| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Blair Witch Project, The
Artisan // R
List Price: $24.98 [Buy now and save at 800]
The Movie:
1999's most overhyped movie has finally made its way to DVD. As I'm sure you all know by now, The Blair Witch Project is presented as footage shot by 3 student filmmakers terrified by an unseen force in the woods of Maryland.
The Picture:
The video is fine (with one notable exception) looking precisely like the theatrical prints. That's not to say that the video is particularly nice, but considering the source material, the quality presented here is about as good as you're likely to get. When the inevitable "super special edition" comes out, it'll be interesting to see if any further steps are taken, such as the Hi-8 segments being taken directly from the video rather than film. As I mentioned, there's only one thing that bothers me about the video, and that's the "viewfinder box" around the screen. Once the movie starts going, the box was far less noticeable, but during the early scenes, I had my Toshiba 3109 zoomed in to get rid of it. Some of the menus were a little hard to make out at times, but they're bearable.
The Sound:
Keeping in line with the micro-budget of the film, the sound isn't particularly impressive, but it's done well enough that you can make out the dialogue (or the incoherent stringing together of profanity, depending on your point of view).
The Extras:
I was really hoping for more deleted footage, but the only extra scene is an incredibly uninteresting 5-minute segment. The other extras offer more, though. The commentary is absolutely hilarious, and I'm sure anyone who enjoyed the movie (and probably even those who didn't) will get a kick out of it as well. The Sci-Fi Channel special, The Curse of the Blair Witch, is a welcome addition, and the usual trailers, bios, and a timeline are also included. The commentary and inclusion of the Sci-Fi special make this a "special edition", I suppose, but the lack of extra footage really is disappointing.
Conclusion:
This is a tough call. I have a hard time recommending The Blair Witch Project as a purchase as the replay value is fairly low. Even my second time watching it, I kept wanting to skip through many of the early scenes. It's very different than anything I'd seen before, which was refreshing, but once the novelty wears off, I found the film almost unwatchable. The commentary ups the replay value a bit, but overall, I'd recommend it more as a 2-day rental unless you happen to be a huge fan of the film.
1999's most overhyped movie has finally made its way to DVD. As I'm sure you all know by now, The Blair Witch Project is presented as footage shot by 3 student filmmakers terrified by an unseen force in the woods of Maryland.
The Picture:
The video is fine (with one notable exception) looking precisely like the theatrical prints. That's not to say that the video is particularly nice, but considering the source material, the quality presented here is about as good as you're likely to get. When the inevitable "super special edition" comes out, it'll be interesting to see if any further steps are taken, such as the Hi-8 segments being taken directly from the video rather than film. As I mentioned, there's only one thing that bothers me about the video, and that's the "viewfinder box" around the screen. Once the movie starts going, the box was far less noticeable, but during the early scenes, I had my Toshiba 3109 zoomed in to get rid of it. Some of the menus were a little hard to make out at times, but they're bearable.
The Sound:
Keeping in line with the micro-budget of the film, the sound isn't particularly impressive, but it's done well enough that you can make out the dialogue (or the incoherent stringing together of profanity, depending on your point of view).
The Extras:
I was really hoping for more deleted footage, but the only extra scene is an incredibly uninteresting 5-minute segment. The other extras offer more, though. The commentary is absolutely hilarious, and I'm sure anyone who enjoyed the movie (and probably even those who didn't) will get a kick out of it as well. The Sci-Fi Channel special, The Curse of the Blair Witch, is a welcome addition, and the usual trailers, bios, and a timeline are also included. The commentary and inclusion of the Sci-Fi special make this a "special edition", I suppose, but the lack of extra footage really is disappointing.
Conclusion:
This is a tough call. I have a hard time recommending The Blair Witch Project as a purchase as the replay value is fairly low. Even my second time watching it, I kept wanting to skip through many of the early scenes. It's very different than anything I'd seen before, which was refreshing, but once the novelty wears off, I found the film almost unwatchable. The commentary ups the replay value a bit, but overall, I'd recommend it more as a 2-day rental unless you happen to be a huge fan of the film.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||