It looks like the Beowulf DVD will be upon us Feb 26! We get the following release details thanks to dvdactive (thx to Simon for the heads up):
Paramount Home Entertainment has announced theatrical and director’s cut releases of the Robert Zemeckis directed Beowulf which features the voices of Ray Winstone and Angelina Jolie. Each will be available to own from the 26th February. The film itself will be presented in anamorphic widescreen, along with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround tracks. The only extra feature on the theatrical cut will be A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Beowulf featurette. The Director’s Cut will include that, along with a Beasts of Burden featurette, a Origins of Beowulf featurette, a Creating the Ultimate Beowulf feaurette, an Art of Beowulf featurette, additional scenes (Wealthow Shows Beowulf the Sundial, Beowulf Boasts to the People of Herot, Celebration and Seduction, Wulfgar Greets Beowulf at the Stockade, Beowulf’s Day Unferth Finds the Horn, Cain on the Barrows), trailers, and eastereggs.
Also available from the 26th February will be a HD-DVD release of the film. This will feature a high definition transfer, along with 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, and 5.1 Dolby TrueHD tracks. All of the above extra material will be included, along with a Conversation with Robert Zemeckis, further featurettes on the stunts, art design, props (Lay of the Land, Givin’ Props, Scanners, Stunts and Rigs, Plan of Attack, Fight Me, Baby It’s Cold Inside, Beasts of Burden, The Origins of Beowulf, Creating the Ultimate Beowulf, The Art of Beowulf) and a couple of extra additional scenes (Grendel Runs Towards Herot, Hrothgar Awakened by Unferth, Scylding’s watch Escorts Beowulf).
I loved Beowulf, had an amazing time watching the film and am certainly looking forward to the release of the Director’s cut. I will take all the extra scenes I can get from this one, and it looks like there are a decent amount of them. What I do not like is the fact that the HD-DVD release of the film will have additional special features. I am not certain if this is due to space restrictions on the DVD as compared to HD-DVD or just a bullshit marketing ploy to push us towards the next gen players.
I wish there was a way we could watch the film in 3-D on our home televisions. In time, I hope that this option becomes available; I would love to watch 3-D film at home. I would get a specialty 3-D viewing helmet made, perhaps a stormtrooper mask with modified eye lenses or better yet a robocop helmet equipped for viewing excellence.
This DVD launches Feb 26, and I look forward to reviewing the special features!
