The Movies:

Before developing The Walking Dead into a successful TV show and after co-writing A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Frank Darabont enjoyed a career as the prestigious writer/director of Stephen King dramas, as well as the director of a Frank Capra send-off that bombed at the box office. But hey, being the talent behind the #1 movie on IMDB pretty much since the site's inception can be considered a decent trade-off for one financial failure.

Perhaps realizing Darabont's importance in providing a good amount of prestige for the studio, Warner Bros decided to release the three films he directed for them in a nifty cardboard Blu-Ray package reminiscent of the Indiana Jones and Star Wars Saga releases. If you're not a big fan of even one of these films (Looking at you, The Majestic haters!), these discs can be purchased separately. The Shawshank Redemption is the same exact Blu-Ray disc that's been around since the format was introduced, The Green Mile is the recent 2-disc Diamond Luxe edition that uses the same transfer as the original Blu-Ray release with more extras, and The Majestic is the same stand alone disc that was recently released. However, if you're a fan of all three films, this package should be a very good deal.

The Shawshank Redemption:

5 Stars

Film snobs and critics are usually guilty of undermining great movies that become immensely popular by the general audience. Call it overrated or make as many "It's on a loop on TNT" jokes as you want, The Shawshank Redemption is a timeless classic and one of the last great American dramas. This adaptation of a lesser-known Stephen King novella by a first time director could have failed in so many ways, but Darabont's focus and determination, aided by extraordinary performances by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, turn The Shawshank Redemption into the prestige powerhouse it is today. You might not think it's the best film ever made, but we all understand why it's #1 amongst IMDB voters.

The Green Mile:

4 Stars

"Yet another Stephen King adaptation that's set in a prison?", a lot of Shawshank fans asked upon hearing about Darabont's follow up. I remember the hype and the skepticism around the film were running neck-and-neck in the cultural zeitgeist up until the release of The Green Mile. Many fans were excited about Darabont returning to what he obviously did best, while an almost equal number were afraid that a repeat of similar material would yield diminished returns. The Green Mile wasn't the masterpiece many hoped it would be, but it's a solid epic drama with a heartfelt supernatural center. The supernatural elements are of course what sets the two films apart on the surface, but The Green Mile's tonal approach was a bit darker and more complex, with an ending that frustrated some viewers but impressed yours truly. However, the somewhat uneven execution and languid pacing stopped it just short of being great. It doesn't reward the audience upon repeat viewings the way Shawshank does, but it's definitely worth a visit if you've never seen it before.

The Majestic:

4 Stars

Now we get to the underappreciated runt of the litter. Darabont's love letter to Frank Capra's unique brand of schmaltz and optimism bombed at the box-office upon its release in 2001. Its failure also cooled Jim Carrey off of dramatic roles, which is a shame since he gave a subtle and relatable performance that was the complete opposite of his comedic persona, proving that he had more range than we gave him credit for. The premise of a down on his luck screenwriter losing his memory and being confused for a town's favorite son has cheese ball written all over it, but Darabont manages to pull it off thanks to the genuine compassion he has for the characters and his ardent lack of cynicism. It's a bit of an undiscovered gem, especially for fans of old-fashioned Hollywood.

The Blu-Ray:

Video:

As mentioned above, the discs showcase the same transfers that were available on stand-alone releases. Considering the fact that both The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile sport the same 1080p presentations that were available during the last half of the 2000s, at the dawn of the Blu-Ray technology, the clarity and contrast on these transfers are stunning compared to many other releases from the period. The Majestic, on the other hand, really shines on Blu-Ray. The bright colors that send off to 1950s Technicolor features really pop in the recent 1080p transfer.

Audio:

Two words: Thomas Newman. Yes, I know that Mark Isham scored The Majestic, but Newman's delicate and somber scores for Shawshank and The Green Mile are essential to the success of these films. That's the common ground between the two films' lossless Dolby True HD 5.1 presentations (On Shawshank, make sure to pick True HD from the menu, since the disc defaults to a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track). The dialogue and the sfx are clean and crisp, without much of a surround presence (Except for when Michael Clarke Duncan's John Coffey uses his special powers in The Green Mile), but when Newman's score takes over your speakers, that's when the audio presentations soar. Even if you've seen Shawshank a million times, it's hard not to get a tear in your eye as the score soars during the iconic final shot. The Majestic, on the other hand, has a less showy and subtler audio mix as heard on the DTS-HD 5.1 transfer, obviously motivated by the mono mixes of the films it was inspired by.

Extras:

The Shawshank Redemption:

Commentary by Frank Darabont: This commentary's been around for a while, but if you never listened to it, it's an essential part of understanding Darabont's storytelling process.

Hope Spring Eternal: This is a 30-minute featurette that brought the cast and crew together for the 2-DVD edition during the early 2000s. The film's rise from theatrical obscurity to home video powerhouse is chronicled really well during this short doc.

Shawshank The Redeeming Feature: A one-hour BBC special hosted by Mark Kermode about the film's lasting influence. The interviews with real correctional officers who worked at the prison the film was shot in are fascinating.

The Charlie Rose Show: A 2004 episode of Charlie Rose where Darabont, Robbins and Freeman talk about their experiences making the film and its gradual rise in pop culture.

The Sharktank Redemption: A 24-minute spoof that takes place in an office setting. Could be funnier if it was shorter.

We also get some Stills and a Trailer.

The Green Mile:

Commentary by Frank Darabont: As he is with the Shawshank commentary, Darabont is very informative and provides fascinating information about the film's production.

Walking the Mile: A 25-minute EPK made during the production, with interviews from the cast and crew. It would be a memorable extra, if there weren't other, more comprehensive documentaries offered on this release.

Miracles and Mystery: Speaking of which, this is a 100-minute documentary that splits every aspect of production into smaller clips. Pretty much everything you need to know about The Green Mile is here. Or is it?

Deleted Scenes: Two brief scenes with optional commentary by Darabont. These can be easily skipped.

Walking the Mile, Extended Version: This is the 95-minute version of Walking the Mile, which takes the audience through the entire production in great detail. Needless to say, you don't need to watch the truncated version if you opt to check this documentary out. It's the only feature found on Disc 2.

We also get short videos like Michael Clarke Duncan's Screen Test, Tom Hanks' Make-up Test, as well as a Teaser and a Trailer. There's also an interesting Case Study about how the teaser was put together.

The Majestic:

Sand Pirates of the Sahara: This is a "clip" from the B-Movie that Jim Carrey's character supposed to have written. It's amusing, but you see most of it in the feature anyway.

Deleted Scenes: 10 minutes of scenes left out of the movie. There's nothing here that's really interesting or memorable.

We also get a Trailer.

Final Thoughts:

I wish that Warner Bros could have made a deal with Dimension to include Darabont's vastly underrated The Mist in this collection. Otherwise, this is as close as Darabont fans will get to a complete package. It comes highly recommended if you don't own the previous releases of the individual films.

Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic and screenwriter based in Portland, Oregon. He also writes for The Playlist, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.com