XF:IWTB on blu-ray and dvd

[Blackoil]

Okay, thanks! :) I just can't wait for my DVD to come...

[Guest Laurent.]

Damn it!

I've already placed my pre-order on amazon, and I found out this morning that a shop near me has limited quantities (only 17!!!) of a special metal-boxed edition of the 3-disc set.

I'll probably buy the two and give the regular one as a Christmas gift... but I would have liked to hear about the metallic edition earlier. Anyone else has heard something about this limited edition?

edit for those who have bought the ultimate x-phile edition: Now that I think about it.... Is the x-phile edition in a metallic box? 'Cause this special edition might be the same one I pre-ordered from amazon. I'd like to know quickly because I can still cancel my pre-order... Thanks in advance guys!

2nd edit (an hour later): Order with amazon has been canceled... I should get my new (metallic) order this week!!!

[Guest Laurent.]

I just realized: they had more than 17 copies of the special edition, but they only had 17 left, and that's not for the shop near me but for the entire country! I'm guessing that the dvd will get some decent sell numbers!

For those in Canada (anyone?), or maybe even the States (they probably do international shipping), there are only 14 left: X-Files: I Want To Believe (Future Shop Exclusive Collectible Steelbook)

[Guest ZeusFaber]

As promised, my review of the DVD features:

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

"2-Disc Director's Cut" -- UK Region 2 DVD

Extended Director’s Cut

The new cut presented here is only marginally extended, as Chris Carter wisely resists the urge to tinker too much or unnecessarily bloat the movie as some might accuse George Lucas of doing with the Star Wars franchise or Ridley Scott with Blade Runner. Most of the extension work is very subtle, particularly in the illicit transplant procedures which linger a bit longer on the severed head and decaying body parts, but only to a degree where it would be difficult to pinpoint the exact changes without a frame-by-frame comparison to the original theatrical cut (only available on the Region 1 release). Elsewhere, we are treated to an extra emotional moment with Scully at the hospital as she cries over the plight of young Christian, and we see the villainous Janke (Callum Keith Rennie) watching from a distance with another body part to dispose of as the FBI team discover the motherload beneath the “dirty glass” with Father Joe. Finally, when the time comes for Agent Whitney to meet her demise, we get to see her actually hit the ground this time after plummeting several stories – ouch. There is also a slight variation to the end credits sequence, restoring a massive collection of snapshots that was ultimately cut from the theatrical release. They are very cute in putting a face with each name as the cast and crew credits roll, and are a tribute to the sort of family reunion that was basically going on up in Vancouver, but they do tend to make the sequence look a touch too “busy” for the eye, where the original had more of a purity. Overall, the extended cut is not a major revision by any stretch of the imagination. It is merely a final tweak and slightly less censored, and although the knee-jerk reaction might be one of disappointed with not getting ten or twenty minutes worth of new material to consume, on reflection it seems a wise move not to meddle too much with the movie, staying true to its story and pace rather than padding it out just for the sake of it.

Audio Commentary by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz

Director Chris Carter and his fellow writer/producer Frank Spotnitz provide a solid, informative track that thankfully focuses on the movie in question rather than indulging in “you’d-have-to-be-there” anecdotes. It’s fair to say that Carter spends the vast majority of the commentary with his director’s hat on, while Spotnitz talks almost exclusively with his producer’s hat on, leaving the pair’s writers’ hats to stay firmly on the stand. As such, most topics are rooted in production information, shooting locations, cinematography and a guide to all the familiar faces amongst the cast and extras. While this all makes for interesting listening, it can be just marginally disappointing for those hoping for more insights into the writing process, although there are some references to the storylining and scripting stages. Carter and Spotnitz take the time to identify the majority of the extended scenes and shots added into the new cut, and there are no periods of wasted silence whatsoever, leaving you with the sense that the duo had far more to say than they could pack in to the feature running time.

