Sometime in the not-too-distant future, boxing has been outlawed and replaced by fighting matches with robots. Big robots. Hulking, rock 'em, sock 'em mechanical robots. But if those machines are cutting edge, <em>Real Steel</em> sticks to an old-fashioned style of storytelling, with a tale of a down-and-out fight manager (Hugh Jackman) looking for a good 'bot to get back in the game, and get back out of debt. Hearts are further tugged by the arrival of this guy's 11-year-old son (Dakota Goyo), who hasn't seen his dad in many years but now needs tending. There's something endearing about the way nobody ever pauses to remark on the fact that they are in the presence of giant remote-controlled prizefighting robots; it's taken for granted in this cockeyed universe. Loosely inspired by a Richard Matheson-penned episode of <em>The Twilight Zone</em>, Shawn Levy's film is lavishly mounted and fairly ridiculous--although in this case, the human interactions are more preposterous and formulaic than the fun robot action. Jackman plays to his roguish strengths, Evangeline Lilly (<em>Lost</em>) gets the perfunctory love interest role, and the villains are uncomplicatedly hissable, from Jackman's good ol' boy rival (Kevin Durand) to the heavily accented owners (Olga Fonda, Karl Yune) of the most fearsome of robots, the undefeated Zeus. If you can imagine <em>Rocky</em> restaged with a pile of spare parts, you might be the audience for <em>Real Steel</em>. <em>--Robert Horton</em>

The Norwegian comedy-fantasy <em>Troll Hunter</em>, a surprise art-house hit across the globe, posits an intriguing question--what if monsters of folklore and popular culture existed, but were kept hidden by the government?--and delivers the results in a clever, faux-documentary format that underscores both the special effects and the satire. Controversial comedian Otto Jespersen is the title character, a world-weary, working-class stiff assigned by a bureaucratic agency to track and eliminate dangerous trolls from the Scandinavian countryside. The lack of respect and notoriety afforded by his job convinces Jespersen to allow a naive collegiate film crew to follow him on his hunts, which nicely balance quirky humour with genuine moments of suspense and some impressive CGI special effects for the trolls. Genre fans' appreciation for the"shaky-cam" subgenre (<em>The Blair Witch Project, [REC], Cloverfield</em>) will undoubtedly affect how they feel about <em>Troll Hunter</em>--the film's light comedy will certainly be lost on those unwilling to either believe or tolerate the idea of another film comprised of"found footage." But more forgiving viewers will be thankful for the rather seamless incorporation of the CGI trolls, all imaginatively rendered as part fairy-tale image and part biological specimen, into live-action scenes, as well as the dryly humourous satire of government"special projects." Pacing is also occasionally an issue--though beautiful, the Norwegian landscape receives far too much coverage--but for the patient, <em>Troll Hunter</em> is a unique and clever experience. --Paul Gaita

A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately"classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not-- Saving Private Ryan , even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! -- Mark Englehart

After 12 years of thinking about it (and waiting for movie technology to catch up with his visions), James Cameron followed up his unsinkable <em>Titanic </em>with <em>Avatar</em>, a sci-fi epic meant to trump all previous sci-fi epics. Set in the future on a distant planet, Avatar spins a simple little parable about greedy colonizers (that would be mankind) messing up the lush tribal world of Pandora. A paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) acts through a 9-foot-tall avatar that allows him to roam the planet and pass as one of the Na'vi, the blue-skinned, large-eyed native people who would very much like to live their peaceful lives without the interference of the visitors. Although he's supposed to be gathering intel for the badass general (Stephen Lang) who'd like to lay waste to the planet and its inhabitants, Jake naturally begins to take a liking to the Na'vi, especially the feisty Neytiri (Zoë Saldana, whose entire performance, recorded by Cameron's complicated motion-capture system, exists as a digitally rendered Na'vi). The movie uses state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron's crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. Maybe it's the fact that Cameron seems torn between his two loves--awesome destructive gizmos and flower-power message mongering--that makes <em>Avatar</em>'s pursuit of its point ultimately uncertain. That, and the fact that Cameron's dialogue continues to clunk badly. If you're won over by the movie's trippy new world, the characters will be forgivable as broad, useful archetypes rather than standard-issue stereotypes, and you might be able to overlook the unsurprising central plot. (The overextended"take that, Michael Bay" final battle sequences could tax even Cameron enthusiasts, however.) It doesn't measure up to the hype (what could?) yet <em>Avatar </em>frequently hits a giddy delirium all its own. The film itself is our Pandora, a sensation-saturated universe only the movies could create. --<em>Robert Horton</em>

