. While I thought Universal did a good job the first time around when releasing "The Mummy" on DVD, this new set has a lot more, though there are still things missing from the original DVD not a lot.
There's no doubt this is just to promote and hype "The Mummy Returns", sell a lot more discs with a new marketing campaign and whatnot. Still, this two-disc set is hard to resist. For this new set, Universal has included both an anamorphic widescreen version of the film and a full frame version of the film.
Even though I'm a giant fan of widescreen, I was pleased to see the full frame in this set. I actually like it when both versions are included on a DVD or DVDs in this case , it really just makes a whole package complete. I also like to compare how badly some magnificent shots are cropped in full frame as compared to the widescreen I really need to get a life.
Still, films are often released separately in their respective ratios for space and whatnot. And while releasing both ratios on the same disc or discs s is nothing new to Universal, I would have preferred if they were both on the same disc, as Universal has done in the past. But I'm going to get into a whole schpeal about the way the video and audio is set up a bit later, but for now, let's discuss these excellent transfers.
The first disc has the film in 2. Places where I expected artifacting and shimmering there was little to none. Colors are saturated really well, bringing the bright yellows and dark tones of Egypt to full life.
Detail is also exceptional, and the black level is very consistent and constructed perfectly. Interior and exterior shots were really impressive too, sort of like a moving portrait. If there's any complaints, it's that there's some dirt and grain here and there, as well as some noise. Also, during a few scenes a line splits down the picture toward the left for only a few seconds, as the image remains a bit soft during that time.
No doubt though, it's one fine transfer. The second disc holds the film 1. Of course, I'm a widescreen advocate and it annoys me when films especially with wider aspect ratios are panned, scanned and cropped. I actually noticed a little bit more noise in some areas. And of course, it's full frame Unless you absolutley love full frame, than this version is for you. Otherwise, do yourself a favor watch the widescreen. Also for this set, Universal has expanded its audio options.
However, I must admit I don't like the way they're set up, because the way it is you can't please everybody. But more on that a little later. Let me explain the options you have. For the widescreen version of the film, you have a choice of English Dolby Digital 5. Also, the commentaries are only for the widescreen version of the movie. For the full frame, there's English Dolby Digital 5. The Dolby Digital 5.
Each are incredibly discreet, but in the end, the DTS edges it out by a tiny margin. There's plenty of great surrounds as an adventurous, bone-chilling atmosphere is created.
During Chapter 2 there's some excellent dynamic range, as with all of the action sequences. From the fights, the screams, Mummys popping out, the insects crawling and the guns going off, everything here's a real winner. It's mixed with much creativity, and dialogue sounds very clear here. There's just a lot as far as sounds with the movie, because, it's an action blockbuster type of film. Jerry Goldsmith's fabulous score sounds amazing on whichever track you choose, but I prefer the DTS because it just sounds a bit sharper to me.
Still, you won't be disappointed. But maybe you will if you want DTS on the full frame version The first Universal Ultimate Edition is pretty loaded, as Universal brings us most of the Collector's Edition supplements as well as a lot of new goodies. However, before I begin, I will now rant about the video and audio. I find Universal splitting the widescreen and full frame on seperate disc annoyings. My preference is to have a whole presentation on one disc, and extras on another with big sets like these.
However, Universal didn't go this route. In the past as I earlier mentioned, they've included widescreen and full frame on one DVD. Still, we don't know for sure how much space it all takes up, since "The Mummy" runs for well over two hours.
Maybe if two versions and all the tracks were on a single disc, it could have effected the video quality. It's a likely case, but again, no one knows for sure. Anyhow, besides on two seperate discs, what annoys me is that having all of it split up, you can't make everyone happy.
Perhaps you like full frame and DTS. Usually in a situation such as this, the director would dominate the track, but these two appear to be old friends so the commentary is much better balanced than I would expect. Both men tend to focus on the technical aspects of making the movie, but they also toss in a good number of funny anecdotes from the set.
It's a nicely casual track and the two participants are witty and engaging. Unfortunately, it was a crashing bore. While Fraser occasionally drops in an interesting little tidbit - such as an extra who constantly stared at the camera, or his own near-hanging on the set - for the most part the actor simply giggles as he watches the flick. This one involves actors Arnold Vosloo, Kevin J. All three were recorded together for this running, screen-specific track.
