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(More customer reviews)First I have to say I love X-Men the movie, and this is a great dvd. But I cannot give it the five stars I would like to (or that I gave the first X-Men dvd) because I feel that they have cheated the fans. Much like the comic books themselves, they've devised a way to take more money from the fans. Why wasn't all these extras on the original dvd? Even Bryan Singer himself says in the introduction to the dvd that he hates to do it, and that he hopes a group of people are sitting around watching the 1 dvd they bought (then why did you do it Bryan? whay didn't you just put all this good stuff on the original dvd?)
First of all, the menus aren't as cool as the original dvd. Sort of cheesy in fact. Now, both the original and 1.5 come in slipcover cases, but the original has a nice design, with a metallic type sheen to it--very x-meny. 1.5 has much less of the sheen, horrid red letters, and instead of a small tasteful cover art, a large picture of Wolverine, flanked by Mystique and Storm. It looks all right, if you haven't seen the original slip case design. And inside is almost good. it has a nice red and black design (not the vulgar read of the outer cover, but a more tasteful and subdued red), and only loses it when you see a cast lineup. From a design perspective, 1.5 is definitely weaker.
Disc One
The X-Men movie is on this disc. I won't go into a review of the movie, because I already did that in my review of X-Men. I will say that it is a great movie, Singer does a great job, and the casting is inspired. There is a commentary track on this dvd, something that was missng from the original. Singer does a great job talking about the film and the filmmaking process. I just have to ask, why wasn't this on the original dvd? There is also an Enhanced Viewing Mode on this cd. It contains extended/deleted scenes, where they would have been placed in the film (also on the original dvd). The problem is that you can't go to them seperately, you can only access them in their place in the Enhanced Viewing Mode (a definite weakness, and not a problem on the original dvd). The Enhanced Viewing Mode also has 17 different behind the scenes footage, at various locations in the film (these you also can only access through this mode and not in a seperate menu. a minus).
Disc Two
Here is where Singer's introduction and apology is located. "It's not my nature to be putting out multiple dvds of a film" --then why Bryan, why did you do it? But the orchestra is nice (you'll see what I mean). There are two menus here. One is X-Men 2, which has a Daredevil teaser (there's a movie I won't go see) and has an X-Men 2 sneak preview (I understand why this isn't on the original dvd, and it is a great addition, but not worth buying a whole new dvd). The other menu is titled Evolution X. Under it you'll find all sorts of goodies, which can all be played in sequence, or accessed one at a time (which I recommend), and there is branching her as well, but I'm not sure if you have to go at it all together or not, but I suspect you can only get it if you choose the 'Play All With Branching' option, which really isn't such a bad way to go. There's a 'Production Documentary Scrapbook' where you can watch the train sequence from all different camera angles, and without the post-production and multi-angle fight rehearsals. 'X-Factor' which contains costume tests, toad's makeup test, and an image gallery. 'The Uncanny Suspects' (my that's witty) which has a character gallery and Hugh Jackman's first reading and screen test. 'Special Effects of the X-Men' contains all sorts of effects featurettes and extras. 'Marketing the X-Men' which has trailers, tv spots, and internet spots. And finally 'Reflection of the X-Men" which has footage from the Ellis Island Premier and premier's around the world. And don't forget all the xtras found in the branching option. Overall you do get a lot of good stuff that you won't find on the original dvd. But what you will find on the original dvd that you won't find on 1.5 is the easter egg Spider-Man gag, which is great (but you will get something similar where a Wolverine appears in the original yellow costume), nor will you find the Fox Special "The Mutant Watch", which isn't esential to the film (actually, it doesn't fit great continuity-wise), but it is entertaining, and should be on the 1.5.
Now, should you buy X-Men 1.5? I did, but that's because I'm a huge fan of the X-Men (in film, cartoon, comics, toys, and fiction), and the huge X-Fans will end up doing this. Also, I'm a student of film theory and criticism, and this dvd has things I couldn't pass up. But if you have the original dvd, then I'd either rent 1.5 or borrow it from a friend. If you don't have either, I'd say go ahead and pick up 1.5 (borrow the original dvd from a friend, you've got to see the Spider-Man gag). 1.5 does give you the better value, it's just that this stuff should have been on the original dvd. Instead, in the grand Marvel tradition, we screw the true fans.
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X-Men 1.5 (2000)Don't just relive the spectacular action... take it to the extreme with this all-new 2-Disc Collector's Edition release of X-Men, packed with hours of never-before-seen bonus features! Go beyond the movie with the Enhanced Viewing Mode, incorporating more than 60 extra minutes of deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage as you watch the film. Listen to in-depth audio commentary from director Bryan Singer. Learn all the most revealing production secrets, from Casting and Costumes to Scenery and Special Eftects, through brand-new featurettes. And get an exclusive sneak peek at the making of X2. This is X-Men like you've never seen experienced it before!
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