Of all the folks in long underwear to be tapped for superhero films, Thor would seem to be the most problematic to properly pull off. (Hypothetical Hollywood conversation:"A guy in a tricked-out, easily merchandisable metal suit? Great! An Asgardian God of Thunder who says stuff like <em>thee</em> and <em>thou</em>? Um, is Moon Knight available?") Thankfully, the resulting film does its source material rather proud, via a committed cast and an approach that doesn't shy away from the over-the-top superheroics. When you're dealing with a flying guy wielding a huge hammer, gritty realism can be overrated, really. Blending elements from the celebrated comic arcs by Walter Simonson and J. Michael Straczynski, the story follows the headstrong Thunder God (Chris Hemsworth) as he is banished to Earth and stripped of his powers by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) after inadvertently starting a war with a planet of ticked-off Frost Giants. As his traitorous brother Loki (the terrific Tom Hiddleston) schemes in the wings, Thor must redeem himself and save the universe, with the aid of a beautiful scientist (Natalie Portman). Although director Kenneth Branagh certainly doesn't skimp on the in-jokes and fan-pleasing continuity references (be prepared to stick around after the credits, Marvel fans), his film distinguishes itself by adopting a larger-than-life cosmic Shakespearean air that sets itself apart from both the cerebral, grounded style made fashionable by <em>The Dark Knight</em> and the loose-limbed Rat Packish vibe of the <em>Iron Man</em> series. Glorying in the absolute unreality of its premise, Branagh's film is a swooping, Jack Kirby-inspired saga that brings the big-budget grins on a consistent basis, as well as tying in with the superhero battle royale <em>The Avengers</em>. <em>--Andrew Wright</em>

If there's an undersea adventure with high-tech equipment, macho posturing, and lots of underwater photography, you know James Cameron must be swimming around the vicinity. Add the fact that <em>Sanctum</em> was released to theaters in 3-D, and it's clinched. Cameron served as executive producer to this crazy tale of a cave-diving expedition forced to improvise when a typhoon inundates their New Guinea location. (The film, shot in Australia, is allegedly based on a true event by co-screenwriter Andrew Wight, but it might be safe to conclude that the original incident was a jumping-off point for the high melodrama on display here.) A globetrotting billionaire (Ioan Gruffudd, of <em>Fantastic Four</em>) is underwriting this exploration of a hidden cave maze, which explains why he gets to bring his girlfriend (Alice Parkinson) along. As a measure of their thrill-seeking habits, we are told they met on an Everest climb. The cave-diving boss is a crusty old pro (Richard Roxburgh), who is rough on his underlings and even rougher on his teenage son (Rhys Wakefield); naturally, the cataclysm that follows will be an occasion for some extreme father-son fence mending. As cornball as these elements are, and as generally toneless as director Alister Grierson's ear is with the dialogue scenes, <em>Sanctum</em> does work up some bona fide thrills: the sheer power of water is unleashed at a few memorable spots, as is the panic of losing an oxygen tank at a crucial moment. It's also pretty brutal, with a steep body count and a few grotesque bits of bodily injury. It ought to be easy to dismiss <em>Sanctum</em> as a silly piece of boy's adventure, but--curse you, Cameron!--one must admit that the thing is awfully effective. <em>--Robert Horton</em>

Unsurprising attracting awards attention, The Pacific is a ten-part series set in the midst of World War II, that follows the actions of three US Marines In the Pacific Theatre Of War. It’s a series not a million miles away from its spiritual predecessor, Band Of Brothers , which is understandable given the crossover of creative talent.

