Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Criss Angel's tricks, magic
Likes: Long Island
Dislikes: Criss Angel's persona, Cheese
Hates: Anyone too cool for school

The Story So Far...
Criss Angel made an easy transition from stage magician to TV star, taking a lead role in "Criss Angel: Mindfreak" on A&E. Themed episodes saw him performing his magic and interacting with his crew, friends and family, mixing documentary with magic. A&E released the first season of his show on DVD in December of 2005. DVDTalk has a review here.

The Show
I'll never forget the incredible show Criss Angel put on in a small Times Square theater a few years ago, but it feels like that magician isn't the same guy who appears on A&E each week. As the jewelery grows and the celebrity friends increase, it becomes a bit harder to take him seriously as he speaks in his hushed tones. Where he was once focused on the atmosphere of his act, now it seems to be all about his personality.

A Halloween special would seem like the perfect opportunity for him to reclaim his spot as the goth king of magic, as the holiday lends itself to the dark arts. To celebrate the occasion, Angel was honored as Magician of the Year at The Magic Castle in California and made a trip home to his old stomping grounds on Long Island. In both locales, he performed a number of tricks for the camera, mostly of the close-up variety, like creating candy out of nothing for some trick-or-treaters and pulling thread out of his eye. To be truthful, most of the tricks are underwhelming, including the mentalism segments.

There are two larger-than-life moments that rise above the norm, but one is beyond disappointing. The Matrix Jump, in which Angel jumps through the body of a fellow magician, is so obvious in its construction that its hard to believe Angel was behind it. Much better is the Woodchipper Escape, where he's nailed into a wooden coffin and fed into a woodchipper. Everything happens in one continuous shot, so it's hard to figure out just how he does the stunt. If only everything on this DVD was as interesting.

One of the things I admire about Angel is his willingness to share some of the tricks of the trade. There's just one such example on this disc, but it's such an accessible bit of slight-of-hand, one anyone could do, that it brings the fans in on the fun. Adding more of these would have been a big improvement and would have tied into the Halloween theme nicely. As it stands, this show doesn't stack up well with regular "Mindfreak" episodes, coming in light on the freakiness and a bit heavy on the cheese, especially during the Houdini's grave segment.

Though the magic isn't up to Angel's usual level of quality, the real problem with a disc like this is that you're essentially buying one 43-minute episode at a suggested retail of $20. That's a bit steep when most DVDTV comes in at a much lower-price per episode. Sure, an intro disc is good for people new to the show, but they could have folded this special into the next season set.

The DVD
Packaged in a standard keepcase with an A&E catalog, "Criss Angel: Mindfreak Halloween" is a one-disc release, featuring a static full-frame main menu that follows a short piece of intro video. There's a choice to watch the special or the bonus features. There are no audio or subtitle options, though you can choose between chapters or watch the show as a whole.

The Quality
Presented in full-frame aspect ratio, this special looks very nice, better than it did on TV, with very clean images, vivid color and a good level of detail. Though there's no dirt or damage obvious in the transfer, nor any major digital artifacts, some haloing can be seen throughout the show.

The audio is delivered as a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, and while no one's going to be blown away by it, it's clear and clear in terms of the music, dialogue and sound effects. It does the trick for a standard basic-cable TV presentation.

The Extras
The bonus features are a bit light in comparison to the first-season set. The only extras here are a pair of best-of episodes from the first season., which weren't available on DVD before. There's some material that wasn't included in the first episodes, but they are mostly clip shows that weren't needed on the first-season DVDs. For a first-timer to "Mindfreak" they are a nice inclusion. For everyone else, especially those who have seen the episodes on TV, it's a small amount of extra material.

The Bottom Line
Criss Angel's series has improved over time, putting more focus on the tricks than the melodrama, but thanks to his overly-hip stage persona, the show still lags behind the incredible stage performances he's capable of. The 43-minute special doesn't feature any truly exceptional magic in comparison to previous shows, but the finale is impressive. Without solid extras, this short disc isn't a must-have for his fans, but serves as more of a sampler for newcomers and those not interested in shelling out for a season set.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.