Region 4 Winners and Losers

    The Region 4 release of this DVD is exactly the same as the Region 2 disc, which has been out since July of last year. In Region 1 this title has been available since way back in 1998, although the first release was only a poor bare-bones version that is now extinct, followed by a new Region 1 release in February of this year. The new Region 1 release is a much more serious two-disc Special Edition put out by Anchor Bay. The identical Region 2/Region 4 versions appear to be the little brother of the Region 1 Special Edition.

    In comparison to the Region 1 two-disc Special Edition, the Region 2/4 version misses out on:

• dts ES 6.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 EX audio tracks (THX-certified)
• Four extra Theatrical Trailers (ie. five trailers in all)
• Two TV spots
• Poster artwork and stills gallery
• Talent bios
• DVD-Rom extra: Original screenplay.

    In comparison to the Region 2/4 version, the Region 1 Special Edition misses out on:

• nothing (with the one possible exception of the DVD-Rom Press-kit extra, but this may well have been covered off within Region 1's Poster artwork and stills gallery).

    In addition to the DVD releases, note that this film was also previously available on laserdisc, released by Criterion. The Criterion LD contained a composite audio commentary track, featuring David Bowie, Nicolas Roeg and Buck Henry. Very sadly though, this audio commentary has not resurfaced on any of the DVD releases at all, not even on the Region 1 two-disc Special Edition. As it is probably unlikely there will be any further re-releases on DVD now, it is annoying to learn that there is a commentary track out there that will now probably never see the light of day on DVD. This is a crying shame.

    OK then, so putting aside the laserdisc commentary, this is clearly a Region 1 winner, as it benefits from having the film on one disc with a choice of two audio tracks - including dts - and having all the extras on a separate disc. I have not reviewed the Region 1 Special Edition, but personally speaking I would remain dubious as to how much more a dts track could really add to this particular film's soundtrack, given it is so dated and the new surround re-mix effort is hardly The Fifth Element material. I feel that, on balance, Universal's Region 4 release, copying the Region 2 effort, is probably a very good compromise, by keeping the film and extras to one disc to keep the cost down, but also by ensuring that we get the benefit of the best of the Special Edition extras, i.e. the 24-minute featurette. Yes, it would have been nice to also get the poster artwork and stills gallery, but instead we now get the (new?) eight-page press kit DVD-Rom extra, which is probably better anyway in providing more detailed information and commentary on the film. The only other major extra we miss out on is the DVD-Rom screenplay - more in the "nice to have" category than a major loss, as this extra would probably only be used by a limited audience anyway.

    In summary, if you are a real fan of this film then you will probably see the value in importing the more expensive two-disc Special Edition, for the benefit of the dts track (if it turns out to be of any real benefit at all) and the added extras. For the rest of us though, Universal have provided the same very good, reduced cost compromise that Region 2 received.