Yet The Pacific is still a show with an identity of its own. It boasts the same sky-high production values of Band Of Brothers , but it also has a broader canvas, and a slightly slower pace to it. It’s absorbing drama, though, and the standard of it is kept high right throughout the ten-episode run. During that time, it takes in many key events of the time, and presents them with staggering confidence and strength.

All of this, of course, makes you hope that the high definition transfer can do all of this justice. Fortunately, the news here is good. Few television shows have been treated to anywhere near the love that The Pacific has been in its 1080p transfer, and matched by surround sound work that’d put many blockbuster movies to shame,

Is it Band Of Brothers 2? Absolutely not. Instead, The Pacific is a wonderful drama series in its own right, and one well worth picking up. -- Jon Foster

Disney's 1994 animated feature, The Lion King , was a huge smash in cinemas and continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed stage production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is deposed by a jealous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the"circle of life" with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking and the songs from Tim Rice and Elton John, accompanied by a colourful score, are more palatable than in many recent Disney features. -- Tom Keogh

The latest example of just how much a terrific documentary series can benefit from the Blu-ray format, Wonders Of The Solar System is a fascinating six-part series that simply looks stunning in high definition.

Presented by Professor Brian Cox, the series takes time to investigate the solar system around us, and the many natural beauties contained within it. Across the episodes, Cox covers the likes of planets themselves, the rings of Saturn, the question of whether we’re alone in the universe, and the sun itself.

What lifts Wonders Of The Solar System above the many shows that have tackled the subject before, however, are two factors. Firstly, it’s Cox himself, an enthused and interesting host, who explains things well and really helps make accessible the material. Secondly, it’s the utterly stunning visuals. The BBC has mixed in CGI along with images sent directly from space to quite breathtaking effect.

And this, inevitably, is where the Blu-ray kicks in. Wonders Of The Solar System simply looks wonderful in high definition, with the visuals coming across terrifically well. On DVD, this all looked very impressive. Here, it’s simply brilliant, and the end result is a series that can sit alongside Planet Earth as an example of just what Blu-ray can do for material of this quality and ilk. -- Jon Foster

Sometime in the not-too-distant future, boxing has been outlawed and replaced by fighting matches with robots. Big robots. Hulking, rock 'em, sock 'em mechanical robots. But if those machines are cutting edge, <em>Real Steel</em> sticks to an old-fashioned style of storytelling, with a tale of a down-and-out fight manager (Hugh Jackman) looking for a good 'bot to get back in the game, and get back out of debt. Hearts are further tugged by the arrival of this guy's 11-year-old son (Dakota Goyo), who hasn't seen his dad in many years but now needs tending. There's something endearing about the way nobody ever pauses to remark on the fact that they are in the presence of giant remote-controlled prizefighting robots; it's taken for granted in this cockeyed universe. Loosely inspired by a Richard Matheson-penned episode of <em>The Twilight Zone</em>, Shawn Levy's film is lavishly mounted and fairly ridiculous--although in this case, the human interactions are more preposterous and formulaic than the fun robot action. Jackman plays to his roguish strengths, Evangeline Lilly (<em>Lost</em>) gets the perfunctory love interest role, and the villains are uncomplicatedly hissable, from Jackman's good ol' boy rival (Kevin Durand) to the heavily accented owners (Olga Fonda, Karl Yune) of the most fearsome of robots, the undefeated Zeus. If you can imagine <em>Rocky</em> restaged with a pile of spare parts, you might be the audience for <em>Real Steel</em>. <em>--Robert Horton</em>

Inspired by Mary Norton's classic children's book <em>The Borrowers</em>, tiny 14 year old Arrietty lives under the floorboards of an old house with her father and mother. Their peaceful life is dramatically changed when the ever curious Arrietty accidentally allows herself to be seen by Sho, a poorly and lonesome 12 year old human boy. The fledgling friendship between the two lonely children causes Haru the housekeeper to become aware of the borrowers' existence. The family of little borrowers are forced to choose between staying in their well-established home or leaving for the uncertainty of the great outdoors.