Deleted Scenes

Three excised scenes are presented on the first disc, each of which might be familiar to those who have read the novelization. The first features second abductee Cheryl Cunningham begging her Russian captors to let her go, only to receive the small comfort of a handful of sweets. The second has Father Joe at Christian Fearon’s bedside at the hospital, interrupted by a furious Scully, which is undoubtedly the best of the bunch. The third, by contrast, is probably the least exciting, showing us Stephen E. Miller’s feed-store owner looking down on Mulder’s wrecked car and calling in help, but failing to notice Mulder himself as he struggles to climb free. Each of the scenes are welcome to have, but none leap out as deserving to be in the cut, showing that the right decision was made to leave them out.

“Trust No One: Can The X-Files Remain a Secret?” documentary

A thoroughly engaging insight into the making of the movie, packed with on-camera interviews and covering a little bit of everything. As the title would suggest, the main focus is on the levels of secrecy and disinformation that shrouded the production, and the lengths the crew went to prevent the plot from being leaked, but there is also more than fair coverage of all elements of the movie-making process from beginning to end. In the internet age, there’s little that a dedicated fan couldn’t already know if they’d kept up with all the news in real time over the past year, but what this documentary does is assemble it all into a very neat package and allows us to see an inside perspective on things we’ve already read about.

Carter and Spotnitz talk about how they approached the franchise with new eyes after six years and how they came at the story from the contrastive positions of a man of faith (Carter) and an atheist (Spotnitz). David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson fill us in on their experience alongside all the other major players amongst the cast, including an hilarious Billy Connolly. The only notable absentee is Mitch Pileggi, who does not put in an appearance.

The meat of the documentary is in guiding us through how many (or how few) people had access to the full script, what leaked to the media and when, and what the team quickly improvised to counteract such exposure. Fans will recognize the werewolf head prop and discover how it came about, the photoshopped Californication promo and the debate around its authenticity, plus paparazzi catching the first days of filming on camera and putting up video on YouTube, as well as when the synopsis of the novelization hit the ‘net.

The final third of the piece moves on to post-production, where things inevitably become less interesting unless you happen to work in that field. A walkthrough with a visual effects techy painstakingly and laboriously working on the digital rendering of Agent Whitney’s fall drags somewhat and lacks much spark, but sitting in on the editing process with Carter, Spotnitz and Richard Harris feels quite intimate and enlightening. We are also treated to a look at Mark Snow’s recording process with both his traditional orchestra and his “effect orchestra,” which is fun.

The documentary’s coverage ends prior to the film’s theatrical release, so you will not see anything of the premiere events in LA or London, nor any reaction to its reception at the box office, amongst critics or fans. But there is some brief footage of the WonderCon panel, and plenty of demonstratable affection for the fanbase, making for an engaging and engrossing piece. The documentary is split into three half-hour segments with a “play all” option.

Chris Carter: Statements on Green Production featurette

Chris Carter takes a few minutes to provide a run-down of the efforts made by the production to stay environmentally-friendly, including a big shout-out to Ford’s hybrid cars which is unfortunately repeated due to lax editing rather than Carter’s persistence. It’s clear this is an issue close to the man’s heart, and he displays a laudable passion in decrying the waste that Hollywood is guilty of, but on the whole the featurette seems slightly out of place amongst the bonus features, being a little too polemical when isolated in its own segment like this.

Body Parts: Special Make-Up Effects featurette

A perfectly serviceable little insight into the creation of all the fake bodies in various stages of life and death used in the movie. Many of them are really quite disturbing in their authenticity, especially one designed with a full endoskeleton to allow for complete human movement. There is also a very realistic severed head, as well as a body packed with all the internal organs waiting to be deconstructed. A whistlestop tour around the prop shop, more or less.

“Dying to Live” Slideshow

Here we have a sequence of still photographs assembled to the tune of Xzibit’s track which was ultimately excised from the end credits. Each photo is a still from the film rather than a behind-the-scenes shot, and they are essentially presented in narrative order to have the effect of a kind of short-story montage – the movie in a nutshell. Xzibit’s music doesn’t quite make for good listening, but that’s largely a matter of taste.

