Who Watches The WATCHMEN...?

Post by **Daniel** » July 16th, 2009, 2:58 pm

I notice the link says Blu-ray, but last I heard that's suppose to be the DVD exclusive packaging. Here's what the Blu packaging will look like, unless plans have changed:

More fitting y'know, blue with blue!

Also, apparently Warner will be releasing a hard copy of the downloadable video game they made for the movie. The PS3 version will be the "Ultimate Experience" edition and will include a copy of the movie on Blu-ray. Here's a pic:

Post by **Randall** » July 16th, 2009, 9:33 pm

Interesting! I'd assume it'd be the director's cut included.

I've decided to hang onto my steelbook preorder for the Blu-ray, unless Ben hasn't time to take on the screener. I'll also be forking out for the Ultimate set in the fall, sucker that I am.

Post by **Ben** » August 13th, 2009, 9:09 pm

My review is up: http://animated-views.com/2009/watchmen ... t-blu-ray/

Have to correct George in a post he made earlier: the "DVD Video" included in the BD set (in any edition) is not a regular DVD as was expected: it's purely a Digital Copy only version of the theatrical feature. As I say in the review, that's a disappointment for those that want both or to compare, and although that is a lot of info to squeeze on a disc, why can't WB have bundled both on the final disc? It's just another platter that will remain redundant for me, when a DVD would have been very welcome and just as easily ripped/converted for those that know what they're doing.

Ho-hum...while I found the film more of an experience in the longer cut, I was underwhelmed by the supposed awesome BD: the "commentary" was spotty and not as indepth as some others, while the extras were a lot of filler or stuff fans would have seen before (the vigilantes documentary and the webisodes). I have a feeling the UCE will be the more definitive edition, from what is announced on the insert inside here, and not having seen the Black Freighter in any form, I will say I am sufficiently intrigued to check out that set. Though the movie isn't perfection, it is a very intricately staged world and I "enjoyed" revisiting it more than I thought I would for a second time.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » August 14th, 2009, 12:03 am

That's what got announced, Ben!

Don't look at me... I'm not the one who did the press releases...

Everywhere I looked -- The Digital Bits, Amazon.com -- said the same thing. They all got their info from the same source and that source screwed things up..

Rats... This does mean if you want the original theatrical film edit you've gotta go and buy the single-disc DVD then.

I hope this isn't the start of a new trend.

***********************

I'm still upset at Disney for forcing people to buy DVD and Digital Copy discs with newer release BD-sets.

Disney has already, IMHO, sunk to new lows and RAISED the average price of its BD's from $34.99 to 39.99! Way to compete with your competitors, Donald Doofus!

That's the kind of thing that makes me WANT WB to keep beating Disney in home video sales. And I'm no fan of the way WB treats a lot of its film library, either... but at least they haven't begun embracing new techology by adopting a policy of raising their disc prices on average HIGHER than their competitors. So much for the family-friendly company, Mickey!

So far, Up and Monsters, Inc. are only going to be available in 4-disc BD sets. There will be two BD's in each set but in addition a DVD copy of the movie AND a Digital Copy DVD.

No, if's, and's or buts about it... and you will be paying for these discs, like it or not, at many stores to the tune of $45.99!

I realize there a bunch of soccer moms and other people who still refuse to educate themselves on film and technology -- and these are the same people who vote in the miserable excuses of leadership who are WRECKING the freaking world as we speak(!) --, but for goodness' sake, why do I have to buy everything from Amazon.com or elsewhere on the web to get a good deal on many videos? Can't Disney release BD's at a better value without junk that most of us don't want?

Post by **Ben** » August 14th, 2009, 6:25 am

Monsters is just three discs: two BDs and the Digital Copy, since the DVD is still in print. Price for the BD set is $39.99, as clarified on our front page the other day.

But I'm glad other people are starting to realise what I said right from the start of the Digital Copy trend...we are paying for these discs one way or another, whether we want them or not.

