Underworld [WS] [Special Edition]

The werewolf vs. vampire actionfest Underworld roars to DVD in a packed release from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment that's sure to please any fan of the gothic, bullet-ridden tale. This Widescreen Special Edition comes with a superb 2.35:1 picture, maintaining the deep blacks and blue hues that worked so well in theaters (a full-screen edition is also available). Sound options are solely relegated to a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, whose layers of atmosphere, music, and sound effects create a fine mix for this extremely loud film. Additionally, two commentary tracks are supplied, the first with director Len Wiseman and writers Danny McBride and Kevin Grevioux, and the second featuring creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos, executive producer/visual effects supervisor James McQuaide, and sound designer Claude Letessier. Both commentaries provide an insane amount of behind-the-scenes information, though each one is about as self-gratifying and pompous as you can get -- especially for a film that is such widely considered as un-groundbreaking as Underworld (though extra points do go to Grevioux for showcasing more of his unearthly deep vocal range for the audience). Filled to the brim with special features, the Featurettes section takes up the most space, as cast and crew alike spew gluttonous amounts of adoration for the film's "originality" and vision through each given clip. This area alone holds almost 45 minutes of footage split between various sections and beginning with the overall making-of documentary (directed by Danny McBride himself), as well as featurettes dedicated to "Creature Effects," "Stunts," along with "Sights and Sounds." The second page of Special Features provides a music video by Finch, storyboard comparisons, two separate TV spots, and a trailers section featuring the original theatrical trailer along with some other bonus horror previews. While the disc is quite stacked in its coverage of the film, the end result tends to leave the viewer rather cold, depending on his or her reaction to the film. If you loved it as much as the filmmakers obviously do, there's no way you could come out happier -- for everyone else, it might seem like a bit of overkill. Gripes aside, though, the disc has a stellar presentation, with flashy animated menus and a fantastic audio/visual transfer that will make your home theater system work for its money.