Even though the bonus features are not compelling enough, the anamorphic video presentation alone might tip the scale on a new purchase.
Video:
First, I must inform our readers that I do not have the previous DVD release of "Deep Impact" to compare with this Special Collector´s Edition. So what I describe here is purely for this new edition only. The video this time is presented in anamorphic widescreen measuring in at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. I must say that the video images look great with a good amount of details. Overall colors are quite accurate and the skin tones look natural. Specks of dust do occasionally appear but they are far in between. Subtitles are only available in English.
Audio:
Similar to the previous release, there are two English language audio tracks, a Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Surround 2.0. What is new though, is an additional French Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The discrete 5.1 track is quite impressive with a wide range all around, making good use of the surround channels and the bass component. Dialogue is very clear without any hint of distortion.
Extras:
Ah, the Special Collector´s Edition (SCE). Paramount has recently released a slew of SCE DVDs that adds bonus features to previous movie-only releases. Depending on whom you speak to, this is a good trend where great movies are finally getting the attention that they deserve. On the flip side, many will definitely complain about Paramount not releasing such an edition in the first place. For those who don´t own any of these movies getting the SCE treatment, it is good news but for those who do, it is not a good situation to be in. Should I upgrade or should I keep my current DVD? Depending on whether you like the extra DVD bonus features that come with the SCEs or not (barring any major upgrades in the video and audio), this is a question that has a simple enough answer.
"Deep Impact SCE" features the following extras:
First is an audio commentary with director Mimi Leder and Visual Effect Supervisor Scott Farrar. This is simply not a very good commentary track by both speakers. While Leder is more knowledgeable of some of the behind-the scenes action, Farrar is only effective during the scenes with heavy use of special effects. Then there are also some long silent pauses in between as both speakers are not that talkative.
Next is "Preparing For The End" which features interviews with the show´s writers Bruce Joel Rubin and Michael Tolkin talking about how "Deep Impact" evolved from an idea into a movie. Rubin starts off by telling a story about getting a call from Steven Spielberg to write a story for Dreamworks along the same lines as "When Worlds Collide". There are also interviews with Mimi Leder and even astronomer Eugene Shoemaker. Leder talks about the casting and Tolkin, who was brought in to clean up Rubin´s initial story, describes how they develop some of the characters.
In "Making An Impact", Leder and Tolkin talked about the shooting experience and the development of the comet surface sets and the special effects shots. "Deep Impact" was Leder´s first special effects-heavy movie. Scott Farrar then jumps in to provide some insights into the special effects done by ILM. He went into details about the space scenes and how they were at the forefront of special effects technology when they developed new software to mimic realistic water movement during the giant wave scene.
The "Creating the Perfect Traffic Jam" feature, Leder and the various crew members talk about the logistics of shooting the scene where thousands of cars were parked on an highway to recreate a massive traffic jam of people and cars fleeing the city. Remarkably, no special effects were used for this scene.
In "Parting Thoughts", Leder talks about her fears during the test screenings because the first cut was longer than expected. She cites the need to shorten the relationship segments between Leo and Sarah, which is accompanied by a couple of deleted scenes.
Other than the "Photo Gallery" segment, which is made up of screenshots from the movie, there are also two trailers (one teaser and the other theatrical) that round up the special features.
Packaging:
No inserts are included with this DVD.
Film Value:
As John describes in his review of the previous release of "Deep Impact", the audio and video quality of that DVD was already top-notch. However, this time, the video is anamorphic, which is a huge improvement. So, with improved video presentation and new bonus features, there is an incentive for anyone who already owns the last release to upgrade. Even though the bonus features are not compelling enough, the anamorphic video presentation alone might tip the scale on a new purchase. The low price of this DVD might also be a deciding factor for many.
First, I must inform our readers that I do not have the previous DVD release of "Deep Impact" to compare with this Special Collector´s Edition. So what I describe here is purely for this new edition only. The video this time is presented in anamorphic widescreen measuring in at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. I must say that the video images look great with a good amount of details. Overall colors are quite accurate and the skin tones look natural. Specks of dust do occasionally appear but they are far in between. Subtitles are only available in English.
Audio:
Similar to the previous release, there are two English language audio tracks, a Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Surround 2.0. What is new though, is an additional French Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The discrete 5.1 track is quite impressive with a wide range all around, making good use of the surround channels and the bass component. Dialogue is very clear without any hint of distortion.
Extras:
Ah, the Special Collector´s Edition (SCE). Paramount has recently released a slew of SCE DVDs that adds bonus features to previous movie-only releases. Depending on whom you speak to, this is a good trend where great movies are finally getting the attention that they deserve. On the flip side, many will definitely complain about Paramount not releasing such an edition in the first place. For those who don´t own any of these movies getting the SCE treatment, it is good news but for those who do, it is not a good situation to be in. Should I upgrade or should I keep my current DVD? Depending on whether you like the extra DVD bonus features that come with the SCEs or not (barring any major upgrades in the video and audio), this is a question that has a simple enough answer.
"Deep Impact SCE" features the following extras:
First is an audio commentary with director Mimi Leder and Visual Effect Supervisor Scott Farrar. This is simply not a very good commentary track by both speakers. While Leder is more knowledgeable of some of the behind-the scenes action, Farrar is only effective during the scenes with heavy use of special effects. Then there are also some long silent pauses in between as both speakers are not that talkative.
Next is "Preparing For The End" which features interviews with the show´s writers Bruce Joel Rubin and Michael Tolkin talking about how "Deep Impact" evolved from an idea into a movie. Rubin starts off by telling a story about getting a call from Steven Spielberg to write a story for Dreamworks along the same lines as "When Worlds Collide". There are also interviews with Mimi Leder and even astronomer Eugene Shoemaker. Leder talks about the casting and Tolkin, who was brought in to clean up Rubin´s initial story, describes how they develop some of the characters.
In "Making An Impact", Leder and Tolkin talked about the shooting experience and the development of the comet surface sets and the special effects shots. "Deep Impact" was Leder´s first special effects-heavy movie. Scott Farrar then jumps in to provide some insights into the special effects done by ILM. He went into details about the space scenes and how they were at the forefront of special effects technology when they developed new software to mimic realistic water movement during the giant wave scene.
The "Creating the Perfect Traffic Jam" feature, Leder and the various crew members talk about the logistics of shooting the scene where thousands of cars were parked on an highway to recreate a massive traffic jam of people and cars fleeing the city. Remarkably, no special effects were used for this scene.
In "Parting Thoughts", Leder talks about her fears during the test screenings because the first cut was longer than expected. She cites the need to shorten the relationship segments between Leo and Sarah, which is accompanied by a couple of deleted scenes.
Other than the "Photo Gallery" segment, which is made up of screenshots from the movie, there are also two trailers (one teaser and the other theatrical) that round up the special features.
Packaging:
No inserts are included with this DVD.
Film Value:
As John describes in his review of the previous release of "Deep Impact", the audio and video quality of that DVD was already top-notch. However, this time, the video is anamorphic, which is a huge improvement. So, with improved video presentation and new bonus features, there is an incentive for anyone who already owns the last release to upgrade. Even though the bonus features are not compelling enough, the anamorphic video presentation alone might tip the scale on a new purchase. The low price of this DVD might also be a deciding factor for many.
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[release]12812[/release]