For instance, Vosloo relates his dislike of some processes, and a few shots are criticized. It really spends most of its time detailing the technical side of the filmmaking process. At the start of the program, briefly discusses his inspirations for the film, but after that, it's almost entirely a review of the special effects machinery.
That's okay, but I would have preferred a program that also got into the "whats" and "whys" as opposed to just the "hows". All in all, this documentary and the commentary do a great job of detailing that latter issue, but the other two aspects get left out to a large degree.
Nonetheless, while the documentary is a little dry and not quite up to the high standards established by many other Universal "Collector's Edition" programs, it's still pretty good and worth a look. One very nice extra is the Egyptology section. This part provides a bunch of text pieces - 43 in all - that discuss various aspects of Egyptian history that relate to the film.
I found this section to be very informative and interesting. Universal also provide a section of biographies for six cast members and for Sommers. As is typical of their work, these pieces are fairly well done and offer more information than do most DVD biographies. Oddly, although the original DVD provided trailers for Gods and Monsters and Darkman 2 within the entries for Fraser and Vosloo, respectively, those have been removed for the Ultimate Edition.
Note that the biographies have not been updated to reflect the activities of the past two years. In that vein: helloooo, ladies!
The original DVD featured some additional production details, whereas the new one simply gives us an introduction from director Sommers. Since all he does is tell us what supplements the DVD includes, I thought these were a waste of time and missed the old notes.
That concludes the first disc, so we now move on to the extras found on DVD Two. One disappointment was the collection of deleted scenes. There are three of them, and they only last for a total of two minutes and 15 seconds. The first two are essentially character exposition, while the last one was a fight scene from the climactic section of the film.
None are missed in the final product. Sommers and Ducsay discussed why these scenes were omitted during their running commentary on DVD One. From what they said, it sounded like a number of other pieces were cut from the film, so it's a disappointment that we receive so little excised material. Pretty interesting - though awkwardly executed - is the section called Visual and Special Effects Formation. Essentially, this piece features five different effects scenes from the movie and shows how they were created; each segment progresses a little bit at a time.
The effects themselves are presented visually while effects supervisor John Berton discusses them. I liked this section and thought it offered some good information. However, it's presented in a very user-unfriendly manner. Each scene is broken down into four or five "passes;" in this way, we see how the effects evolved until they reach their final form. Since some of the clips only last a few seconds, that gets very old very fast. All in all, this section fills up about 13 minutes of video-time, but it'll take you much longer than that to actually watch it.
Okay, maybe not much longer, but definitely more time than it should take. It's a nicely done piece, but you may give up on it out of irritation with the process. DVD Two includes a few trailers. Missing from the original DVD is a second trailer for the first film. The rest of DVD Two provides materials not found on the original disc. Each of these shows the boards at the top of the screen and the finished movie in the bottom half.
They run between 50 seconds and seconds for a total of three minutes and 40 seconds of footage. This piece runs for four minutes and 15 seconds and makes for a modest but somewhat interesting program. This minute and second featurette does its best to promote the sequel. We find a mix of film clips, interview snippets with actors and crew, and some behind the scenes shots from the set.
Here you either jump or duck beetles that scroll across the screen at you. How lame is that? Even the contest found on Rugrats In Paris was superior - at least that one required you to move laterally as well. Credit should also go towards the leads in the cast, especially Brendan Fraser, who prior to this was mostly known for playing either nice guys or likeable goofballs. The Mummy is a jaw-dropping, superbly crafted piece of entertainment, knockout special effects, and winning humor.
This is a 2-disc set, which features an anamorphic widescreen presentation on disc 1, and the standard, full frame version on disc 2. Colors are consistently beautiful and vibrant, with desert scenes glowing with orange, and even darkly lit and nighttime scenes showing up terrifically. A perfectly illustrated example of how movies should look on DVD.
The 5. Musical score is picked up remarkably, striking a big impact, and distinct sounds, not to mention every possible all-around sounds, are picked up on speakers, which shows some tremendous effort from Universal. Released to commemorate the upcoming release of the upcoming sequel, The Mummy Returns , Universal went back to the drawing board, and simply added some more outstanding extras to the mix, and the result is nothing less than one of the best discs of the year, and possibly of all time.
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