"Arrietty is an enchanting and tender Ghibli treasur"<br /><em>Little White Lies</em>



"Jaw-droppingly beautiful, superbly paced, devastatingly charming"<br /><em>News of The World </em><br />

<br /><br />LIMITED EDITION COLLECTOR'S DOUBLE PLAY (includes 5 postcards plus DVD and Blu-ray) <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";"></span></span></strong>

<br />EXTRAS: STORYBOARDS, TRAILERS AND JAPANESE TV SPOTS, INTERVIEWS WITH HAYAO MIYAZAKI – HIROMASA YONEBAYASHI, CECILE CORBEL “ARRIETTY’S SONG” PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

Smooth operator Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) zips around Los Angeles in his chauffeured Lincoln town car, cutting deals and finding clients on the road. Then he lands a doozy: a rich real-estate heir (Ryan Phillippe) accused of the brutal assault of an escort. At first, the case looks like a breeze, but odd details start nagging at Haller until he recognizes an ugly connection to an earlier case--and realizes he's been set up in the strangest way. There are some deep implausibilities in <em>The Lincoln Lawyer</em>, but they hardly matter. This is a movie that cruises on charm and smart casting, from McConaughey as a man whose glib polish is betrayed by a streak of doubt, down to the detectives (solid performances from Bryan Cranston, Michael Paré, Michaela Conlin, and others) and lowlifes (Katherine Moennig as an unlucky hooker, Shea Whigham as a lazy snitch) that flesh out the legal world. Every character pops out, clean and distinct; this sort of web-of-deceit story line, full of twists and turns, depends on the audience clearly connecting all the players. Some moments get overstated or maybe don't make complete sense, but the zippy pace carries the audience over those bumps. <em>The Lincoln Lawyer</em> could easily turn into a television series, a sort of <em>Rockford Files</em>-esque mixture of procedure and puzzle making. Also starring Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Frances Fisher, John Leguizamo, and Josh Lucas as the prosecuting attorney who gives McConaughey some competition in the chiseled-looks department. <em>--Bret Fetzer</em>

<em>Scott Pilgrim vs. the World</em> is a finger-blistering time capsule of <em>right now</em>, yet in a hundred years it will still be so crammed with charm, wit, brio, and exuberance it will still be irresistible. Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera, <em>Superbad</em>) is an accidental heartbreaker, a Canadian slacker who obsesses over the girls who've dumped him but hardly realizes how he's dumped other girls. But everything else in his life (including playing bass in a band) fades to insignificance when he lays eyes on Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, <em>Live Free or Die Hard</em>), his deadpan pixie dream girl. Unfortunately, Ramona has some serious baggage: seven deadly exes, and Scott must battle them all if he wants to date Ramona. <em>Scott Pilgrim vs. the World</em> is saturated in pop culture, particularly video games. Many events make almost no sense, but it doesn't matter--sheer narrative ferocity and glee of invention sweep the viewer along. Cera pushes his geek/dork dreamboat persona to new heights of sweet twee-ness; if this movie doesn't shoot him into the stratosphere, we live in a cold, unfeeling universe, bereft of justice. The whole supporting cast (including Kieran Culkin, Jason Schwartzman, Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, and a host of less familiar but excellent young actors) plays every moment for all it's worth. This movie is supremely uncool and passionate, which makes it essential viewing. <em>--Bret Fetzer</em>