Gag Reel

Nine minutes worth of screwball antics set to the tune of the Sugar Plumb Fairy as cast members slip, slide and dance around in the snow. There is actually much more which adds up to genera goofing around on set than there are tradition line fluffs, with David Duchovny and Billy Connolly exchanging wise-cracks and even Chris Carter himself getting in on the action with a funny little display with a rear-screen projection. Surprisingly though, there is no coverage of the falsetto “nailed it!” catchphrase that became notorious, where one might have expected a quickfire montage of yelps. But off-set noises distract, Gillian Anderson lets out a few expletives, and it all culminates in a quite hilarious take on what the sinister surgeons might get up to when they’re not transplanting human heads. Good fun.

Stills Galleries

Four collections of still images which you navigate at your own pace with the remote. First up, an assembly of collectibles features bits and pieces of merchandise from the franchise over the years – you may see a few of your books or action figures here, but otherwise it’s pretty unremarkable. Second, a number of hand-drawn storyboards depicting key action sequences which is tempting to skip through rather fast. Third we have concept art, which features some more hand-drawings of key sets and locations, most notably the Russians’ makeshift base. And finally, unit photography, which is by far the best of the bunch, showing a few behind-the-scenes images and generally allowing us to see the other side of the camera.

Trailers

Only two trailers here, the first being the internet trailer which premiered at WonderCon, and the second is the theatrical trailer for most territories – the one with the tagline “To Find the Truth, You Must Believe”. Both are excellent, and it’s only a shame that we couldn’t have had more of the TV spots archived here for posterity.

Bonus Digital Copy

This relatively new initiative comes on its very own bonus disc, making a total of three. Instructions for getting the content onto your Portable Media Player via a PC or Mac are clearly given on the package’s inside cover. If transferring to PC, you’ll need to have all the latest Windows Media Player updates (which may be objectionable to some), but once done you’re good to go with a very easy interface. The whole transfer process takes approximately five minutes (which is likely to vary based on your processor, drive speed and such), after which you are left with a WMV file of around 1.3GB, making storage problematic but not unreasonable. There is no option to transfer with the audio commentary, just the movie alone. Some PMPs may require extra plug-ins, and must be “Play For Sure”, meaning your device must be able to support protected content. Check your player’s specs carefully, as compatibility is by no means guaranteed.

[Guest Moriarty]

Nice review Zeus, as always. I have to wait until x-mas to get my dvd and though I did not enjoy the movie that much I am looking out for it.

[Blackoil]

Thank you for your review, ZeusFaber!

[The Old Man]

Outstanding review James, clear, concise and informative, thank you very much indeed.

Personally, I haven't bought this yet, because I can't decide if now is the time to buy a Blu-Ray player or not.

[Orodromeus]

Thanks for the rundown, Zeus! I'm buying the R2 shortly.

The lack of the theatrical cut in R2 as opposed to R1 is another thing that makes you wonder what those marketing guys were thinking.

Finally, when the time comes for Agent Whitney to meet her demise, we get to see her actually hit the ground this time after plummeting several stories – ouch. There is also a slight variation to the end credits sequence, restoring a massive collection of snapshots that was ultimately cut from the theatrical release. They are very cute in putting a face with each name as the cast and crew credits roll, and are a tribute to the sort of family reunion that was basically going on up in Vancouver, but they do tend to make the sequence look a touch too “busy” for the eye, where the original had more of a purity.

The changes to the director's cut (which I haven't seen yet!) sound good, but these two annoy me. I thought the sudden cut to Mulder's face at the end of Whitney's fall was very effective -- a great example of "less is more" -- I hope that's not botched here.

[Guest Laurent.]

What about the dog attack when the 2nd victim tries to escape? Was the end of the sequence changed? I remember that it cuts rather quickly to the other scene so that you don't even see the actual attack... which was similar to what TXF did on tv.

P.S. Very good review Zeus! Thanks a lot!

[Guest betweenthelines]

I just realized: they had more than 17 copies of the special edition, but they only had 17 left, and that's not for the shop near me but for the entire country! I'm guessing that the dvd will get some decent sell numbers!

For those in Canada (anyone?), or maybe even the States (they probably do international shipping), there are only 14 left: X-Files: I Want To Believe (Future Shop Exclusive Collectible Steelbook)

As far as I know, the only American store selling the steelbook is F.Y.E. I'm guessing the steelbook is just special packaging . . .? Unfortunately the website didn't mention specific details about it.