Special features included on this 2-disc set are outright spectacular, at times better than the movie!. Disc one features 2 full length commentaries, one from the director (Bryan Singer) and the cinematographer, the other featuring the writers and producers. Disc 2 is downright disgusting. There is literally over 4, maybe even 5 hours of content on this disc by my estimation including an hour long look at the making the film (though lacking any chapter stops). Some of the info included in this documentary is regurgitated in other locations on the disc, but it's almost always handled in a different manner. Nightcrawler gets a lot of attention with 3 documentaries dedicated directly to him. Really nice is the time lapse segment showing just how much work goes into his character every time he's ready to go in front of the camera.
There's a half hour look at the origins of the X-Men, but it's disappointing to see it veer off into the world of the feature film about 10 minutes in. There's nifty look at the rehearsal for the Wolverine/Deathstrike brawl (complete with actual sound effects), a half hour look at all the special effect shots (it still amazes me how much work it takes), a brief segment on costumes and scoring the film, and just shy of a dozen deleted/extended sequences. It's an outstanding disc and it makes this one a worthwhile purchase as if the film wasn't already good enough.
Note that there is a box set containing the X-Men 1.5 disc set and this one. Don't blindly buy it thinking there's something new on it (though the box is pretty spiffy!). Anyway, this is one of the better discs of the year so far (save for Lord of the Rings and what I'm sure will take the cake, The Alien Quadrilogy) and one of the better movies. Even if your not a fan of the film, the behind the scenes stuff is fascinating enough to warrant at least a look.
Originally posted on Breaking Windows on 11/28/03.
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