United Kingdom released, Blu-Ray/Region B DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Dolby DTS-HD Master Audio ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: The animals in the African savannah are confused: where has all the water gone? It should have come gushing in from a mountain canyon a long time ago. Their thirst and worries continue to grow, especially since the only little water hole is being closely guarded by ferocious buffaloes and rhinos. The brave little meerkat Billy and the peace-loving lion Socrates take off in search of water. The hotel owner Smith had a huge dam built and is wasting all the water for a luxury hotel. And of all places, it is here that politicians are holding a conference about the protection of the environment. So, the animals answer to this with their own conference: elephant Angie calls on everything that can run, fly, trample or crawl to defend themselves, in what becomes the kick-off to a turbulent offensive full of beastly tricks. ...Animals United (2010) ( Konferenz der Tiere ) ( Animals United 3D ) (Blu-Ray)

Did we really need another big-screen version of <em>The Three Musketeers</em>? There have been six or seven versions of Alexandre Dumas's classic tale of swashbuckling intrigue and sword-fighting heroism in 17th-century France since the birth of motion pictures, so the question of need really doesn't really enter into it. This whiz-banging update is designed for a new generation of 21st-century entertainment seekers, and it comes complete with the kind of over-the-top CGI effects, novel 3D tricks, and ramped-up action that consumers of a franchise like <em>Pirates of the Caribbean</em> have come to expect. In fact, it's no secret that the American, German, French, and British producers were expecting to launch their own <em>Pirates</em>-like series for a long string of <em>Musketeer</em> movies that might inspire the same kind of dedicated followers, not to mention profits. But this exciting and well-intentioned new brand of Musketeer mayhem probably won't leave viewers hungry for another dose--or two, or three, or four. <br /><br />The helmer is Paul W.S. Anderson, the same director responsible for the <em>Resident Evil</em> series as well as dark, violent sci-fi entries like <em>Mortal Kombat, AVP</em>, and <em>Death Race</em>. He brings a similar heavy hand to the action sequences, many of which are quite spectacular, especially a truly grand finale staged aboard dueling tricked-out airships ostensibly designed by Leonardo da Vinci. He also brings a light touch to the comedic elements that often cross over into battle territory, although not as many of the gags fly as high as the raucous and cleverly staged action. The story follows Dumas's original tale when convenient and leaps awkwardly into flights of somewhat misplaced fancy when it can't make the familiar version of the musketeers' rebellious escapades fit into its narrative needs. The adventure-seeking peasant D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) makes his way to Paris hoping to join the musketeers, the special squadron sworn to protect the vaguely stooge-like king of France (Freddie Fox). In short order he has met and made a bad first impression on the three most notorious musketeers, Athos (Matthew MacFadyen), Porthos (Ray Stevenson), and Aramis (Luke Evans). These are our heroes, and their performances run the range from fair to pretty good. That is admittedly faint praise, but fortunately there are an equal number of villains to balance out the gamut of hammy scenery-chewing. There's Orlando Bloom as the mustache-twirling Lord Buckingham; Milla Jovovich as Milady, a backstabbing seductress who has as much kick as she does in her role as queen of the <em>Resident Evil</em> team; and Mads Mikkelsen in a return to terrorising mode as a one-eyed, soulless heavy in the employ of the church. Topping them all is Christoph Waltz, who brings to his Cardinal Richelieu the same kind of menacing charm that made Colonel Hans Landa so deliciously hiss-inducing in <em>Inglorious Basterds</em>. What makes this restructured <em>Musketeers</em> feel a little off is the contemporary vernacular peppered throughout the dialogue. It's clearly targeted to a teen and young-adult audience in the hopes that they will want more of this mix (think <em>Pirates</em> again). The story is skewed young, with Logan Lerman and Gabriella Wilde as a lady-in-waiting getting more plot time than they can handle in their professional capacity as actors. But there are abundant subplots and everybody gets one, the costumes are spectacular, and the sets ooze lavish detail. The 3D is fairly lackluster, so home-market viewers really won't be missing anything on that front. What they'll get most of is a breezy, stunt-studded, action-packed, and affably affected take on a literary chestnut that, by the way, is also sequel-ready. --Ted Fry