However, as with WALL-E, I would imagine that later pressings after the initial launch will revert to the two-disc BD sets (still perhaps with Digital Copy) and a lower price point.

It is a shame that Watchmen isn't included in its theatrical form somewhere in the set: Universal have got it just right with Coraline, a two disc set that offers all the BD goodness on the first disc and the DVD/Digital Copy combo all contained on the second DVD disc. And better still, it's not being priced over the odds: I got mine for less than $25 on Amazon.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » September 23rd, 2009, 10:15 pm

More Watchmen Madness courtesy of The Digital Bits... 9/23/09 early update...

"Warner has officially set the DVD and Blu-ray release of Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut for 11/3. The DVD will be a 5-disc set (SRP $43.87), while the Blu-ray will be a 4-disc set (SRP $59.99). The film has all the Director's Cut content integrated with Watchmen: Tales from the Black Freighter. The running time is 251 minutes. Extras on both versions will include new audio commentary by Dave Gibbons and Zack Snyder, 5 featurettes (The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics, Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes, Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World, Story Within a Story: The Books of Watchmen and Under the Hood), the Watchmen: Video Journals, My Chemical Romance's Desolation Row music video, the Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics disc and a Digital Copy of the theatrical version of the film. The sets will be limited to 70,000 copies. "

*****

I'm hanging on to my Director's Cut BD.

I'll probably still get this and retain an option of whether I want to lose 4 hours of my life (or not!) on a particular day with this film...

Far from being a horrible film but it's not the Citizen Kane of hero films, either... any more than the original graphic novel was.

(I've gotta say I've liked Moore's mainstream stuff better. This alternative comics stuff he does now just doesn't have the heart of his earlier works. For example, if you want to read the best Superman run done in the past 30 years check out the collected editions of his run on the "Supreme" comic by Checkers Publishing. I could read that about any day of the week. Watchmen is something I could stand to wait a few more years to read again in all honesty...)

At least the diehards have a date for the "Ultimate Edition" of this film now!

Post by **Randall** » September 23rd, 2009, 11:35 pm

I'm afraid that I'll have to get this. Yes, I'm a diehard, and I want it all.

(Though, I did not buy the Owlship version of the Director's Cut, so I guess I'm not the biggest diehard out there.)

Post by **Ben** » September 24th, 2009, 8:42 am

I wrote this up in our front page announcements yesterday!

There are a few more details there that I didn't bother posting (like the running time), but bascially it's everything that was put out before all in one big box.

Post by **Randall** » September 24th, 2009, 8:14 pm

Well, there are new audio commentaries, and the old one (Max Movie Mode) is not carried over. Not sure if there's anything new for video-based extras.

Post by **Ben** » September 25th, 2009, 10:08 am

I think it's just the one commentary, Rand, with Gibbons and Snyder, but this is indeed different to the Max Movie Mode on the Director's Cut. But, yeah, nothing really new on the video based extras, except for the extras scenes they shot to insert in the movie that lead in and out of the Black Freighter scenes.

$59.99 for a four-disc BD is a pretty good deal, which I'm guessing they had to go low with as this is more a collection of content rather than new new stuff. The big attraction is the extended movie, of course, and not having seen the Black Freighter material, I'm intrigued to see it, especially for it to play out in this form.

Post by **Randall** » September 25th, 2009, 4:20 pm

I have Black Freighter, but didn't buy it, having gotten a screener, so I don't mind forking out for this version now. Also, I kinda like getting the motion comic, which I never bought.

Post by **Ben** » September 25th, 2009, 5:33 pm

Yes, I'm interested to seeing the comic in comparison to the movie, and it will be interesting if they offer Freighter as a stand-alone in addition. I guess that disc's out there, but it would be interesting to see it as its own piece as well as in the movie, since that will obviously feel much different and will lead in and out of the animated segments alternate to the straight presentation of before. I'm probably most intrigued to see Under The Hood, actually, as I like the idea behind that concept.