They're not exactly <em>The Expendables</em>, but the idea of gathering Jason Statham, Clive Owen, and Robert De Niro for special ops duty in <em>Killer Elite</em> gives rise to some basic expectations: and sure enough, there's Statham as the cool, compact trained killer, and De Niro as the grizzled seen-it-all-veteran of some very off-the-record assassinations, and Owen as the smooth-talking (and curiously mustachioed) insider with a mess to clean up. These three fellows might indeed make for a badass team in some international thriller, but this particular international thriller is so ham-handed and breathlessly"stylish" that the actors are stranded amidst the relentless noise. De Niro's character gets kidnapped early in the proceedings (and spends most of the movie off-screen), so Statham must come back on the job and rescue his old killer-in-arms. But there's a bigger plot a-turning, based on Ranulph Fiennes's novel, which was allegedly a real tale of espionage, although this claim has been disputed. (This film is not related to Sam Peckinpah's 1975 film <em>The Killer Elite</em>). Director Gary McKendry serves up some bone-crunching moments, which almost drown out the sound of the tin-ear dialogue, and Owen manages to emerge with dignity intact. That will have to suffice as a recommendation for hard-core action fans. --Robert Horton

Arguably the finest movie of its kind, Terminator 2: Judgment Day captured Arnold Schwarzenegger at the very apex of his Hollywood celebrity and James Cameron at the peak of his perfectionist directorial powers. Nothing the star did subsequently measured up to his iconic performance here, spouting legendary catchphrases and wielding weaponry with unparalleled cool; and while the director had an even bigger hit with the bloated and sentimental Titanic , few followers of his career would deny that Cameron's true forte has always been sci-fi action. With an incomparably bigger budget than its 1984 precursor, T2 essentially reworks the original scenario with envelope-stretching special effects and simply more, more, more of everything. Yet, for all its scale, T2 remains at heart a classic sci-fi tale: robots running amok, time travel paradoxes and dystopian future worlds are recurrent genre themes, which are here simply revitalised by Cameron's glorious celebration of the mechanistic. From the V-twin roar of a Harley Fat Boy to the metal-crunching Steel Mill finale, the director's fascination with machines is this movie's strongest motif: it's no coincidence that the character with whom the audience identifies most strongly is a robot. Now that impressive but unengaging CGI effects have come to over-dominate sci-fi movies (think of The Phantom Menace ), T2 's pivotal blending of extraordinary live-action stuntwork and FX looks more and more like it will never be equalled.

On the DVD : Oh, if only every DVD could be like this. Here is a DVD package worthy of this monumental movie, with so many extra features the viewer will spend hours simply trying to find them all (the animated menus alone are worth watching over and over again.) On the second disc there are three extensive documentaries (all good, all relatively straightforward), but things get more complicated as you burrow down through the menu layers of Cyberdyne Systems into the"Data Hub": the entire screenplay, storyboards, text features, dozens and dozens of video clips, deleted scenes, and thousands of stills.

The movie disc itself will cause even hardened surround-sound enthusiasts to gasp with joy as these explosive soundscapes come alive in Dolby 5.1 or DTS (hear that Harley roar!), while the anamorphic widescreen picture of the original theatrical 2.35:1 ratio is jaw-droppingly impressive. The exhaustive commentary is a patchwork of interviews with various key cast and crew members. The only disappointment here is that, unlike the almost identical Region 1 version, this Region 2 package does not include the DVD-ROM features nor the option to play the original theatrical release and the hidden"Ultimate Edition"--the only version here is the Director's Cut Special Edition, although the few extra scenes that make up the"Ultimate" edit can still be found in the"Data Core" section of the second disc. -- Mark Walker